Work Text:
“Alright! Why are you taking his side instead of mine?!” The German girl yelled at the two adults in front of her that were bestowing disapproving glances. “You know what! Don’t even bother answering that, I’ll see you idiots whenever tomorrow! I’m leaving, goodbye.” Asuka slips into her nearest pair of shoes, not caring which pair she was wearing, and dashes out the door of the apartment slamming the door behind her.
The redhead quickly checked the pockets of her shorts, looking for something. Asuka sighed in relief as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, for a moment she thought of dialing Hikari, but quickly changed her mind, knowing that she had already bothered Hikari enough with her problems, never mind her complaints at school. Taking a seat at a bus stop, Asuka begins to dial the safest person available.
“Um. Hello? Oh, thank goodness you picked up, Wondergirl! Could I stop by at your place for a bit, If it's okay with you?” hearing the girl on the other side of the line respond, Asuka let out a breath she had been unknowingly holding. “I’ll be sure to repay the favor, thanks. I’ll see you there.” Ending the call and placing her phone back in her pocket, the girl gets back up and continues to walk to her destination with a windy breeze levitating her long, silky, red hair behind her.
Rei, dressed down from after school, opened her apartment’s front door to see Asuka, the Second Child, uncharastically having a dull expression on her face. Asuka’s jaw was clenched tightly, like in anger, but her bottom lip was quivering, and her eyes were shifty and cloudy, and Rei could feel that through her friend’s blue eyes, there was pain and sadness swirled in. Despite everything, Asuka was still trying to keep one of her average expressions on her face, but Rei wasn’t fooled.
Rei gently grasped the girl’s hand in her own, and pulled her inside the apartment. “Asuka, are you alright? You look… hurt.” Rei asked, gently. “Did you get into a fight with Katsurgi?”
“N-no, It was more of a fight with Mr Kaji.” Asuka remarked quietly in a despondent tone. “I’m not upset with her too much, but why does she always feel the need to take everyone else's side but mine. I don’t really feel like getting into the details, but as long as he is still in the apartment, I’m not returning.” The normally fiery and passionate girl explains, her arms are hung at her side and she is looking downward at the floor.
Rei hated to see any of her friends sad, but especially her, Asuka was someone who could brighten up any room, most of the time, even if she somehow made it backfire onto herself. And the liveliness that she added to the lives of Rei and others was something irreplaceable, for the better most of the time these days. The blue haired girl knew that Asuka had not gotten along with her guardian for a while, to the point that Rei questioned if Misato was completely Asuka’s guardian other than on paperwork and transporting the German girl in and out of the country. It was understandable even with little background info on Asuka, why her relationship with the man had soured.
Rei could not stand the look on the other girl’s face any longer, she had to fix this somehow, even if it was just a temporary solution. Stepping out of her usual comfort zone and taking a risk, Rei stepped forward and wrapped the sorry looking ginger girl in a tight hug.
“Huh? Wonde-, Rei? I-! This is nice, thanks.” Asuka reacts, a bit startled with slight heat rising on her cheeks, but nonetheless accepting the girl’s surprise embrace and warmth, leaning her head on Rei’s shoulder.
“You looked like you needed it, Asuka.” Rei softly stated, running her hand through the girl’s long red hair, and gently looking into her eyes. Rei held Asuka’s hand as she led her to the couch and wrapped her companion in a warm, fuzzy blanket. Rei grabbed the remote, turned on a rerun of Asuka’s favorite show and set the remote beside her friend, looking away from the blur of orange colors emitting from the tv, Rei spoke up. “Asuka, would you like tea or water? As for snacks, I have Bisco and if you prefer something more plain, I also have sugared and savory senbei crackers. The choice is yours.”
Trying to smile, Asuka looked up at Rei and accepted her offer. “That would be nice, I’ll take some tea and the biscuits, thanks. As for the flavor, surprise me.” closing the blanket closer to herself, Asuka turned back around to face the orange glow of the television.
