Shinji pressed his pillow to his face with a weak, muffled groan. He was so comfortable in bed, and he'd had such a long day... After all of the stress from exam taking - not to mention the stress of anticipating exams the next day - Shinji just wanted to forget it all for a little moment and sink into sleep.
But it'd started up almost right when he was about to drift off: a concert of loud, wailing meows issuing from beyond his bedroom door.
Curling up in indignation, Shinji squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh, please, just pipe down... shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up..." he whispered hopefully, but to no avail. The meowing - which was much more like screaming now - hadn't ceased. In fact, it was only closer.
Resignedly, but with a ridiculously grumpy expression on his face, Shinji sat up in bed and watched as his bedroom door was nudged open by a fluffy, little creature which had rudely entered without permission. Even still, it was meowing.
His head falling back in pleading, Shinji mumbled. "Please, just hush!"
He pushed himself out of bed, prompting the grey cat to mew quieter, then follow him excitedly as Shinji dragged his feet out to the kitchen. He almost felt like his cat was the one owning him. He had tried to teach him not to yowl in the middle of the night only a few hours after he was given dinner, he really had, but no matter what he tried, the determined little fluffball always found a way to disrupt him.
His last resort had been closing his bedroom door, but that had been an utter mistake; the cat just clawed at it, making an awful screeching noise that was made more frightening by the thought of what his landlord would do if he found cat scratches on his already shoddy paint job. Luckily, there had been no noticeable damage, but still, Shinji didn't need a deduction scare when he could barely afford rent as it was. He knew he needed to be cautious.
It didn't help that he technically wasn't supposed to have a pet in the complex at all, but really... it wasn't like that was enforced. He swore at least one other neighbor walked their dog in the mornings. And anyway, it wasn't like he could help himself from his dear cat.
Shinji had found him nearly a month ago, sleeping around the complex trash bins. If he was honest, Shinji had always wanted a pet, and had a particular soft spot for cats. It was just a shame that his parents had never said yes to his pleas for one, so he had gone petless for all of his life.
And something about that cat he saw laying there... Shinji was just so drawn to it. He supposed it might've been because of how lonely he'd been recently. It wasn't that he didn't have friends... well, he didn't have a great number of them or anything, but still, he just hadn't spent much time around them as of late. Sure, he had gone out for drinks with Toji and Kensuke a few weeks ago, and his sister Rei still paid him visits rather often, but that was about it. Finals week had been getting to everyone. He was craving company; he couldn't deny it.
So, it didn't take much to convince himself to kneel down and coax the cat out of its sleep. He'd been surprised to realize that the cat, upon stretching and looking up at him with a chirp, had red eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if that was normal. It didn't look quite like an infection... maybe he just had albinism?
Whatever it was though, Shinji didn't really mind. He didn't know anything about cat breeds, but whatever this one was was absolutely stunning. He was grey with soft, long fur. It was impressive how he could look so fluffy yet sleek at the same time. His chest was soft and wild with little tufts of white fur patterned throughout. Perfect for petting.
He had hoped that maybe after a few more visits, Shinji would be able to gain his trust and bring him back to his apartment. Much to his surprise though, the cat had happily walked beside him when Shinji tried to leave. Purring and twisting himself around Shinji's legs, he looked exceptionally happy. His cuddleability was quite enough to melt Shinji's heart, and maybe it wasn't the best choice right then, but Shinji had brought him back to his place anyway. It must've been a better place to sleep than the trash, he reasoned.
It was surprising how quickly the cat acclimated. He didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable or confused upon entering Shinji's house, despite the fact that he just looked like a stray who'd never stepped foot anywhere domestic. For some reason, Shinji was almost impressed.
He'd named him the very next day, interested to see how fast he'd start responding to it, and the name didn't take long for Shinji to think of. It was strange, but as he looked at his new cat, he was flooded with the memory of what he'd always wanted to name a pet if he had the chance; it was a name he hadn't even thought about in years: Nagisa.
Even after racking his brain, Shinji couldn't recall where he'd first heard it. He supposed it was just something he'd picked up randomly... maybe from a TV show or from a long-forgotten primary school classmate. He'd always thought the name was quite pretty, and he agreed now, even if he'd forgotten its origin. And something about the name just felt so perfect for this cat. He just knew this red-eyed, grey-haired cat was named Nagisa.
And then came another display of Nagisa's strangely quick adaptation; he started responding to the name almost immediately. Shinji, without much conviction, had called out to him from across the room that same day, and the cat had almost immediately bounded up to him. How in the world had he already figured that out?
His slightly odd behavior would persist over the next few weeks too. Even though Shinji had gotten used to Nagisa at that point, there were still just little things that made him wonder if his cat was as normal as he first appeared. He wasn't even sure if they mattered all, yet his brain still took note of them.
The way Nagisa would stare just a little too intently at the TV screen whenever Shinji watched a movie. How he could push open doors without any help. Even the way he would stare at Shinji whenever he talked to him. Something about the intensity of his eyes and stillness of his stature... it was almost like Nagisa could actually understand him. And that was something else; it was always a fleeting feeling, but his eyes, his deep, red eyes... Shinji was almost sure he had seen them before. They were so familiar. They felt human.
Of course, though, it was ridiculous to consider seriously. Nagisa was a cat, just a cat. All of those things were just little quirks; he knew pets had individual personalities even if they weren't people, so obviously, Nagisa was just a little different.
Yawning, Shinji pulled himself from his thoughts to put down Nagisa's just-filled food bowl.
"Here you are, you little jerk," he murmured, but with an affectionate head scratch.
Nagisa purred as he leaned down to eat. Shinji considered going back to bed right then, but he knew Nagisa preferred to eat when he was there, and he wasn't in the mood to sit through another yowling song.
His eyelids felt heavy as he leaned on the kitchen counter, vaguely listening to the sound of crunching. Thinking back on it, maybe Nagisa was less human than he thought. After all, what kind of jerk would wake up their roommate in the middle of the night just so they'd make them food? That was a thoroughly cat thing to do.
Thoughts straying, Shinji felt himself jolt at the feel of hair against his leg. He blinked, realizing he had nodded off. Nagisa was insistently nudging himself against Shinji's leg, as if to wake him up.
"Alright, Nagi... come on then," he muttered sleepily.
Nagisa chirped, walking ahead of Shinji back to his bedroom. That must certainly be odd for a cat to do, though...
