Get In the Damn Pool, Shinji: Day 7

Shinji was standing by the pool waiting for Asuka when Ayanami slipped her arms around him from behind. It had to be Ayanami because there was absolutely no way Asuka would do that. She'd refused to help him yesterday, issuing instructions from far enough away he would probably drown before she'd reach him. She appeared to be perfectly willing to let that happen.

Ayanami's hands were cool on his bare chest as she hugged him, her body against his back felt considerably warmer, not as warm as his face as he felt just how closely she was pressing against him. At least she was wearing a full swimsuit and not a bikini like the one Asuka insisted on wearing. It was just Ayanami, her hug wasn't due until tomorrow, not that she couldn't ask any time she wanted, not that she'd asked this time. Why she had picked now when he was just in his swim shorts rather than earlier when he'd been dressed he did not know. Perhaps because they were alone? She did not accept her scheduled hug, and almost never requested one, when they were not. Unless you counted the times she'd rested her head on his shoulder after lunch where all his friends could see her. He couldn't complain, it wasn't as if he minded at all, except the comments from his friends after the first time. At least Misato hadn't seen it and Ayanami didn't seem to care what anyone said, as long as it didn't interfere with her lunch.

Rei turned her head and rested her cheek against Ikari's shoulder. His skin was warm under her hands. She did not understand why this felt like the right thing to do. She did not understand why she felt anything at all. There was no reason for it. It did not fit her purpose. She had been fine since 8:02 am on Friday. Now it was imperative that she touched Ikari. She had not touched his bare skin to this extent. It was an interesting sensation. Different than when he was wearing his school uniform. Different than when he was wearing his plugsuit. The uniform muffled this sensation. The plugsuit conducted it in a different manner. She did not have appropriate words to describe it. Until she did she would be unable to ask the Commander or Doctor Akagi about it.

She lowered her hands slightly. Ikari's shape was different than her own. Ikari's shape was similar to her own in some way she did not yet understand. Perhaps if she undressed she could determine how they fit together. That was not permitted. He had started bringing her food the first time he had touched her naked body. Perhaps he would stop. He had stopped trembling where her hands were. She could feel the muscles moving where her fingers were not through the shifting tensions in his skin. Her curiosity would have to be satisfied some other way. Nutrition was important. Curiosity was not.

Shinji was frozen in terror. Ayanami was stroking his chest. If this had been a manga, or one of those weird foreign soap operas Asuka watched when she was really bored, she would have been enticing him into something that was utterly impossible. This was Ayanami. The only person less likely to do something like that was Asuka. Asuka, who would be here any moment. If he was lucky he might fall into the pool and drown before then. At least she was unlikely to punch him in person. He still felt like there should be a bruise on his shoulder from the pilot training that absolutely was not called Pilot Soryu's Bootcamp, though today's session may as well have been called Asuka Attacks as she'd never let up on him even after Ayanami sniped her legs out.

Asuka saw them as she emerged from the changing room, Hikari had made a joke about them dating, she couldn't possibly be correct, could she?

"What the hell are you doing?"

Shinji would have jumped if he wasn't both expecting Asuka to turn up at the worst possible time and being held quite firmly in place by Ayanami who was heavier than she looked and had not let go when Asuka arrived. At least she stopped moving even if her grip had tightened in surprise.

"Investigating Pilot Ikari."

"Is that what they call it around here? Well you can seduce your boyfriend after his swimming lesson."

"I do not have a boyfriend. I will be unable to comply with your instructions."

Asuka rolls her eyes, "That was a joke, not an instruction. Do not try to seduce Ikari. He's as dense as a rock and I really don't want to imagine what would happen if you succeeded."

"What kind of rock?"

Asuka gives up, she's trying to get along with Ayanami but it's difficult, the girl has even worse social skills than the idiot and she takes everything literally. At least Little Miss Not Actually Perfect had got marginally better at shooting things, even if those things were her simulated Eva, so she's not completely cancelling out the effectiveness of the training.

