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“YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT!?” Asuka’s voice could be heard at least five rooms away.
“Asuka, please lower your voi-” Misato lifted her hands up in a mock surrender.
“No way! No way am I doing that! I’d rather die!” Somehow Asuka’s voice only grew louder. “I’m not like that idiot Shinji who will do whatever you tell him, I have standards!”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to me-”
“Stay out of this, Shinji!” Misato and Asuka snapped at the boy in unison.
“Look, Asuka, it’s only one night. I have to get my apartment bug bombed because someone thought it was a good idea to eat chips in their room and attract roaches,” Misato looked directly at Asuka, her voice stern. “I’m staying with Ritsuko, Shinji’s staying with his friends, it’s only logical for you stay a night with your friend-”
“FIRST IS NOT MY FRIEND!” Asuka practically screamed those words. She seemed overly defensive of the implication of being friends with her fellow Eva pilot. “Why can’t I just go to Hikari’s house!?”
“I already told you, she’s out of town tonight!” Misato was getting more and more frustrated with the teenager. “There’s nowhere else for you to go! Besides, didn’t you want to be friends with Rei?”
“I don’t! That was just for convenience, and she didn’t even want to be friends with me! Ugh, this is such bullshit!” Asuka stomped off to her room, clearly done with the conversation.
Misato sighed, sitting down at the table next to Shinji, who was idly looking at his cup.
There was a brief silence before Shinji spoke, “...Ayanami’s place is kind of messy but it’s not that bad. I wonder why Asuka is so against spending the night there....”
Misato closed her eyes, “...I think her feelings are just hurt.”
Asuka had initially packed three suitcases full of various things but Misato had made her slim down her luggage. So she was left with just one bag with some clothes and toiletries. She didn’t even get to bring her game console which only pissed her off further.
It didn’t take too long to find Rei’s apartment. It wasn’t far away, plus the mail sticking out of the door made the apartment pretty noticeable. Asuka rang the doorbell but no one answered. She rang it one more time before quickly losing her patience and opening the door.
Why is it unlocked...? Asuka thought as she entered the apartment. The first thing she saw upon walking inside was the mess. Asuka wasn’t sure what she expected but she certainly didn’t expect there to be trash and bloody bandages on the floor. The redhead made a disgusted face as she looked around the room.
It wasn’t as messy as Misato’s apartment but perhaps that’s because Misato’s apartment had more things filling it. Rei’s apartment was bare save for some trash on the floor. There was nothing human about the room, that’s how Asuka would describe it. No toys or games or anything that would give insight as to what kind of person Rei was. It was simply just a room, and a messy one at that. The perfect room for a doll.
Asuka put down her bag and furrowed her brow, She couldn’t just sleep around all this trash. So she grabbed a trash bag and started picking up. The girl told herself it was so she could sleep soundly, not because she actually cared about the First Child.
Suddenly Asuka heard the door close and the First Child was looking right at her. Panic flowed through Asuka’s body, she didn’t know why. She gripped the trash bag and tore it open, letting the garbage erupt onto the floor. Asuka’s face was red, she didn’t know why.
The First Child looked at her, the same expression on her face as there always was. She just stared at her, it made Asuka angry.
“What? If you want to say something, then say it!” The girl barked at her fellow eva pilot.
Rei simply stared at Asuka and then stared at the trash on the floor. She didn’t say a word. The blue haired girl just walked past Asuka and into her bathroom, turning on the shower.
Asuka’s brow furrowed, Shouldn't she be angry!?
She grit her teeth and stomped over to open her bag, getting her things out and laying out her sleeping bag.
After some time, Rei emerged from her bathroom, only wearing underwear. The girl dried off her hair and walked to her bed, turning off the light.
Asuka gasped lightly when Rei came out of the bathroom. Doesn’t she have pajamas or something to wear!? How can she be so shameless!? She looked away from the girl, she didn’t want to think about why this was making her so embarrassed anyway. Come to think of it, does she own any clothing other than her uniform...
And thus they both laid down in the dark. Rei and Asuka were both silent but neither of them were asleep.
A minute of silence passed between the two before Asuka decided to say something, “Your room’s really messy.” Her tone was lighthearted but somehow cold. It was as if she was trying to say something else, but couldn’t.
“I know.”
Asuka was surprised Rei even responded to her. Those two words seemed to lighten the thick air that surrounded them.
The redheaded girl then said something without thinking, “I’m sorry.” Her entire face flushed. She didn’t know why she said that, it just came out. “...For spilling trash on your floor, I mean. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Asuka’s face was redder than her own Eva. She clutched her sleeping bad, cursing under her breath. She was usually so confident. Why was she being so awkward now?