Shaking his head warily, Shinji followed behind. He sighed as he got back into his blankets, comfort and sleep seeping back into his system. Nagisa had curled up against Shinji's chest, just in the same place he always did, and Shinji absently stroked the cat's warm fur. He always found that Nagisa's purring helped lull him even faster into sleep; it was such a soothing sound, one that thrummed through the hand he'd buried in his fur.
Even if he was thoroughly whiney sometimes, Shinji wasn't any less happy to have him there at his side. Nagisa had done an exceptional job at filling the pit of loneliness Shinji had been experiencing for the past few weeks... at least partially.
He couldn't expect him to do everything - again, he was just a cat. The kind of warmth Shinji was yearning for couldn't really be filled by someone who wasn't human... even if he wished it could be. This apartment had been such an exciting prospect when he'd signed for it last semester, but the novelty was wearing off. Roommates might be a drag, but at least with another person in the house, Shinji didn't feel so isolated.
What was worse was the fact that Shinji had actually been hopeful that he might be able to fill the empty space of this apartment with someone eventually... and, sure, his pursuits from the past few years hadn't been successful, but he'd been more confident starting the new year, and he felt sure his confidence would make all the difference in finding a girl to spend his college days with.
Very disappointingly though, he hadn't found any prospects whatsoever... not any promising ones, at least. There was that girl in his communications class, Mari, but he'd quickly realized that she was a lot more interested in flirting with him than settling down. Last year, he'd had his hopes on Asuka, the pretty, German redhead he'd taken stats with, but as luck would have it, Mari had swooped in from nowhere, and the two of them had begun to form a much more than friendly relationship over the past few months. It shouldn't have been that shocking that the only two girls he'd ever had chemistry with would fall in love with each other rather than him. He didn't know what else hie could've expected.
But lingering on that didn't make him any less lonely. He was still here, lying in bed by himself with no one but his cat to keep him warm. It was all he could do to keep himself fantasizing about cuddling a sweet, faceless girlfriend while he drifted off.
He didn't want to be desperate, but as he laid here, he couldn't help but yearn.
"Sometimes, I wish you were a human, Nagi..." he murmured.
What he wouldn't do just to feel someone...
...
"That's all? C'mon, Ikari, you can do better than that!"
Turning his head, Shinji had to take a moment to process Kensuke's words. The volume in his ears had turned down a bit.
"Seriously! Why don'tcha try to loosen up a little more, eh?"
Shinji hummed quietly, swirling the contents of his second glass of the night. "I'm loose enough now... I can't handle it like you guys anyway."
"That's no excuse! You and I weigh nearly the same, Ikari!" Leaning forward, Kensuke nudged one of his glasses aside. He was smiling crookedly, cheeks already blotched with red. "Plus, ya can't just let Toji and I drink you under the table! You've looked all kinds of depressed lately; this is 'sposed to be a reward!"
"That's right!" Toji exclaimed, a lot louder than he needed. He too was red-faced. "Ya don't gotta worry about them tests anymore - they're over an done with!"
"...Yeah," Shinji said, smirking at the translucent gold liquid sloshing around the bottom of his glass. The lights it reflected were pretty, almost dizzying. It was hard to be worried about his grades when his mind was so pleasantly fuzzy.
"...An once ya kick our asses with your perfect scores, we can do this again, an I'll get to brag to all these babes about how big of a nerd ya are."
"Oh, they'd love to get laid by a valedictorian. A+ students make 'em weak at the knees!" Kensuke hiccupped.
Shinji giggled tipsily, a little more girlish than he would've allowed normally. He had no idea if they were being sarcastic or not, but he didn't have the mind to care. "Yeah, yeah.. fine."
He finished off the contents of the glass, already forgetting how much he disliked the taste of alcohol.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Laughing, Toji threw his arm clumsily over Shinji's shoulder and tossed the other one up in the air, raising his voice for a server.
Shinji felt himself giggling more as they were presented with another round. It really did feel good to lighten up. He could barely even remember the stiflingly silent, tense atmosphere of the lecture rooms he'd been sat inside hours earlier. Now, all he could focus on was the disjointed sounds of dance music and raucous yelling from other bar goers.
He wasn't even sure how he'd managed to finish his third glass. He had thought it was full a second ago, but with the way he'd been busy jeering with Toji as they watched Kensuke stumble towards some girl headed for the dance floor, Shinji hadn't been bothered to notice it empty.
Nor had he noticed when another had appeared in his hand as he found himself standing, leaning against the wall for balance. His legs felt tired, as if he'd been standing for hours. Maybe he had been...
"C'monnn, how 'bout them?" Toji pointed vaguely towards a group of women clustered around the bar.
Shinji squinted, then slurred, "...Didn' we already try them?" As he said it, he uncertainly wondered how many girls Toji had insisted he went up to. Had he actually gone up to speak to any of them?
"Nah, nah..." He made a face. "Did we?" Toji shook his head, then grinned widely. "If we did, they'll jus tell ya to screw off again. Go!"
Stumbling as Toji shoved him, Shinji steadied himself on the table nearest him, a little laugh shaking his body. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open for some reason.
But as he made to walk towards the group of girls, he felt a buzz against his leg. Confused, he pulled out his phone. Disoriented by the light, he held it away and stared unseeingly at the notification.
"Whatcha stopin' for?! Pussyin' out?" Toji taunted laughingly.
Rubbing his eyes for the headache he'd just gotten, Shinji held his phone out to Toji. "Was this say...?"
After a few seconds, Toji made a loud noise of displeasure. "What?! Your cab driver's here? Ya ordered a cab this early?!"
Shinji blinked at the screen again. "I ordered a cab...?" He asked the question more to himself, and vaguely recalled doing something of the sort just before he'd come to the bar. He almost felt upset with himself. The bar wasn't even near closing - why'd he go and ruin his own fun like that?
Toji was still complaining beside him. "Now ya can't even stay to pick up any chicks!"
"Right..." That thing Toji had been trying to help him do for the past... however long. Had he really been trying to find a date this whole time? Something far off in his brain felt embarrassed that he hadn't managed to get one.
Distantly, he realized that Toji had continued to fill the air with grievances related to him leaving, while also leading him outside. After a few confused questions and apologies on Shinji's part, Toji said something offhand about their drinks being on him.
He couldn't remember saying goodbye to him, nor how he'd gotten into a moving car just a second later. All he knew was that the motion outside its window was making him nauseous.
Eyes growing heavy, Shinji whimpered in the back of the cab.
He really just wished he was home now.
...
