Music. Some call it medicine for the soul. Some say it’s good for the heart. Perhaps that was why he would listen to pieces of music written centuries before, pieces that strike emotions within us. They can still evoke excitement. Still bring a sense of calm, still make us happy or sad or afraid or all of them at once. And they still will for centuries to come. That is how you can tell something is a real masterpiece. The ultimate test. The test of time. Was that why Shinji listened to it all the time? To block out the conflicting feelings he must grapple with constantly with an artificial distraction… Or was it just simple enjoyment and nothing more?
Regardless, all he wanted to do right now was relax in his bed and listen, just lie and listen and appreciate the performance. Let the notes flow from paper to instrument to microphone to storage and all the way to his ears. Let it travel that distance, let it flow into his being and fill him up and distract him from things such as the girl with whom he was forced to live.
It wasn’t much, but that ring was surely enough of an apology for earlier. Sure, it was a little simple but what did he know about jewelry anyway? It’d probably wind up being awful whatever he picked. The last thing he needed was another reason for her to be annoyed with him, especially after he -
The world sort of blipped around him, and Shinji’s thought process switched up with it. He’d given her the ring because it was a customary thing to do, so obviously she wouldn’t have any problem with it at all. Then again, she had spent most of her life in Germany… Did she even know about the custom? Stupid! He should’ve explained that it was a customary apology gesture! No wonder she looked at it like he’d given her a dead rat! She had no idea what he was actually doing!
The world blipped again, and he wondered if the same applied to Rei. He had given one to her as well, and she seemed a little strange. Was she aware that he was apologising to her for -
The door opened behind him, spilling light into the room. Shinji turned around and was surprised to see Asuka standing in the doorway with a peculiar expression on her face. The usual harshness was still sort of there, but a little bit softer or something. He should know. After all, she was always the most drop-dead gorgeous girl he’d ever seen. Even when angry, even when yelling her head off, there was a captivating aura about her that drew his attention irresistibly towards her. He paused the recording and tilted his head inquisitively. “Um…” he said rather unhelpfully, and Asuka rolled her eyes. “Is there, uh…”
“You’re lucky you’re cute when you’re indecisive,” Asuka observed, striding over towards the bed with an ever-growing smirk. Wait. What did she just say to him? He instinctively crawled away, even as her beautiful face leaned over him. “Bored again,” she said. “Wanna make out?”
Yes. Furthermore, yes. But then again, yes. It was a little bit tricky to articulate how much Shinji wanted desperately to say that to her right at this moment, but the word simply wouldn’t find its way out of his mouth. This was too easy. The last time they’d kissed - a treasured memory, if a little tainted - she’d immediately gagged and run into the bathroom to rinse out her mouth. The very idea that she’d barge into his room to try again after that… Something was clearly wrong here, and he should calm them both down and talk this through before someone did something -
Stupid like dash her head forward and very firmly press her lips against his. No nose pinching. No problems breathing. No complaints of his breath tickling her. Just her lips and his. No, not just that. Her hands were taking his and guiding them down her back. Even through her shirt he could feel the warmth of her body. It was intoxicating and he could not help but pull her closer.
“See, now that’s more like it,” Asuka said, drawing slightly back from him. Strange how he still gasped for air even though he had no trouble breathing. “Wanna do it?”
If he thought he was stunned before, Shinji was completely rigid now. In more ways than one, certainly, but not in any way he could take advantage of given the way his mind was reeling right now. His crush was throwing herself at him. He had dreamed of something like this since the night he’d first cast eyes on her. She wasn’t acting like herself at all! There was something terribly wrong here. No way would Asuka settle for him when she could have any boy she wanted.
Regardless - and to his great surprise - Asuka slid off the bed and without ceremony or subtlety dropped her clothes on the floor one piece at a time.
“When you grow some balls, you can find me in my room. Naked. Waiting. Willing. It’s up to you, Third! If you want to see heaven, you’ve got to have the courage to reach for it!”
He was too hypnotised by her naked form to properly pay attention as she walked out of the room. Shinji just stood there like an idiot for, oh, he didn’t even want to guess how long! He had to be asleep right at this moment. This couldn’t be real. Something like that simply didn’t happen in the real world!
- Meanwhile, Rei has her own ring.
- Shinji decides that if this is a dream, he might as well go with it.
- Asuka says a few more things while fiddling with her ring.
- Meanwhile, Misato has an encounter with Kaji.
- Something else
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