Nightshift

Nightshift
Need

She watched the boy stumble backwards after the blow and she quickly followed it up with another. As her fist met with his face for the second time, Shinji, more or less, tripped over his own feet and fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

Asuka stared at him, “Get the fuck up. I’m not finished with you yet.” Her voice cutting into the tension with the coldness it contained.

To his credit, Shinji quickly recovered and was on his feet before she could kick him. Since attempting to block the constant stream of punches was obviously not working to his favor, Shinji simply chose to stay out of her reach.

This tactic proved to be just as useless as the first one. She closed the distance between them and landed a kick directly under his chin. Needless to say, the breath was knocked out of him and he was reduced to gasping for air as he fell to the floor.

Even more needless to say, it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Shinji shook it off and charged his roommate. Almost like she was anticipating this, Asuka dodged and a swift knee to the midsection sent the boy to meet with the floor again.

This was far from over though… This was just the beginning of this as a matter of fact.

He had the sheer audacity to say that she was overreacting over nothing. Normally, she would have let that bullshit slide if the nothing he spoke of didn’t relate to her piloting.

His insult reminded her not only of her hopeless situation with Unit 02 but also the fact that she absolutely and without question hated the Third Child.

Shinji was someone she could tolerate at first. As a co-worker, classmate, and roommate, Shinji saw a lot of her and they were forced to interact with each other but everything went sour every since he pulled that saving her life shit.

Asuka knew it and she could tell by the way he acted toward her.

He thought he was better than her.

Shinji always outdid her and the part that angered her was that he pretended not to care. With ease, he would do things she couldn’t and receive the attention she deserved. It was disgusting because deep down she knew he was better than her. The boy cowering before her superior and it made her sick.

She kicked him in the side and he rolled over like the dog that he was.

This was how it supposed to be. She was fucking kicking his ass and he was too pussy to even fight back. No, as a matter of fact, she wanted him to fight back so she could prove to him that she had an advantage.

Her wish was granted as Shinji caught her ankle. Using her momentum against her, he pulled her leg and she fell to the floor beside him. Reacting quickly, he rolled over on top of her and stapled her hands to the floor by placing his hands at her wrists.

Using all the willpower he could muster in order not to hit her back, Shinji peered into her blue eyes with a rage that matched her own.

All he said was that she shouldn’t be so sad about the failed activation of Unit 02. In retrospect, he probably should have kept the comment to himself but he was just trying to help.

It was then that she just got up from the table and swung at him.

Shinji could understand that she somehow managed to like piloting but the reason he was angry was because she hit him for trying to make her feel better.

“Asuka…” Shinji’s tired, controlled voice flowed into her ears, “Don’t hit me anymore.”

As if the slight squeeze on her wrist was supposed to be a warning, he let up and slowly got up while he looked her in the eye. With sharpened reflexes, he caught her wrist again before she could slap him and slammed the offending arm back onto the floor, “Stop it Asuka!”

He did it again…

Shinji defeated her and he didn’t care. She only had one card left and she had to play it to retain any pride she had left.

“Gone and do it…”

“What?” He asked confused to what she was talking about.

With her face completely blank, Asuka continued to hold eye contact with him, “You want to touch me.”

She could see the lust in his eyes and she played her last trump card, her body. If she couldn’t conquer him physically, she would prove how petty he was by using her sexuality. When it came to her body, Shinji would always shy off but that didn’t mean she didn’t catch the way he looked at her sometimes.

She shifted around and made sure that she rubbed against him as much as possible. Shinji took the bait and his eyes started to look down from her face. His eyes trailed across various parts of her body until he regained his senses and turned back to her face.

It was too late now. Asuka had him where she wanted him.

“Touch me…” She softly begged.

She could picture it now. The pervert was going to give in to the pressure and, the moment he lifted his hand to touch her breast or put his hands in her underwear, she was going to finish kicking his fucking ass.

It was going just as planned.

Shinji looked her directly in the eye as he released the grip he had on her wrist and allowed his hand to disappear out of her sight. Asuka waited for the touch. She waited for the exact instant when he caressed her in a way no one ever did. She waited for the moment she put her knee directly into his balls and then stomped her foot into his ribs.

It never came.

Shinji hand fell on the floor and he pushed himself off of her. Like a well rehearsed actor in a play, he stood before her as he waited for the right words to come to mind. With unmistakable pity in the depths of his ocean blue eyes, Shinji looked down at his roommate, “I… I don’t need that from you.”