Shinji groaned as he awoke the next day, the midday light flooding through his window far too bright even beneath his heavy eyelids, though he suspected that wasn't what had woken him. The splitting pain currently renting through his head seemed a lot more culpable.
Everything felt heavy; he could barely move his limbs. The only feeling he was very focused on was the familiar one of regret, plus some developing anger for his two friends, who had learned from years of going out that Shinji was nothing but incapable of handling his alcohol.
'Peer pressuring assholes...'
...At least he didn't feel as much like vomiting as he usually did post clubbing. Plus, as he realized a second later, he was in his own bed, cuddling with his cat. He supposed it could've been worse.
"Good morning, Nagi," he rasped, turning his head to further nuzzle into his warm, soft fur. He breathed deeply, Nagisa's scent wonderfully homely.
Lightly, he ran his hand down his fur, looking to be soothed by its texture, but... Shinji furrowed his brows. Since when was his hair this long?
Moving his hand down further, Shinji dimly wondered if Nagisa had gotten bigger and started... balding? Why could he feel skin?
Finally opening his eyes, Shinji turned his head down and realized with a horrible shock that he was laying on a person's head, nuzzling into a human being's hair.
Heart rate kicking up quickly, Shinji stared at the tiny strip of collarbone he could see above the blankets. He could barely believe it... there was a person in his bed. His bed! Had he actually brought a girl home with him last night?!
His mind was racing. He was completely torn between excitement at the prospect if possibly having slept with someone for the first time in his life, and disappointment at not having any memory of it. How couldn't he recall anything?
Breathing quickly, Shinji tried to gently disentangle himself from his partner, wanting to get a look at her. What kind of girl could he have possibly picked up in his drunken state?
As he sat up further in bed, the blankets dragged down her body, until-
Shinji froze, his heart plummeting. That was not a woman's chest, nor a woman's face...
"Oh my God... Oh my God!" Shinji pulled himself from his sheets to scramble away. There was a man in his bed... a fully grown, naked man!
He covered his mouth in horror, realizing his pronouncement had roused the man, who twitched, then opened his eyes. Dread was filling his stomach. He knew he'd been lonely and desperate lately, but had he really been this desperate?!
Turning his head, the other man focused his eyes on Shinji. In his shock, Shinji couldn't process their color.
"Shinji...?" Blinking, he picked himself up slightly, a look of wild excitement growing on his face as he looked down at his own body, feeling his chest with his pale hand. "Ah! Shinji-"
Quickly looking away from the other's face, Shinji blushed wildly down at his sheets. "L-Look," he rushed out, talking quickly and feverishly, "I don't remember anything about last night, I-I have no idea what we did, and I'm s-sorry, but whatever it was, I didn't mean it, and I'm really not into this sort of thing!"
The man stared at him as he went on. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, b-but I'm not interested, and I'd really prefer it if you just got your clothes and left, o-okay?"
When he didn't move, Shinji glanced up, meeting eyes with the occupant of his bed. It was then that he noticed the strange, grey protrusions coming out of the top of his head, almost hidden under the mess of his hair.
Eyes clearly bewildered, the man responded evenly, "What are you talking about, Shinji?" He tilted his head. "All we did when you got home last night was sleep. You looked sick; I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Shinji stared at him. "H-Huh...? Didn't I pick you up from the bar?"
He watched him through large, red eyes. "The what?"
Shaking his head, Shinji mumbled weakly. "Wh-Where did you come from then...? Why are you in my bed?!"
The other man giggled, a little, excited smirk upturning his features. "Don't you recognize me, Shinji?"
Momentarily, Shinji was distracted by the sight of something big and fluffy moving behind the man as he sat up further. What the hell...?
"It's me, Nagisa!"
They stared at each other in the long stretch of silence that followed.
"...Wh-Why do you know my cat's name?" was all Shinji could manage.
The man's face fell, as if his explanation hadn't gotten the reaction he wanted. "Because I am your cat!" He blinked, then smiled again. "Look!" He quickly smoothed down his hair, further exposing the protrusions Shinji had noticed earlier. They were revealed to be two fluffy cat ears. They twitched exactly as Nagisa's did when he had them touched.
Shinji stared wide-eyed at the ears, even more bewildered than before. What the hell was going on? How had this man ended up in his bed, and why in the world was he trying to impersonate his cat?
'Were we role-playing last night?' he thought sickeningly.
When Shinji continued to stare, the man frowned again, this time much more of a pout. "Come on, Shinji, you know me! Look!" He echoed again. The man stroked the swishing grey thing behind him, bringing it again to Shinji's attention. A giant, fluffy, grey tail...
"How is it moving like that?" Shinji asked weakly, watching it swish like an agitated cat's.
An odd, little growl sounded from the man's mouth. "Because it's mine! It's attached to me!"
Now, Shinji felt himself getting irritated. He wasn't even sure why he felt so aggressive all of a sudden, but he knew his mood was likely being helped on by his atrocious hangover. "What are acting like my cat for? Quit it already!"
"I am your cat!"
"No, you're not! You're just-!" In his irritation, Shinji had lunged forward and pushed the man's hair out of the way of his real ears, only to find an empty space of pale skin and baby hairs. There wasn't even a hole. "J-Just..."
A hissing noise came from the pale man. "Tugging! You're tugging!"
Shinji released his hair with shaking hands, then leaned slightly to the side, looking down his back. With the man naked like this, Shinji could easily see how his long tail tapered off near the base of his back, fur transitioning into skin. It was fully connected to him as it swished aggressively.
He pulled back in complete disbelief, staring into his face. He realized his pupils were vertically slanted. Even his irises were the exact shade of red as Nagisa's. Everything about him was just...
"Nagisa...?"
Face lighting up again, his ears perked. "Aha! Thats right! You do know it's me!"
Shinji gasped as Nagisa threw his arms around him in a hug, his tail thrashing excitedly about.
He never thought anything could make a hangover headache worse.
...
"Now... could you please just sit down and explain?"
Shinji hadn't looked up as he'd said it. He was too busy resting his eyes and massaging the side of his head with a makeshift ice pack. The cool wood of his dining table at least felt sort of nice.
He heard Nagisa pull out a chair and sit down across from him.
Glancing up, he saw him smiling eagerly. The sight just made him more nauseous, though he was thankful Nagisa had put on some borrowed pajamas to cover his nakedness.
"Well, it's not all that complicated."
Shinji gave him a look. "You're a cat that just turned into a human. What do you mean 'not complicated?'"