“It’s ok.” Rei replied, her voice was calm but there was something off about it, Asuka wasn’t sure what it was. “The room was already dirty anyway.”
There was something sad about the First Child’s voice, something melancholic. Asuka had always noticed it but now it was very present. In fact, there was something sad about the First Child in general. She was always so quiet and cold. And she always acted like it didn’t matter if she lived or died.
More silence passed, then Asuka blurted out something again that she didn’t mean to, “Why do you hate me?”
Asuka gasped slightly after saying that, everything about her seemed to be off that night. The girl was about to follow up but Rei replied surprisingly fast. Faster than she normally replied to a question.
“I don’t hate you,” She said.
“Then why-” Asuka swallowed something down before continuing. Her voice was a little shaky. “Why are you so cold to me? You’re not like this with that idiot Shinji!!”
Asuka didn’t mean to raise her voice, it just happened.
This time Rei didn’t reply right away. Asuka couldn’t see her face, she could hear the girl sigh. It was a sad sigh.
“I guess I’m envious of you.”
Her eyes widened, “Envious? Why?”
“Because you’re real.”
Asuka held her breath.
“And I’m not.”
The Second Child sat up, looking over at Rei, “What are you talking about? Of course you’re real!” Something about what Rei said made Asuka angry. “How could I be talking to you if you’re not real?”
“...You wouldn’t understand-” Rei’s gripped her own sheets, though her stoic expression stayed the same.
“Maybe I won’t! Maybe I can’t understand you but I want to!” Asuka was standing up now, looking right at Rei. Her eyes looked watery but it was hard to tell in the dark. “You don’t have to be alone all the time, you know!? You’re not alone, I’m right here! So just... talk to me and stop acting like I’ll never understand!!”
Rei was still laying down, “...That’s hypocritical.”
Asuka snorted, a smile appearing on her face, “I know.” The girl sat down and started laughing, a dry and cynical laugh. But it was a laugh with life in it. “But I’m not the only one who’s a hypocrite”
The slighted of smiles took shape on Rei’s face. She let out a huff of air that almost sounded like a laugh. “...Thank you, Sohryu-san.”
“Just call me Asuka,” The girl smiled back at Rei.
“...Then call me Rei,” The tiniest of blushes appeared on Rei’s face.
“...Alright, I will, Rei,” Asuka was blushing as well.
In what seemed to be just a moment, Asuka and Rei had talked to each other more than they had ever before. It was... nice, to say the least. Asuka couldn’t deny that talking to Rei like friends did make her heart flutter. In a friend way of course. Yeah, a friend way.
Asuka smiled at her fellow Eva pilot, sitting back in her bed, “ By the way, why is it so cold in your room?” Her tone was playful now.
“I’m not sure, I’ve never noticed,” Rei shrugged, she sounded calmer.
“You should get some heating in here-”
“Are you cold?” Rei cut the girl off. “Maybe it’s just the floor...”
“Huh?” Asuka blinked, not really understanding what Rei was saying. “What does that mean?”
“Maybe you’d be more comfortable in the bed...” Rei had turned her body to look down at Asuka, right into her eyes.
Asuka had never noticed how pretty Rei’s eyes were. Even in the dark, they pierced Asuka’s body like ruby red daggers. In fact, there was a lot about her fellow Eva pilot that the redheaded girl never noticed. Like how smooth and pretty her skin was, even though it was so pale. Or how soft her haired looked. Or how glossy her lips looked. Or how...
“Asuka,” Rei brought the girl out of her trance. “Do you want to share the bed with me?”
So blunt-
“Uh,” Asuka stood up, walking to the bed. “Sure I guess.”
She slowly got into the bed as Rei scooted over.The two were looking straight into each other’s eyes when Asuka had finally laid down. Up close, Asuka could truly appreciate Rei’s beauty. Her eyes, her lips, her hair, her everything. The redhead’s breath shook, so close to her new friend. Her palms started to sweat as she stared deeply into Rei’s eyes, and as Rei stared back. Those piercing, blood red eyes. The two stayed there for a while, looking at each other. It was as if time was staying completely still. As if the two of them were the only people in the world. There was no one else, just two girls staring at each other, eyes not wavering for a moment.
Asuka didn’t think she would mind being the only two people on the earth with Rei. At least, that’s what she thought in that moment.
In that moment, Asuka thought she could stare at Rei’s eyes all day, for an eternity even.
The two fell asleep like that, right in front of each other.
The next morning, Misato asked Asuka how the sleepover was.
She said it was fine, and then went into her room.
When she was alone, all the girl could think of was Rei’s eyes. And her smell, and her skin, and everything about her. She couldn’t understand why the girl was on her mind so much...
But she didn’t think she minded that much.