Rei went over to the kitchen island and started to pick a flavor of tea, before putting the water on. Rei compared the different fragrant teas she had available, she surfed across the different varieties like lemongrass, ginger, and green tea before finally deciding on the floral chamomile flavor. She had heard that the brew had calming effects, and she hoped it would ease the mind of the frustrated and sad girl laying on her couch right now.
Putting the kettle on the stovetop and opening the red box of cream sandwich biscuits and putting a few on a plate, Rei called out to Asuka with a question. “Asuka, is Shinji out at the moment? He normally accompanies you on trips to my apartment. That aside, would you like cream or sugar in your tea?”
Asuka looked up from the show she was watching and turned it off before turning to face Rei. It was visible that her anger had calmed down a bit, but Asuka still looked troubled. “Oh, Shinji, huh.” Asuka replied, “He is out on some mini camping trip with the two stooges, he wants to prepare for that summer camp Misato is trying to send us off to. Personally, I don’t think he needs it! He did just fine when it was just me and him alone in the world for a month before you came back from the LCL sea. Now I don't really want to be outdoors or anything, but it's not like he is going to sleep outside and scavenge for food at the camp. Maybe he is so stupid, he forgot there is a cafeteria and cabins to stay in, knowing him!”
Rei let out a slight chuckle at Asuka’s small rant and poured the aromatic chamomile tea into two cups, deciding to add just a bit of sugar to Asuka’s tea, as the German girl had forgotten to answer. Rei was fine with it just being Asuka who visited this time. Sure, she still wanted to see Shinji too, as he was also her friend. But it was nice to just hang out with Asuka, just Asuka.
As Rei handed Asuka her cup of tea and a plate of Bisco biscuits and wrapped herself up in another blanket as she took a seat beside Asuka on the couch, Asuka asked Rei a question. “Wondergirl, will you be going to that camp with Shinji as well? I know Misato is trying to convince you.”
Rei sipped on her tea a bit pondering for an answer that Asuka might want to hear. She was content if she went or not, but she really wanted to be where Asuka would be. Rei felt that around Asuka and the liveliness that came with her, that Rei could be distracted from her worries for a bit. Sure not everything that Asuka would get into matched Rei’s taste, but there were still interesting things Asuka would show and do. Rei did not know how her friend did it in a world full of danger and giant enemies, mostly angels to fight, but Asuka rarely seemed to tire or be completely out of spirit. And for that Rei was grateful.
Rei finished her tea, having now thought of a response for Asuka. Rei knew it was simple, but she had faith that it would work. “Only if you are going, Asuka.” Rei spoke in a soft tone.
“Oh? Huh, I guess I’ll go if you and Shinji are both going, I mean we can’t just let him become the third stooge of the bunch? Besides, if I didn’t go I’d probably be stuck in Misato's apartment doing chores for once, or washing dishes all alone by myself. That would be miserable.” Asuka replied leaning her head against the couch cushion and turning her head to face Rei. Rei inspected Asuka’s facial expressions, noting her jaw was not clenched and instead relaxed and that while she was not quite smiling yet, that Asuka was no longer pouting. That gave Rei’s heart relief as she snuggled closer to Asuka, wrapping a blanketed hand over her shoulder so they shared a blanket.
“Well, it's settled then, I’m sure we will have a great time and find something you would like.” Rei announced, only holding Asuka and bringing their faces closer, a blush crawled on both of their faces as the girls’ met eyes. Rei’s heart pounded as she let her heart take over her mind, as she cupped Asuka’s cheek, Asuka’s eyes widened giving Rei a better look at her companion’s sapphire colored eyes.
Now, the Second Child was the type to never cry no matter what happened, Rei had heard it from the girl herself and both Asuka’s guardians. But it was obvious that even with no tears, the pain still hurts. Rei recalled from books on mental health that told her that crying was just as much signs of life, emotion, and healing as it was a sign of physical pain. Rei knew that Asuka was not going to cry today or even maybe not ever, but Rei still hoped that one day Asuka would heal from the suffering that was enough for more than several lifetimes.