Nagisa grinned. Shinji could see a pair of fangs poking from his top row of teeth. "You know, there are plenty of cats who can do this sort of thing, it's not just me."
Shaking his head weakly, Shinji wasn't even sure if he should bother responding. "What the hell are you talking about? Cats can just turn into people?"
He shrugged. "Sure. It's just that a lot of us don't bother trying. Being a cat is a lot easier than being a human, so why should we make things harder for ourselves?"
...Shinji didn't know how he couldn't have wondered if this was a dream before now; it certainly felt like one. Although, he reminded himself, if he was currently dreaming after the night of drinking he'd had, there was no way he'd be this lucid. Even his non-alcohol-effected dreams were less realistic than this. It must've been real. And yet...
Nagisa leaned forward in his chair, eyes wide, trained on Shinji's face. "See, I never really thought about turning human either, at least until I met you."
"What does that mean?"
He narrowed his red eyes, still smiling. "I was perfectly content sleeping where I was, but then you came up to me and gave me the kind of affection I'd never experienced before. The way you pet me and cooed at me... it made me feel so happy."
For some reason, Shinji felt heat prickling over his face. He looked down at the table.
"I didn't want to see you go. I wanted to stay with you and keep feeling that wonderful feeling."
"S-So... you just let me take you back to my apartment because you wanted affection?" Strangely, Shinji almost felt empathetic. So then, he was lonely too?
Nagisa shook his head a little. "Not just any affection, though! I've been pet by humans before, sure, but what you gave me felt extra special." He narrowed his eyes again. "I liked you, Shinji Ikari. I really did."
The heat prickling up his face was hotter now. Why'd he have to talk so bluntly?
His tail was flicking through the air excitedly, its swishing almost hypnotic. "So," he continued, "I stayed with you, and I started liking you more and more. It got me thinking about how nice it would be if I could actually give back what I was getting."
"What's that supposed to mean...?" For some reason, Shinji almost felt like his phrasing was foreboding.
Nagisa giggled. It sort of sounded like the trilling noise he'd made as a cat. "It means that I wanted to be a human, just like you. I thought that if I could be a person, then I could be even closer to you!" He linked his hands under his chin, tilting his head at Shinji. "It's not easy to turn into a human. It takes a lot of focus and energy, so I've been trying as hard I can to figure it out for the past month or so."
Shinji laughed humorlessly. "And you figured it out last night in your sleep?"
"Looks like it," Nagisa replied, a smug smirk passing over his face. Shinji couldn't explain why exactly, but that look thoroughly irritated him. "Although, I suppose I could've done a better job. Humans aren't meant to have these," he added, again smoothing down the hair around his ears.
"This is so ridiculous..." Shinji muttered, shaking his head. "I can't believe it..." The thought that struck him then nearly made him smile. 'He is so lucky I never got him spayed.'
Nagisa stood up, hands on the table. "But you have to! I'm right in front of you, aren't I?"
With a hefty sigh, Shinji let his ice pack fall to the table. He looked up at his ex-pet with a strained expression. "All this time, I thought you were a cat - just a normal cat! I never would've done half of the things I've done around you if I knew you'd turn into a human! Do you realize how often I've talked to myself or walked around naked in front of you?!" He took a breath, then hid his face in his hands. Raising his voice had made the headache worse.
"And I've been taking care of you, feeding you, cleaning your litter box... cuddling with you-!"
"I know!" Nagisa exclaimed, excitement making his voice quiver slightly. "You've been so loving and kind with me, and now I can finally show you how much I love you too!"
A strange lurch moved through Shinji's stomach, and he looked up quickly. "D-Don't say that! You can't just say you love me - that's not how this works!"
Nagisa blinked, his smile falling slightly. "Huh? But I do love you, Shinji-"
"I said stop it!" Face furiously red, Shinji stood up from his seat. "You're not my pet anymore, Nagisa, you're a person! A person who I don't know! And you don't love me!"
The smile on the fluffy-haired man's face fell away completely. His ears were flattened. "Wh-What do you mean? I might not be a cat now, but I'm still the same Nagisa. It's still me..." He tilted his head slowly. "Don't... Don't you love me anymore, Shinji? You told me that you did..."
Shinji stared at him, breathing heavily. He didn't want to admit it even to himself, but that look in his eyes and the dejected tone of his voice made guilt pull at his stomach. He seemed so vulnerable.
"Wh-When you were a cat it was different... I can't just love a person like that; it's weird."
Nagisa continued to stare at him. "But I don't understand... you said yourself that you wished I was a human! You said it all the time!"
Shinji blushed again. "When I said that, I didn't actually think it could happen!" He sighed, turning around to the kitchen counter. He steadied himself against it.
"Why would you say it, then?!" Nagisa ejected.
"I don't know!" he replied, nausea coming back in full effect. "I've just been lonely, okay? You've seen how bland my life is living in my house; I don't have anyone."
"But now, you have me, Shinji! You don't have to be lonely anymore because now I'm here!" Shinji twitched as Nagisa approached. He leaned over the counter beside Shinji, stretching to be in his peripheral. "I'll make you happy!"
Shinji put his head in his hands and shook it. "You know, I can't just let you stay here anymore..."
"Huh?"
He felt strained. "I can barely afford the rent by myself! Cat food, litter... sure, that's fine! But another person is so much more expensive; I can't just provide for you!"
"You won't need to, I promise!" Nagisa assured quickly, almost desperately. "I won't be a burden, I won't! I'll keep eating cat food if it means I can stay with you; please, Shinji!"
A laugh slipped out of Shinji's mouth before he could cover it. Had he really just suggested that in such a serious tone?
"I mean it! I'll do anything to stay with you... anything!"
Shinji turned his head to him and was on the verge of responding before a wave of sweat-inducing nausea passed over him. He quickly shoved Nagisa out of the way of his sink and gripped his hands on either side of it just in time to avoid throwing up all over his kitchen floor.
Nagisa raised his voice in alarm as Shinji finished voiding himself and stood panting and shaking over the sink. The added stress of his cat literally morphing into a human must've really upset his insides... for some reason.
"Shinji! Shinji, are you okay?! Do you need anything? I-"
"C-Cup, get me a cup," he shook out, pointing shakily towards his cabinet.
Nagisa immediately obeyed, fumbling through the glassware, and handing Shinji one. He filled it from the tap and downed a few gulps of water before closing his eyes again. Shinji glanced sideways. Nagisa was watching him meekly, his ears flat and his tail dragging the floor.
