Chapter Text
Hate. Burning, seething hatred. Just pure enmity.
Asuka could use just about a million words to describe how she feels about that blue-haired bitch. She’s pretty sure she’s forced Hikari (and sometimes Shinji) to hear most of them.
Not that it’ll ever be enough. Not that that bitch deserves that many words.
“Asuka.”
Really, 1000 yen says Rei’d just love to hear what myriad of words Asuka’d use to describe her. She’d probably get a kick out of it.
“Asuka.”
The thought of Rei finding her efforts even remotely amusing sends a chill down Asuka’s spine. Not the “I’m gonna shit my pants” kind of chill, it’s the “I’m gonna remove your liver from your body if you even think about laughing” kind of chill. Not that it needs explaining, or anything. Who does she even need to explain it to? Certainly not that fucking cu–
“Asuka!”
A tap on her shoulder. Asuka whirls around at the speed of light and almost jabs her pencil into the shoulder of the one who so rudely interrupted her train of thought before realizing, in that moment, two important things: one: It’s just Shinji. Annoying, pissant Shinji, but Shinji nonetheless. Two: Her pencil is, uh. Broken. When did that happen? Shinji, for his part, looks completely unfazed by her overreaction.
He lowers his brow. “You, um, okay there?”
“What? Uh– Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?”
“I was gonna ask if Misato said when she’d be back tonight. You, uh. Spaced out.”
“... Oh.”
Come to think of it, she’s been spacing out a lot lately, hasn’t she? Is it always about Wondergirl? Surely not, right? A girl with as rich of an internal life as Asuka couldn’t possibly be only thinking of the same fucking girl over and over again for days on end. Right? Right. “Sorry, yeah, um. She didn’t say. She’ll probably be back before ten, I guess.”
“Right. Then, uh, I’ll probably be going to bed now. It’s late.”
Asuka glances at the clock. 9:33. Well, it is a school night. It might be a good idea for her to turn in too. Shinji turns to make his way back to his room.
“Well, good night.”
Asuka looks at him without expression.
“Yeah. Good night.”
Shinji closes his door. This leaves Asuka by herself in the living room. Nothing but her own thoughts to keep her company. Her neutral expression sours as said thoughts inevitably turn back to Rei Ayanami.
Fucking Rei. Stupid, perfect Rei.
Never late for class. Never misses an assignment.
Always at the top of their grade. Perfect GPA, not a spot on her record.
Talks to no one. Except Shinji, sometimes. And Hikari, but that doesn’t count. Hikari talks to everyone.
In short, she’s a doll. A stupid, porcelain doll with no brain and no soul and not a single quality that Asuka doesn’t find completely repulsive. And for the life of her, she can’t. Stop. Thinking about her.
It’s lunch, and Hikari is not happy.
Ugh, she’s brooding again.
That’s about the sum of her thoughts as she watches Asuka angrily bite down on a piece of omelette. Speaking of, she makes a note to ask Shinji about his recipe. That’s not important right now, though. What matters right now is whatever the fuck is going on with Asuka. Well, not “whatever the fuck.” Hikari is pretty sure she knows exactly what’s going on.
‘Y’knowww…” she starts, drawing the word out long enough for Asuka to actually look at her.
“What?”
“You could just ask her out.”
Asuka almost chokes on her food. Pfft, got her. Hikari just smirks as Asuka quickly recovers.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Y’know. Rei. You should ask her out.” Hikari knows it’s a risk to double down on the bit, but damn it if teasing Asuka isn’t one of life’s greatest pleasures. Asuka, meanwhile, doesn’t look half as amused.
“Why,” and Asuka is scowling at her, “why, in a million years, would I ever ask that albino little shit out on a date?”
Alright, damage control. “Relax, genius. It’s a joke.”
Asuka’s eyebrows raise. “Some fucking joke.” She goes back to picking at her omelette.
Hikari just sighs. What am I gonna do with her?
Really, Hikari laments that she didn’t nip this in the bud sooner. She’d noticed it ever since Rei had transferred to their high school. The drawn-out looks, the constant muttering. At first she’d thought it’d be a good thing, Asuka having something of a rival. She always thought that Asuka didn’t socialize enough, with her only real friends being her and Shinji. Maybe having someone else to focus on would be good for her. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Hikari couldn’t have been more wrong.
It’s been a whole year now, and the problem is only getting worse. It’s like Rei Ayanami has slowly taken over Asuka’s mind until the only thing she can think about is her. And goddamnit, Hikari’s gonna do something about it.
Well, she wants to do something about it, anyway. She doesn’t really know what. But something. Definitely something.
It takes about a week for that something to find her.
There it is. Right there in the middle of the hallway’s bulletin board.
A poster. For prom.
Hikari just about screams. This is perfect.
“What’s got you so excited?”
Hikari, very slowly, turns around. Asuka peeks over her shoulder.
“Oh. Prom. Gross.” And it’s right then that Hikari’s new mission starts.
“What? You’re not excited?”
Asuka looks unimpressed. “Why would I be? It’s a school dance. Why would I want to stand around in the gym for three hours while a bunch of losers flail around me to shitty music? Not my idea of a good time.”
“C’monnn, don’t be such a prick, Asuka. It could be fun! You could even ask someone to go with you!”
“Ew, even worse. I don’t wanna go anywhere with some douchebag. Hell, are you going?”
“I might.”
“Really.”
“Yes!”
“Uh huh.” Asuka takes her eyes off Hikari for a moment and glances at the faces passing by. God, just the thought of asking any of these people to go to prom with her has her feeling sick to her stomach.
It’s disgusting.
It’s beneath her.
It’s–
Rei turns the corner, then. She catches Asuka’s eye for a split second before shifting her gaze and walking straight past.
It’s just for a fleeting moment, but a thought crosses Asuka’s mind. It’s a terrible, disgusting, unfathomable thought, and Asuka pushes it out of her mind almost the same moment it arrived, but… there it was. Seeing Rei, with the prom at the forefront of her mind, the thought came to her.
Asuka thought about what would happen if she asked Rei to the prom.
Hikari looks between Asuka and Rei’s passing form. She catches the look in Asuka’s eyes. It’s there for just a fraction of a second, but if anyone could recognize it, it’s Hikari.
Well, well, well. This just might be easier than I thought.