Admiring Asuka’s alluring and softened appearance, with Asuka’s signature red hair, now drooping down in front of her face, framing it with gently waved wisps and tendrils of orangish red colors, bringing attention to her round cheeks and long eyelashes that slightly fluttered whenever the girl blinked. Rei could not help but hold Asuka’s head and gently pull it closer to her own.
Asuka’s eyes opened wide once again as she felt soft lips press onto her forehead for just a moment, ending as quickly as it started. She let herself lean her head against Rei’s chest as Rei pressed Asuka to her body, Asuka began to close her eyes, listening to Rei’s gentle breathing and the soft thumping of her heartbeat. It felt safe to be in the embrace of someone who genuinely cared how she was doing, and strongly cared about where she was. It was nice, it was comforting, something that didn’t come by that often.
Rei’s heart was overflowing and fluttering with love once she noticed that Asuka had started to fall asleep on her. A stronger blush quickly heated her pale cheeks as her ruby red eyes turned to look at the girl’s serene sleeping face. Asuka finally seemed peaceful now, even if just for a moment, Rei felt content having been able to put Asuka at ease. After giving Asuka a quick kiss, Rei realized why the fiery girl made the first move so often. While some types of affection did not come easy for Rei, especially physical contact, the feeling of giving physical affection to others was surprisingly pleasant.
Several hours pass as the two girls fall asleep, bodies and hearts warmed by each other's presence. Eventually woken by her hunger, Rei stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sweet sight, as Asuka had moved her head from Rei’s chest to right against her face in her sleep. As much as Rei savored gazing at the sleeping Asuka against her body and having them both wrapped in a warm blanket, it was nearing dinner time. And knowing Asuka, it was best to get it going before she got too hungry. Gently rousing the girl did not work no matter how long Rei rubbed Asuka’s shoulder or softly pinched her cute, round cheeks. Rei’s mind turned to the ideas of vintage fairytale novels at the Tokyo-3 library. Rei recalled how one of them had a method for waking sleeping princesses with a kiss, when she gave a book a skim. Rei firmly believed that Asuka surpassed any princess with her charm and alluring face, so if it worked on some princess, why not Asuka, the story was German and so was Asuka, she thought.
Quietly once again trying to rouse Asuka from her nap by talking to her, Rei began to push long strands of red hair out of Asuka’s face. Rei’s cheeks turned rosy as she thought about how lovely Asuka looked with her long red hair down and draping the sides of her face, making her look like an enchanting divinity only seen in antique paintings. Rei was well aware of Asuka’s attachment to her shiny, red interface headset, and knew at some point Asuka would put her hair back up into small pigtails to keep the hair out of her face, but for now, Rei wanted to appreciate the serene scene.
Finally Rei had delayed it long enough, taking a quick moment to gaze at Asuka’s soft, pink lips and cheeks sprinkled with tiny, pale freckles, Rei gave the sleeping girl a soft smile as she went diving in. Rei’s fingers curled around Asuka’s silky locks of red hair, her heart skipped a few beats enjoying the feeling of soft, warm lips on her own. Rei took some time to pleasure the feeling as both their soft skins met, and feeling the tickle of Asuka’s gentle, warm breathing, it was intoxicating and alluring to her soul, making her heart become consumed with love for the Second Child.
As the kiss broke, the seal of their lips vanishing, Asuka began to stir and added Rei’s excitement knowing it worked. Asuka’s eyes began to slowly open to Rei gently peering into her face and cupping her cheek, Asuka began to speak in a slowed, slurred tone in German, clearly still sleepy. However her pupils were dilated and she had a happy smile on her face to see Rei.
Now normally when her friends woke up to Rei being up close in their face, they scream in fright and often try to get away, honestly the first time it had happened, Asuka had the same reaction. But nowadays she was used to such encounters and it was pleasant to see the First Child taking an interest in her for whatever reason was going through the blue haired girl’s head. Finally remembering what country she was in, Asuka greeted Rei. “Oh, Rei. Sorry for dozing off like that. I guess the nap was more refreshing than I thought it would be. Need me for something?”
