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If you told Dr. Ritsuko Akagi two months ago that she would be coparenting a kitten on top of her work, she certainly wouldn't have believed you.
But when Lieutenant Ibuki had shown up at NERV HQ with a tiny bundle of fur wrapped in her jacket, she couldn't help but feel that switch in her brain flick. It was so... fragile. So tiny. And it looked so much like her own cats.
Maya had seemed so distressed when she'd arrived at work, Ritsuko remembered the day well. Her hair had been stuck to her face, rain soaking the woman's shirt right through, to the point Ritsuko had worried she was going to catch her death from cold. She'd intended to scold her subordinate for showing up so dishevelled and risking her health, but when she saw the small, wriggling ball of damp fur wrapped in the warmth of Maya's jacket, she understood what exactly had happened.
Maya had a heart that was too big for her chest. That was what Ritsuko thought. The woman was like a star, so intense and bright in every interaction, a constant that could ground her no matter the situation. Maya's warmth was a welcome one in her life. But she knew the woman was kind even to her own detriment. Could Maya even take care of this kitten? She'd never owned a cat before, let alone a kitten - let alone a sick kitten. But of course Maya hadn't let the poor thing die. She hadn't ignored its existence, or put it out of its misery. She'd cradled the animal like it was a gift from God himself, and rushed it into the nearest warm, sterile place she could think of.
As she glanced down from her screen at the kitten napping under her desk, Ritsuko let out a drawn-out sigh, standing from her chair. She was impatient whenever Maya was late back, and currently, the woman was seventeen minutes late home. It made her worry, it always had. Seventeen minutes. That was how long she'd waited for her mother before calling her. And receiving no answer. And going back to Gehirn, just to be met with...
The thought was shaken from her mind the moment she heard the apartment door open. A small jingle came from behind her, under her desk; their little kitten was awake. Her eyes followed the small, fluffy ball that darted toward the door, met with cooing and immediate cuddled from the woman who had entered. Maya's eyes were as warm as ever as she looked over at Ritsuko, who had begun packing up her laptop and tea flask the moment the front door had shut behind her.
Ritsuko had always confused Maya. The woman was often so reserved, and yet... so loving, in all the small ways. She kept nicotine patches in her office desk for their coworker who was trying to quit smoking. She took any new trainee under her wing for as long as she could, fully ensuring they were prepared for the position. Dr Akagi was considered uptight or strict by many, with many junior personnel quitting after being put under her guidance, but... Maya never understood that criticism. Ritsuko just wanted trainees to be prepared for the worst cases scenario; if they couldn't handle that, they weren't suited for the job, and should try somewhere else.
But sometimes, Maya wondered if Ritsuko took all of that to heart. After all, it had to wear someone down, hearing those whispers every day. It had certainly worn her down back when she'd been in school as a chubby teenage girl, and honestly, even as a grown woman she doubted she'd be able to handle it. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to be Ritsuko. To have the fate of humankind on her shoulders, and yet be treated with such... she couldn't even think of a word. Rudeness? Ingratitude? Disrespect? No wonder the woman smoked so often, honestly. She'd take up a vice or two of her own if she was in that position too.
Yet, despite all of that, Ritsuko remained kind. Even if she didn't think so herself, Maya thought she was kind. After all, she'd agreed to catsit while Maya went grocery shopping. That cat... Maya remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on him. Tiny green eyes, pleading from inside a matted ball of black fur. Those eyes, crying out for help, for love... Maya couldn't sit back and watch. Those jade eyes were too familiar, whether they hid behind matted black fur or heavy mascara. So she'd scooped the little creature up, and given him her jacket, and pushed her body to its limit with how quickly she'd taken the kitten to someone she knew would find help for it.
And now, Reiji was healthy, and fluffy, and in her arms letting her nuzzle her nose against his fur. This cat was her best friend, her constant in this lonely apartment. The shopping bags laid forgotten beside her as she looked up at Ritsuko, observing the woman packing away her belongings for the night. She wished she didn't have to leave. She wished she could cancel whatever plans the other woman had that night, and keep her here with her, warm in her arms just like Reiji.
But of course, that was a silly fantasy. Nothing more, nothing less. But the image certainly didn't leave her mind as she watched Ritsuko reapply her lipstick, and she almost kicked herself for subconsciously wishing it were smudged. Yet in a lot less time than Maya would've liked, Ritsuko was by her side, ready to leave. Or at least, ready to say goodbye.
Maya didn't know how wrong she was. How Ritsuko's eyes lingered on the way her face wrinkled when she laughed, or how she felt so very guilty seeing the wistful, saddened look in those warm oaken eyes of hers. But it's not like Ritsuko could tell her that, it was just... just a stupid fantasy to believe she would ever have a chance with Maya. Not in her situation, anyway.
"Thanks for... watching him. I'm sorry I was late." That voice, she could listen to Maya talk for hours. Actually, she had and did, and it never failed to make her own chest feel warm with its rhythmic, melodic timbre.
"Please, don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow." Her own words felt hollow no matter how much effort she put into them, but upon seeing that slight spark of hope in Maya's eyes, it acted as a little consolation. She wished she could bottle the feeling Maya gave her and keep it on her person. It'd be far more effective than the other bottles she'd tried.
"See you tomorrow. ...Hey, I'm thinking of training Reiji. Would you want to help? I know it'd be a lot, but..."
How could she say no to that hopeful expression? How could she say no to Maya, when she looked at her that way? ...This woman had affected her in ways Ritsuko wasn't ready to admit. To herself, or to Maya. But what she could do was return that smile, and give a small nod, before turning away into the night.
"Of course I'll help. See you in the morning."
Maya felt her chest lift at the fact her offer had been accepted. She could... spend more time with Ritsuko. More time together, more opportunities to maybe, just maybe, learn more about who she really was aside from Dr Akagi.
Once the brilliant jade eyes she admired so much were out of sight, a soft sigh escaped Maya's lips. But a small mewl from the animal in her arms caught her attention, and immediately, a small smile was back on her face.
Those same jade eyes peered up at her, set into the face of her sweet little cat. The sweet little cat that Ritsuko helped her save.
And in that moment, she wondered if she'd have to change her favourite colour; because it seemed to her now that jade was the real colour of love.