"...You can't turn back into a cat, can you?"
Nagisa looked down and shook his head.
Sighing, Shinji laid his head in his arms, leaning again over the counter. He knew he didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.
"...Fine. I won't kick you out. Not yet, at least," he added in a low voice.
Nagisa's expression brightened, but he kept himself from exclaiming. It looked difficult.
"Oh, thank you, Shinji, really..." He frowned again, still concerned. "But... won't you tell me what's wrong? Last night you were acting all funny, and now you're sick."
Slowly, Shinji picked himself up. He really just wanted to get back in bed and rest, but he knew he needed to eat.
"I was drinking. It's fine."
Nagisa watched him closely as he shuffled his feet to the pantry and unwrapped a loaf of bread. "But drinking is supposed to make you healthier, isn't it?"
Shinji sighed, loading a couple pieces of bread into his toaster. He turned on the coffee maker beside it. He supposed a little coffee wouldn't hurt... It would uplift his mood a little, if anything.
"Drinking alcohol doesn't. It makes you feel like garbage the next day."
Nagisa made a face. "Why would you drink it then?"
Shinji rolled his eyes, irritation mounting. He really didn't feel in the mood to explain the nuances of alcohol consumption to his cat.
'Not my cat anymore...' he reminded himself quickly.
"Shinjii," Nagisa whined. "Please don't make yourself sick! I was really worried when you kept falling over last night."
Aggravated, Shinji plated his toast and began buttering it rather aggressively. "Kay, well I'm sorry," he said through gritted teeth, "But I'd really appreciate it if you stopped crying about it. I have a headache."
Nagisa quieted down, though his expression told Shinji he'd continue if it was his choice.
The smell of coffee made Shinji hum out lightly in relief. Nagisa seemed to perk up at the scent too.
"Ah," he said, ears angling upwards, "That's that stuff you drink every morning, isn't it?" He leaned in as Shinji poured himself a cup. "I used to think it smelled really weird, but now it just makes me think of you!"
Shinji gave him a look and leaned away as Nagisa bumped his head affectionately against his arm. He'd never thought about how awkward Nagisa's rubbing would be coming from a human. As a cat, it'd seemed so sweet.
The former cat continued to stare into the half-filled coffee pot as Shinji filled his own cup with creamer.
"Do you think I could try some, Shinji?"
The brown-haired man raised an eyebrow at him. "You wanna try coffee?"
Nagisa nodded excitedly. Shinji was immediately ready to shoot him down, but then he smirked, placing his breakfast down on the table and returning to the counter. He poured the straight, black coffee into a mug and slid it over to Nagisa.
"Go ahead."
Eagerly, Nagisa tipped the coffee mug up to his lips and sipped. Shinji felt thoroughly gratified as he sputtered and coughed, fur on his tail standing on end.
"Ugh! Bitter! That's disgusting!"
Shinji shrugged, returning to his meal. "That's a shame. I guess cats shouldn't drink coffee, then." He was glad there was at least one thing he wouldn't have to share with his new roommate.
"That was mean! Did you do that on purpose?"
Shinji chewed on his toast. "I don't know, did you wake me up by yelling for food at 3am all those nights on purpose?"
Pouting, Nagisa responded, "I can't help when I'm hungry."
"Well, now that you're a human, you can just get yourself food. You don't have to wake me up anymore." As he said it, he realized how satisfying that thought was. He wouldn't need to be awoken by door scratching any longer. At least this whole situation had one upside...
Nagisa looked back at him determinedly. "If it means I can stay with you, I'll learn to take care of myself, I promise!"
"Great," Shinji sighed.
He continued to eat his toast in silence, before Nagisa's stomach growled obtrusively. Shinji looked up at him.
"...Um, do you think you could help me start?" He asked with a hopeful smile.
Shinji closed his eyes. Could he have picked a worse day to have a hangover?
...
Shinji roused himself from sleep, head still pounding, but the pain was a lot more distant than before. He was relieved, though his eyes still felt so tired, body heavy. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he could feel how empty his stomach was, and knew he must've been sleeping for a while already.
'Or maybe,' he thought hopefully, 'all of that was a dream, and I'm only just waking up from last night.' Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful...
But with a gasp at finally opening his eyes, he was brutally proven wrong. He let his eyes fall shut again with a heavy sigh.
"Dammit, Nagisa, don't scare me like that!" He weakly glared at him beneath heavy eyelids.
Nagisa was crouched at the side of his bed, staring wide-eyed at his sleeping roommate. He smiled. "Sorry, Shinji. I'm just happy you're up."
Shinji covered his face in his hands, stretching beneath the sheets. "How long were you staring at me like that...?" he asked, not knowing if he really wanted the answer.
Tail swishing energetically against the floor, Nagisa hummed. "Oh, I don't know, a while."
Groaning, Shinji looked up at the ceiling. "Don't you have anything to do other than watch me sleep? It's weird."
Nagisa tilted his head to the side. "Should I? I like watching you sleep; I did it all the time as a cat." He looked down at the sheets. "Well, I guess I spent more time sleeping with you than just watching, but..."
His trailing off earned him yet another look from Shinji, who had pushed himself up into a sitting position. He felt himself turn a little red as he stared, unpleasantly conscious of Nagisa's wording. "I already told you: you're not sleeping in my bed anymore. I'm not just gonna share it with another guy."
"I know you said that, I know..." Nagisa picked at his sheets moodily. "But I still wanna be close to you."
The heat from before traveled further up Shinji's face, but he ignored it. "Whatever... I have to go to the bathroom, anyway."
Nagisa watched as Shinji pulled himself out of bed and slunk off to the bathroom. He was thoroughly annoyed that Nagisa had kept up his cat habit of following him wherever he went despite being human. He didn't say anything as he closed the door of the bathroom in his face, though as he looked at himself in his mirror, he was reminded of his other habit of yowling and clawing at the bathroom door when he took too long.
'If he does that now...' Well, at least he could properly reprimand him for it. Although, the thought was completely wiped from his mind as he turned and saw the state of his last toilet paper roll.
"Nagisa!"
The cat boy smiled as Shinji reopened the door. "Ah, that was fast, Shinji."
"What the hell is this?!" Shinji asked angrily, holding up the tattered and trailing roll. It littered the ground with flakes of tissue. "Do you know how expensive this stuff is?!"
He blinked down at the roll, though he smiled slightly back at Shinji. "I was just a little bored. You haven't played with me in a few days, you know..."