Rei gently played with sleepy Asuka’s hair, thinking of a dinner option. “How about takoyaki? I don’t eat octopus, but I do have some tofu.” Rei offered calmly, hoping that she could at least make some food that satisfied Asuka’s tastes, even if she was not familiar with German cuisine or an excellent home cook like Shinji.
“Tofu takoyaki sounds great, thanks. I was never really a fan of seafood in the first place. Also… could I help you with it? Consider it returning the favor for taking me in today, Rei.” Asuka replies while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Asuka does not seem to notice the kiss, but Rei still treasures it regardless. The two girls get up from the couch and walk into the small kitchen in Rei’s apartment.
Rei opened her fridge letting the cool air blow over her for a moment before taking out several bell peppers, some green onion, a small container of pickled ginger, and 3 eggs. After placing them all onto the counter, Rei got out two cutting boards along with a dull knife for each. “Asuka, why don't you cut up the green onion, while I chop the bell peppers. For minimal injuries on our fingers, I have selected for us to use dull knives as neither of us are skilled with the sharper kitchen ones.” Rei announced, directing Asuka to a place at the kitchen island.
Once all the vegetables were cut up and a batter was made without getting too much flour everywhere, all over the place, and themselves, Rei brought out a brand new electric takoyaki pan, As she plugged it in and waited for it to heat up, she looked to Asuka for help. “Asuka, do you happen to be familiar with this type of cookware? This instruction manual does not offer adequate info on how to cook takoyaki.” Rei explained, hoping that Asuka might have some clue on how to use the device.
Asuka gave the pan a good stare and appeared to be in thought for a moment. Before looking up at Rei and giving a confident reply. “I’m going to be honest with you Wondergirl, no I have not used a takoyaki pan before. But! I have seen Shinji use one of these things, and he just poured the stuff in and turned them with metal chopsticks. If Shinji can do it, how hard can it be?!” Rei just looked at Asuka before dumping the batter in and placing a chunk of tofu in each, praying that the end result would be edible.
As expected by Rei, it did not go exactly to plan, still she enjoyed making it with Asuka, before now she had not realized how cute Asuka looked in an apron. The attempt at takoyaki ended up being more of a large savory pancake that they were now cutting into slices. Rei found it quite alright, as Asuka was still excited to eat it and they both ended up enjoying it while watching some TV.
Rei enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket with Asuka on the couch, as sometimes it was lonely being all alone, so having Asuka so close was nice. Rei basked in the scent of Asuka’s berry shampoo that lingered in the girl’s hair, Rei pulled Asuka’s head gently onto her chest once again to get closer, and realized Asuka was getting pretty tired.
A thought began to stream into Rei’s mind, it was much too late to send Asuka back home in the dark, why not have her over for the night. Sure, there was one bed, but it was not like she hadn’t shared a bed with Asuka once or twice before after the third impact. Rei spoke softly to sleepy Asuka, gently playing with Asuka’s hair. “Asuka, how would you like to stay here for the night, you can sleep with me if you want.” Rei looked down at Asuka, awaiting the girl’s response.
“I mean, only if it's no trouble to you, Rei. I mean you have done a lot for me already, I don’t want to burden you like I used to do with Hikari and Shinji-” Asuka spoke, raising her head from Rei’s chest a bit before Rei cut her off, laying her head back down.
Cupping both of Asuka’s cheeks and forcing Asuka to look her in the eyes, Rei looked Asuka deeply in the eyes with a face full of love, before speaking to Asuka in a gentle tone. “Asuka. Listen close to me. No one thinks you are a burden, don’t trouble yourself like that, you are just human and that’s okay. It's what we were made to do, to be around others. Now, don’t worry about space in bed or my comfort. When I’m with you, I am more comfortable than one can imagine. You make me happy, and my bed is always warm for you.”
Looking up at Rei and giving a soft smile, Asuka accepted Rei’s offer after hesitating for a moment. “I...I'd like that, Rei. Thank you for offering. I appreciate it.” Asuka relaxed again in Rei’s embrace feeling it tighten, Asuka and Rei finished the episode they were watching before shutting the TV off and getting ready for bed.