She was crushed.

No, crushed didn’t even fit how she felt. Shinji responded and successfully toppled her in everything from piloting to fighting, but it was the way he turned down her sexual advances that broke her. Her plan completely backfired and, not only did she lose what little pride she had left, she felt even dirtier than before and it was all his fault.

“No!” She screamed as she rose to her feet, “I don’t need you Shinji!”

He rubbed the side of his face and hoped that a bruise didn’t form, “I never said you did.”

Shinji never saw her fist coming and just merely happened to lower his head just enough to avoid the strike. The swing was so wide that she couldn’t support the spinning motion it put on her thin frame and she lost of footing.

They landed on the floor and Shinji again struggled to get on top of her, “What is wrong with you Asuka!?”

“What’s wrong? You are you fucking idiot!” Asuka yelled into his face, “Day in and day out! Shinji did this and Shinji did that! Fuck you! Fuck Misato! Fuck everybody!”

“What do you want me to do!? Let you pilot Unit 01?”

“I don’t need your shit ass prototype!”

“You need something because Unit 02 doesn’t work anymore!”

Asuka worked her mouth but no words came out. Shinji just directly pointed out the main source of her frustration and she had no reply. He knew her weakness and he exploited it well.

“I… I didn’t mean-“

“Get off me…” She whispered, the edge missing from her voice.

Seeing that she no longer had any desire to fight, Shinji did as she said. He watched as she slowly got up and walked towards her room, “Asuka… I’m sorry.” Her roommate voiced honestly.

If she heard his apology, she ignored it as she went into her room and slid the door close.

~*~

He cracked the egg and placed the contents in a bowl. Without pausing, he added pepper and a dash of salt before he started to make scrambled eggs. As he beat the ingredients into submission, he thought back to who he was making the dish for.

Shinji sighed as he looked down and decided to add more pepper, “She’s getting worse…” He said to no one in particular.

True to his word, his roommate didn’t make any progress in synching with Unit 02. Every since the fifteenth Angel attacked Asuka became more anti-social and lashed out at everyone. Shinji was no exception.

He, probably being the sole reason for her downfall, took her insults to heart. Still, he allowed her to insult him hoping that it would at least provide a small comfort from the reality of her situation.

Shinji grinned but the downcast expression in his eyes didn’t match the content appearance of the small smile on his face, “Like I could make her stop making fun of me…”

He knew he couldn’t change the way she acted towards him. Asuka hated him and all he could do was carry her feelings with everything else that was placed on top of him. The part about the situation that hurt him the most wasn’t even when she started to get violent.

It was the fact that he actually liked her.

He wanted everyone to feel better but he especially wanted his roommate to get better. In ways he didn’t understand, he admired her. So when she began to lose the flare she had for living, it only served to make him worry about her more.

That’s why it made him feel so bad when he hurt her with his own words.

Shinji was a patient person. He could put up with her insults and even the occasional slap or two if it meant she was feeling better but, lately, she was making remarks about everyone.

She insulted Misato, who worked nearly all day now. Their raven-haired guardian rarely came home and, if she did, it was only to see how Asuka was fairing.

She insulted one of the only people she considered a real friend, Hikari. The girl, and most of the small number of classmates they had, took leave of Tokyo-3 not long after the fourteenth Angel attacked.

Asuka’s snide comments were directed at everyone but he was her most common victim.

Somehow, he managed until today.

He tried to make her stop but she continued. When he finally thought he had her under control, she offered something that his mind screamed at him to take. It wasn’t another kiss or even sex… It was the closeness he wanted.

Shinji poured the battered mix of eggs and spices into the skillet.

Asuka didn’t know how close he came to touching her.

Even now he could envision himself grabbing her breasts and roughly kneading them as she moaned. He could see himself kissing her while his hands roamed her delicate body. He… He could picture his hand disappearing under her skirt and moving towards her panties.

Shinji shook his head and focused on cooking.

He didn’t want it like that.

He wanted her to be happy.

Shinji remembered her vacant expression, “Not empty…”

Seeing that the scrambled eggs were done, Shinji slid them off the skillet and onto a plate. Even if Misato probably didn’t realize it, he knew that Asuka stopped eating. Be it out of her hatred of her roommates or the fact that she simply lost her appetite, Shinji never saw her venture into the kitchen to get something to eat.