Shinji scoffed. "I'm not gonna play with you; you're a grown man! If you want to entertain yourself there's plenty of things you can do."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," he said, exasperated. "Watch TV, play a video game, read a book-"
"I don't know how to read, though."
Shinji stared at him, then closed his eyes, deflating. "Of course you don't." He closed the bathroom door again, muttering to himself as he resigned to buy more toilet paper tomorrow.
"Hey! Didn't you say you'd be making dinner earlier?"
Of course Nagisa didn't have the decency to wait until after Shinji was out of the bathroom to ask that question.
He began washing his hands without responding, but as Nagisa repeated his name questioningly, Shinji opened the door again in anger. "Yes, I heard you!"
Nagisa flinched at Shinji's tone. "Well, I was only-"
"Now would you go wait at the table, and don't make another peep until I'm done getting it ready?"
He closed his mouth and nodded, turning around to quickly do as he was told. Shinji watched him walk off, trying and failing not to focus on the motion of his tail swishing as he disappeared around the corner. It wasn't cute. Why would he even think that?
Shaking his head, Shinji walked off to the kitchen and turned on the stove. Aside from feeling more short-tempered than usual, Shinji still felt residual nausea from his hangover, so he really wasn't in the mood to cook anything. Which was why he simply plopped two blocks of Ramen into a pot of boiling water. It wasn't like Nagisa could complain; even instant Ramen had to taste better than cat food.
After a few more minutes, Shinji divvied up the noodles into two bowls and flavored them.
"Here, it's done," Shinji said, placing a bowl and a set of chopsticks in front of Nagisa. He looked up at Shinji excitedly, but stopped himself before exclaiming.
Trying not to smile, Shinji sat down too. "You're allowed to talk now."
Nagisa smiled. "Oh, thank you, Shinji! It looks really good!"
Shinji hummed noncommittally, starting on his dinner. He looked up after a moment and froze.
"Nagisa, what the hell are you doing?"
He looked up from the bowl, a few noodles dangling from his mouth, broth dripping from his chin. He bit the noodles he'd managed to grab and swallowed. "I'm eating dinner."
Shinji shook his head weakly. "People don't eat with their faces! You're supposed to use these," he reprimanded, holding up his chopsticks.
Nagisa blinked, then picked up the sticks he'd been given. Shinji watched as he held them in a fist and attempted to scoop up his food. His ears angled backwards, and his face twisted as noodles continued to slip off the ends. "Shinjii, this doesn't work!"
"You know what? Forget it," Shinji said flatly, going back to the kitchen and re-emerging with a fork. "Here, look." He bent down beside him and stuck the fork in the center of the bowl, twisting it. He picked it up to show Nagisa the noodles circled around it, then dropped it back in the bowl. "Just do what I did."
As he sat down to eat, he glanced up as Nagisa repeated Shinji's actions slowly, looking far more fascinated than he should've. It annoyed Shinji to see him eating noodles with a fork, but he certainly wasn't in the mood to show him the proper way to hold chopsticks - that just sounded like a frustrating mess.
Once they had finished - Nagisa ate surprisingly quickly - Shinji took their bowls back to the kitchen and left them in the sink. He knew he'd probably hate himself for it later, but he didn't feel like cleaning.
Nagisa brushed against Shinji's side, his tail dragging along Shinji's back. He shuddered at the sensation and quickly pushed his tail away. It was exactly as soft as it had been in cat form.
"So, now what'll we do, Shinji?"
"I am gonna go take a shower. Then I'll probably just go back to bed."
Nagisa titled his head. "Go take a what?"
"A shower." Shinji figured he'd have to start getting used to Nagisa's questions. "I'm gonna go in the bathroom and clean myself."
Nagisa's eyes lit up after a moment. "Ah! Is that what you're doing when I hear water in there? I was always so confused!" He leaned towards Shinji eagerly. "Humans have to take showers, then? Does that mean I can go in there with you?"
Shinji's heart jumped up to his throat and he stared around at the grey-haired man. "No! That's not what that means at all! People don't shower together, not unless they're-" he stopped himself, blushing, "W-Well, whatever, you can just shower once I'm done."
He walked off to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. At least Nagisa couldn't really annoy him while he showered, he thought grudgingly. At the very least, he could be alone with his thoughts in here.
His shoulders relaxed, and he sighed as hot water fell over his body. He always felt gratified when he showered after a night of drinking. It was like he was washing away all of the ickiness he'd accumulated over the past 24 hours. Although, showering was always a double-edged sword, since his mind often ended up wandering into self-pitying territory. Just as always, he'd lament about the fact that he hadn't found a girl who showed any interest in him, and he'd sulk about the fact that, once again, he was all alone in his tiny apartment.
Yet, he didn't feel that way today. With a slight shock, Shinji realized that he hadn't actually been alone at all. The whole day, he'd been spending time with another person. Another person who he'd dedicated nearly all his thoughts to. He'd been so distracted by Nagisa that he hadn't realized the hollowing loneliness he was usually consumed by was nowhere to be found. Nagisa had annoyed him, confused him, overwhelmed him... yet he had made him feel full, too. He hadn't thought about his desire for a girlfriend for the whole day.
Shinji's stomach squirmed a little uncomfortably as he washed the suds from his hair. This whole situation was weird, but he felt certain he shouldn't have been feeling flustered and blushy about his cat-turned-human. Especially given that he was a boy...
He shook his head. That was a dangerous thought, and he certainly wasn't ready to think about it, not now, anyway...
Instead, he busied himself brushing his teeth. He made a mental note to get a new toothbrush for Nagisa whenever he went shopping next; he supposed he'd be living there for a while, after all. Attempting to ignore the slight leap in his chest produced by that thought, Shinji opened the door. He jumped.
"Seriously, Nagisa, you have to give me some space..." He was standing right outside, again. "Anyway, it's all yours. There's an extra towel in there you can use."
Nagisa hummed, hands behind his back. "So, uh, how exactly do I do this?"
Groaning, Shinji stepped back into the bathroom. Nagisa stepped in eagerly.
"I'm not gonna actually show you; it's not hard to figure out."
"But, Shinji, I don't know what I'm doing," Nagisa whined.
"Yeah, yeah, just listen," Shinji said, annoyed.
Nagisa nodded, staring at him attentively. Shinji didn't think teaching a grown man how to shower would be on his to-do list today, but here he was.