Rei looks at Asuka dressed in a matching nightgown she had lended her. Somehow, Rei found herself enjoying matching clothes with Asuka even if just for the night. Keeping a calm expression on her face, she hoped Asuka did too. Rei sat on the edge of the bed adding extra pillows, while watching Asuka brush her long, red hair. To Rei it was simply eye candy to see Asuka swish around waves of red as she gently fixed her hair before going to bed.
After a short while, Asuka dropped herself onto Rei exhausted, resting her head on Rei’s shoulder, she thanked her friend once again. “Thanks for letting me stay here tonight, Rei.” Asuka said softly, as she yawned.
Rei didn’t verbally respond, she just hugged the sleepy girl before pushing her down onto the bed to sleep. Rei gently gave Asuka’s forehead a kiss, once again, but Asuka was too sleepy to notice, to Rei's slight disappointment. Rei pulled the covers over them both and rolled over to turn off the light.
After snoozing away for a while, Rei awakes to feel a pair of warm hands grabbing at her arms, not hard or anything, but just enough to notice the squeeze. She looks to her side to see Asuka, seemingly having a tough dream in her sleep. Opening her arms and adjusting one hand slightly under Asuka’s head and shoulders, Rei captured the sleeping girl in a hug, and hummed a lullaby she had heard, hoping it would reach Asuka through her bad dreams, soothing her back to sleep.
Once again, Rei was woken by something, and this time it was not Asuka as she had pleasantly hoped. Nope, instead it was the phone, on the other side of the apartment. Rei rolled her ruby red eyes, irritated that she had to get herself out of a comfy cuddle with Asuka when she really did not want to get up to answer the phone late at night. Rei had to remind herself that for whatever reason someone had to call at this time of night it must be important.
Rei carefully squirmed out of Asuka’s grasp, being careful not to wake the girl and providing a body pillow to Asuka as a substitute to hold. Feeling chilly, Rei took a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself before stepping from a rug, onto the cold hardwood floor. Going into her kitchen, and across to the front door, Rei tried to make out the number displayed in a green glow on the answering machine, but gave up as her eyes were still blurred with sleep. Hesitantly, Rei picked up the phone, and groggily gave a greeting in a sleepy tone. “Hello? Ayanami residence speaking.”
Rei soon recognized the voice on the line as Misato’s voice and tried to pay closer attention as Misato began to speak. “Rei, sorry to bother you at this time of night, but is Asuka with you?”
Rei darted her head toward her bedroom just to make sure Asuka was there before replying, sounding a bit more awake now. “Yes Misato, Asuka is with me. Is there a problem at your place?”
Misato quickly responded on the other line in relief. “Oh, thank goodness for you Rei, you are such a caring girl. Thanks for taking care of Asuka for me. If you didn’t have her I would have to call section-2 and explain. And sorry if i worried you a bit, nothing is wrong over here, dont worry about it. Do you need me to pick her up now, or in the morning? While summer's not over yet, the school open house is tomorrow and I expect you both to be there.”
Rei was honestly getting tired and wanted to hang up, but she wanted to keep Asuka to herself for a little while longer, so she reluctantly replied. “Asuka can stay here with me overnight, you don't need to pick her up either. She came here in her school shoes and I have spare uniforms, so the only thing different will be her socks. We will be fine, I’ll make sure to get her up on time too. Have a good rest of your night.”
Misato bade Rei a good night and hung up the phone excusing herself saying she had some paperwork to do. And Rei was honestly a little glad Misato was starting to do a better job with checking up on Asuka. But the thing Rei wanted to do the most was get back to bed and cuddle Asuka.
While dragging herself back to bed, Rei thought to herself, was it a date or was it a sleepover? Choosing one or the other wouldn’t change her feelings for Asuka, and even if she never managed to get anything official with Asuka, Rei would always consider it a date, maybe not a first one, but more like a free trial. Whatever strange thoughts swirling through her head about dates didn’t matter now when Rei’s bed was so close and warm with someone waiting for her.
Rei crawled into bed, and held Asuka in her embrace, falling asleep once more, she wanted to never let Asuka go. If Asuka was still awake, she would have heard Rei whisper a small “I love you.”