At least that literal mindedness meant she probably wasn't lying and they weren't dating. That was something at least. She could focus on getting the idiot not to drown and the weirdo to shoot something that wasn't her. Assuming she could get through the next hour without any more touching. Or perverted looking.

"Get in the pool, baka. Time to make sure you can do more than not drown."

Shinji took a moment before he turned back from the slight ripple that Ayanami left behind, despite the mid air rotation she had made no more of a splash than usual. The acrobatics were unusual for Ayanami, she normally dived straight in with one graceful curve not to be seen again until she reached the far end of the pool. Not that she hadn't been graceful this time, but instead of the usual view of her back and legs he'd also had a clear view of what had been pressed against his back only moments before. That he'd seen the same thing without the swimsuit did not make turning to face Asuka any easier.

Then the terrifying thought that if Ayanami hadn't been interrupted in her investigation, and hadn't found whatever it was she was looking for, her next step might have involved even less clothing. And more bruises, her grip had tightened painfully before she let go and if his imagination wasn't completely running away he'd felt her teeth on his shoulder.

By the time he actually turned to walk over to the pool steps - he'd definitely learned his lesson about jumping in, his brain still wasn't convinced the water was shallow enough to stand in rather than drown, and he wasn't going to try to persuade it otherwise - the view he got was remarkably similar to the one he just witnessed. At least until Asuka's feet left the edge of the pool. A shallow barrel roll mid dive had meant the depth of the water Ayanami dove into wasn't that important. Even Asuka's strong legs - that couldn't possibly be as long as they seemed as she passed by -weren't enough to pull off a running leap followed by a somersault.

Shinji was in the air before Asuka hit the bottom of the pool. At least he remembered to tuck his feet in as he'd seen Asuka do so he didn't injure himself too.

He was on his feet and wading towards the flowing red hair when a flash of blue passed by underwater. By the time he reached them, Ayanami had Asuka's head above water and was trying to stand. Unthinkingly he grabbed Asuka's hands and helped pull her upright. Which left him standing there holding Asuka's hands while Ayanami held her out of the water in a remarkably similar position to how Asuka had been holding him during their first lessons. Similar enough he could remember vividly how it had felt to him.

"Let go of me, I'm fine!"

"Pilot Soryu, unless you have a degree of hypermobility in your foot I have not previously witnessed you have broken at least one toe. Also you are bleeding. I do not believe this fits the criteria for 'fine'. Pilot Ikari, please summon medical assistance. I will stay and ensure Pilot-Sensei Soryu does not sustain further injury."

Asuka limped out of the hospital room to find both Shinji and Ayanami sitting waiting for her.

At least the idiot was waiting and immediately looked up when the door opened, the doll obviously didn't care and had fallen asleep on his shoulder. It hadn't been that long, even if it felt like it. She'd lost a few millilitres of blood and you'd think she'd lost a leg or something. It wasn't even enough she needed anything more than a warm bath and someone to wash her hair to get rid of the chlorine and lingering scent of LCL.

That would, of course, have to be herself, certainly she wasn't letting anyone else touch her. Especially either of these two. At least someone had brought her clothes up so she could get changed out of the damp swimsuit.

"I'm fine!" she snapped before the Idiot could finish opening his mouth and saying something stupid.

"Good," announced Rei raising her head.

Asuka ignored her and explained before the Idiot could pretend to sound concerned, "It's just a scrape and a small sprain. I don't even need this," she waved her foot at them, "but they wouldn't let me go without tying me up! So don't go getting any ideas that there won't be training tomorrow."

"There will not be."

"What was that?!"

"You designated tomorrow a rest day. Doctor Akagi has scheduled maintenance. I will see you at school." With that, Ayanami got up and left them.

Asuka gritted her teeth, her foot did actually hurt, not that she expected or wanted sympathy from anyone, but she had even less tolerance for the weirdo right now.
At least nothing weird had happened when the Idiot had grabbed her hands to stop her going under when her legs slipped. Not that she was going to let him help. She hobbled in the direction of Misato's office, if she couldn't get a ride home there would at least be someone nearby who could hold an actual conversation.