He pointed at the bar of soap on the side of the bathtub. "Once you take off your clothes and turn the water on, you use that stuff to clean your skin. Just lather it in your hands and rub your body until everything's been covered; be thorough, too."
He continued. "Once you rinse that off, those two bottles are for your hair. Use the purple one first, the green one second, got it?"
A little uncertain-looking, Nagisa nodded. "I think so."
"Good, then dry off and put the towel around your waist when you're done, like what I'm doing. I'll get you new clothes after."
He left the bathroom and closed the door behind him, glad to be out of the hot steam of the room. He was feeling overheated. Moving to his bedroom, Shinji changed into a fresh set of pajamas and flopped down on his bed.
He was only laying there for what could've been a few minutes before the sound of rushing water stopped. His eyes opened. How had he gotten done that quick?
Sitting up in bed, he saw Nagisa emerge. He frowned. "You did something wrong, didn't you?"
Nagisa smiled a little sheepishly. "Well, I did the soap part. I don't really get how to do my hair."
Shinji continued to glare. Nagisa pouted, ears angling downward. "Pleasee, Shinji, if you show me once, I promise not to ask you again!"
After another moment of glaring, Shinji just sighed and stood up. "Fine. Go out to the kitchen, Nagisa."
Looking confused, but obviously wishing to follow orders, Nagisa walked off. Shinji noticed his soaked tail leaving a water trail along his way.
He gathered a few items before coming back into the kitchen, moving a chair from the dining table so its back was in front of the sink.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
"Just hush and sit down."
Nagisa sat down bemusedly as Shinji laid a towel over the edge of the sink. At Shinji's insistence, the confused man tilted his head back until it was laying over the edge.
His ears twitched as Shinji turned on the faucet and waited for the water to heat.
"Wha-" Nagisa's eyes fluttered shut as Shinji brushed his hands back through his overlong bangs, exposing his forehead. Shinji tried hard not to think about how soft his hair felt as he pulled the hose attachment from the side of his sink and sprayed the back of Nagisa's head.
"Calm down, it's just water," Shinji muttered as Nagisa jolted and writhed slightly.
"F-Feels weird, I don't like it..."
Shinji didn't say anything in response, too focused on maneuvering around Nagisa's ears. When he moved the sprayer to his hairline, Nagisa hissed suddenly and lunged forward.
"Ow!" Shinji flinched sharply and drew his hand back. "Y-You bit me, you asshole!"
Nagisa shook his head rapidly from side to side, flinging water everywhere. "My ear! You got it in my ear!"
After making sure Nagisa hadn't broken any skin, Shinji grabbed his head between his hands and held it in place.
"If you'd just quit squirming, then I wouldn't have!"
Nagisa made a displeased whine, but stilled, eyes screwed up tightly and ears flattened. Shinji picked the sprayer back up to finish wetting his hair, careful to use his other hand to block the entrance of his ear this time. They certainly made washing more difficult...
Slowly, Nagisa relaxed, his features growing less displeased. He opened his eyes when Shinji put the sprayer back, then gasped lightly as Shinji spread shampoo over his hands and ran them through his soaked hair.
He hummed as Shinji gathered the thick, grey mass of hair in his hands and lathered it thoroughly, then giggled a little as Shinji moved to the sides of his head. Glancing down momentarily at his face, Shinji saw how dilated his pupils were as he looked at him. He swallowed, flicking his eyes back up to his head.
"Th-That feels funny, Shinji!"
Shinji fought down a smile, pulling out the sprayer again to wash away the foam. Only a few hours ago had Shinji been vehemently arguing with this pale man, and now here he was, washing his hair... he tried not to think too deeply about it, instead trying to get the soap out of his hair.
Running conditioner through it now, Shinji noticed how serene Nagisa's face was, eyes closed, mouth smiling gently. He had such long eyelashes... everything about his face was perfectly symmetrical and smooth. He was surprisingly attractive.
Nagisa's eyebrows knit a little and he squinted. "You've been doing that for a while. Should it take this long?"
"A-Ah." Shinji blinked, looking back at his hair. "It's supposed to sit for a little bit..." He really just needed to stop thinking like this...
Nagisa hummed and closed his eyes again. Once Shinji rinsed his hair for the last time, he put his hand under Nagisa's head and pushed it forward. Now looking straight, Nagisa allowed Shinji to towel his hair dry. He shook his head again, but Shinji chose not to reprimand him for getting water all over his kitchen. He was getting much too tired to care anymore.
"Great, now you're clean," Shinji said, ignoring the way Nagisa was smiling at him. He pointed at the counter. "I have those clothes for you, so you should change soon."
"Ah, are you going to bed?"
Shinji looked back at him after he switched off the kitchen light. "Yeah, I still have a headache."
As Nagisa just nodded, looking down a bit, Shinji continued, "...You can sleep out here on the couch. I've already got a blanket out here, so..."
His red eyes bore into Shinji even in the darkness. They were the same eyes he'd grown so familiar with over the past month, even if they were in another form. He found them hard to meet.
Nagisa's voice was low. "Thank you for everything today, Shinji. It means a lot to me."
With a simple nod, Shinji turned to walk back into his bedroom.
"Goodnight, Shinji. I love you."
Shinji hesitated, turning his head to the side. "Night, Nagisa..."
Yet again, he chose to ignore the way he was blushing.
...
"I'm home!"
Keys jangling in the lock, Shinji didn't look up as he heard the familiar footsteps bounding towards him.
"Welcome back, Shinji," Nagisa hummed, stepping forward to bump his head affectionately against Shinji's shoulder and stroke him with his tail.
Just as usual, Shinji allowed the touches without direct acknowledgement. "How was class?"
"Fine," Shinji shrugged, slipping off his shoes and placing down his bag. "We got our quizzes back from last week."
Nagisa giggled, following Shinji into the kitchen. "I bet you did really well, huh?"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "I got a one hundred, but that was only because I studied."
"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Shinji!"
Blushing slightly, Shinji shook off his praise. "Seriously, it wasn't hard... But anyway, you ate dinner, didn't you? I told you I'd be eating out with Rei, so I'd come home late."
Nagisa nodded, drawing himself up. His tail swished importantly. "That's right. I used the stove just like you told me."
"Good, and you didn't burn anything down; that's a plus," Shinji said dryly, opening the freezer.
His roommate perked up, a little trilling noise emerging from his throat. "What are you looking for in there?"
Shinji smirked slightly. "Well, I figured we could have a treat."
Nagisa's eyes grew wide, pupils dilating. "Aha, really?!"
"Sure," Shinji shrugged, "I'm in a good mood."
Reaching into the back of the freezer, Shinji pulled out a carton of ice cream. Nagisa had developed a very intense love of vanilla over the past few weeks, and after an incident including a large, emptied ice cream container and a cat boy whining about a horrible stomachache, Shinji took it upon himself to limit Nagisa's dessert intake. And despite the begging his roommate subjected him to any time he ate it, Shinji was still wary of offering Nagisa chocolate. He didn't know exactly how toxic it would be to a cat-human, and wasn't interested in finding out. Therefore, this was about the only treat he got.
Shinji ignored Nagisa as he excitedly moved around him in a half circle, his tail wrapping and unwrapping itself around his waist as he changed position. He'd never admit it, but he did think it was endearing how Nagisa still retained so many cat-like characteristics despite developing into a perfectly respectable human.
He returned the carton to the freezer, smiling a little as Nagisa waited by the two dessert-filled bowls, looking as though he were seconds away from sticking his face in both of them and scarfing them down as fast as he could. At least he had gotten a little more patient as the days had gone by.
Offering him a spoon, Shinji picked up his own bowl and walked over to the couch. He relaxed into the cushions as soon as he sat, finally able to decompress.
Eating a spoonful of ice cream, Shinji closed his eyes and let Nagisa pick up the remote and flick on the TV. If felt good to relax after such a long day. Thursdays were always his most stressful, seeing as he had two separate classes to go to, especially since it was the one day of the week where his and Rei's schedules lined up. They often spent the evening together, though he recently noticed their time shortening. He might not have cared about staying out in the past, but now, he had someone to come home to.
"Oh, I watched this movie a few nights ago. It was really good!"
Shinji hummed in acknowledgement, setting his finished ice cream bowl to the side. Of course, Nagisa had already finished his and was now licking out the melted cream. "What's it called?"
Nagisa paused his licking, looking slightly guilty. "I-I can't read it."
The other man turned his head, slightly frustrated. "I thought I told you to practice while I was gone."
"I do, really!" Nagisa insisted, looking down at his cleaned-out bowl. "But the title has kanji in it; you know that one's hard for me..."
Shinji shook his head, turning back to the screen. Nagisa glanced back at him, but when Shinji didn't chastise him further, he looked cheered.
Nagisa giggled. "You got ice cream on your face, Shinji."
He leaned in and licked Shinji's cheek eagerly. Shinji made a face and wiped his spit away, though didn't make any outright signs of displeasure. Nagisa hummed happily, sliding his head down against his shoulder.
He zoned out, staring at the screen. It had gotten so dark out. Even though he'd tried to get home at a reasonable time, it was nearly 11:00 already. He had a morning class tomorrow, and he really was tired, but he didn't want to go to sleep yet. Every single night, without fail, Nagisa would stay up until Shinji got home, no matter how late that ended up being. And all just so he could indulge in their nightly ritual of watching TV together until one of them inevitably ended up nodding off. That was usually the signal that they should go off to their separate sleeping areas and end the day.
Recently though, Shinji had found it hard to go off to bed when Nagisa fell asleep. It'd been nearly a month since Nagisa turned human, and in all that time, Shinji couldn't ignore the way his feelings for his feline friend were... different than they used to be. At first, he had outright fought against it, but he realized that no matter what he tried to tell himself, he still just felt so warm and happy around Nagisa. It was a fluttery warmth, one notably different from the one he'd experienced cuddling up with Nagisa when he'd been his pet. It's not like he'd made his heart beat this fast when he'd been a cat.
The nature of his feelings was obvious to him, especially since he'd recently realized that he hadn't once considered going out on a date in weeks. He hadn't even thought about getting a girlfriend. He couldn't. Not when it already felt like he had a partner waiting for him at home.
He blushed. Well... that is what it felt like. He'd come home from class and the two of them would ask about each other's day, eat dinner together, and watch TV. It all just felt so domestic, especially with Nagisa's constant touching and cuddling... for example, what he was doing now.
Shinji looked down at the subject of his thoughts. They'd sat down nearly thirty minutes ago now, and Nagisa had slid gradually until his head was nestled in Shinji's lap, the rest of his body curled tightly over the length of the cushions. That was something he often did now.
He made a cute, little noise as Shinji lightly stroked his head, petting his hair back. It was so soft. Shinji sighed comfortably as the familiar noise started up from Nagisa's throat. He'd gotten used to the fact that he could still purr. Shinji scritched him behind the ears.
Slowly, Shinji nodded off. He shook himself awake, but knew that was his cue to go off to his own bed. He continues to gaze downward.
"Nagisa?"
"Mmh...?"
He stroked his hair softly. "I have to go to bed."
"Mmh..."
After a moment, Nagisa picked himself up from Shinji's lap, eyes slowly fluttering. He was obviously tired too. He really did look cute like that...
Shinji stood up, turning off the TV. But instead of walking off like usual, he hesitated, stomach leaping a little at the idea he'd just had.
"Shinji...?" Nagisa questioned sleepily as he continued to stand there.
He swallowed. "Um, listen... If you wanted, you could, y'know... come sleep in my bed tonight..."
Nagisa's eyes opened a little further. "Shinji...?" His tone was disbelieving. "R-Really?"
Averting his eyes, Shinji could feel himself blushing. "It's more comfortable than the couch, anyway..."
Nagisa stood up wordlessly and followed Shinji into his room. He looked beside himself. Shinji tried not to smile as he changed clothes.
It was less nerve-wracking than he expected. Honestly, getting into bed with him was a lot more exciting than anything else, even if they were just sleeping. He laid his head against his pillow and failed to keep his smile contained as he looked across at Nagisa. He was laying stiff and wide-eyed right at the bed's edge, clearly anticipating. Shinji noticed him blushing too.
"Oh, just c'mere..."
Sheets rustling, Nagisa pulled himself closer. He nuzzled into Shinji's neck, giggling a little. "Ah..."
Shinji just closed his eyes, pulling the blankets over them and bringing a hand up to curl into Nagisa's hair. He smiled more widely. His purring was so loud and deep. His body vibrated against Shinji's chest.
"I really love you, Shinji..." Nagisa murmured, voice sleepy and blissful. "Goodnight..."
Shinji's eyes closed. Sleep was coming surprisingly quickly tonight.
Maybe it shouldn't have been too surprising, though. He knew exactly why he was so comfortable.
"Night, Nagi," he whispered back above his purr.
"...I love you too."