Knowing that his efforts were probably in vain, he walked to her room with the plate in hand. He softly knocked on the door, “Asuka… I fixed something for you to eat.”

No response.

This was it. This was the moment that determined how far he would go to help her. Bravely, Shinji slid the door open and wasn’t surprised to see Asuka raise her head and stare back at him in shock.

“Leave me alone…” She barely whispered as she laid back down.

He stepped into the confines of her room, “You have to eat though.”

“I’m not hungry.”

She was making this difficult, “I’m… I’m not leaving until you eat.”

This, Shinji weakly decided, was his last stand. He couldn’t make her eat the dish. He wasn’t even sure if she really liked it, but it was one of the few western dishes he knew how to make so he took a chance.

He stood still as the smell of the eggs drifted through the room.

Asuka grumbled something in German. She just so happened to like Shinji’s cooking and scrambled eggs. He was making her hungry and she didn’t like the way he was watching her, “Get me something to eat with then… and some syrup.”

Although many didn’t understand her desire of the sugary sweet substance on top of scrambled eggs, she was guilty of liking it.

She watched him motion to receive the items she requested like she issued him an order. As he retreated out of the room, Asuka started to wonder why she even agreed. Of course, she still hated Shinji and she knew that he would have given in eventually if she didn’t say anything.

The redhead knew for certain that she didn’t want to try and best him anymore. If by some chance he beat her again… she knew she would lose it. It was then that she discovered why she agreed.

It wasn’t because she was tired of fighting which she actually was. It was because, no matter how much she couldn’t stand him, she wanted him. Not in any perverse fashion, she wanted to keep him under her control.

No, it wasn’t something she wanted to do.

Bringing the boy under her control was something she needed to do in order to maintain her sanity. In coming into her room, she realized she had to enforce this before he ultimately escaped from her grasp.

Shinji, with bursting into her room, alarmed her enough that she lost her previous train of thought. He sat the plate on the side of her and offered the plastic fork that she accepted as she sat up.

He carefully watched as the utensil picked up one of the eggs and swirled it around in the thick, light brown liquid. Asuka raised the fork to her mouth and her lips closed around the food. Shinji couldn’t turn away as she chewed. His eyes focused on her delicate skin as she swallowed causing the small lump to travel down her neck.

The pilot pulled his sight away from her and started moving towards the door. His job was done. He managed to get her to eat and she didn’t even get angry.

Before he could slide the door back, he asked him a simple question, “Why?”

“Well… I um,” He took in a deep breath and exhaled, “Even if you hate me… I like you Asuka.”

That caught her off guard.

“We’re alike,” Shinji continued, “I mean… we kind of know each other better than everyone else do.”

He looked over his shoulder, “I don’t like to see you hurt…”

Asuka forgot about what plan she had in mind. Shinji’s kindness even caused her to forget, even if it was just for a moment, how much she disliked him.

“Eat with me?” She asked, exchanging one kind act with another.

It was his turn to be caught off guard.

Shinji turned around thinking that it had to be another tease, another one of the games she constantly played with him. This was not the case as his eyes met hers.

Asuka’s sky blue eyes looked… honest.

For a moment, he was afraid of the clarity in them but, as he took a closer look in their blue depths, he realized he just couldn’t say no.

“Yea…”

Asuka placed the plate on her lap and moved so he could sit next to her. Nervously, he sat on the bed beside the girl who, not to long ago, was beating him up.

“Asuka,” Shinji looked away, “I’m sorry-“

“Don’t talk about it…”

He turned to the red haired girl who returned to eating, “Okay.”

With that said, silence fell between the two and neither made an attempt to break it. Besides the slight sound of her chewing and his heart beating, the silence continued to mount with the uneasy feeling Shinji had about the situation.

“Here.”

“Huh? What are- Ah!”

She stuffed the food into his mouth using the fork.

Shinji tasted his own cooking and found that it did indeed taste good with syrup, however; it was the fork his attention was on as she withdrew it from his mouth.

It was an indirect kiss.

He glanced at Asuka who continued on like it was nothing so he decided not to voice that fact seeing that she would probably throw him out.

She leaned forward to insert the fork in his mouth and the plate started to slide off her lap. The pilots reacted quickly but, in acting at the same time, only made a mess of things.

Much to Shinji’s dismay, the plate fumbled in his hands and flipped on top of his roommate who managed to catch the plate… as food fell on top of her.

Sadly, this was not the end of his ordeal.

In moving to catch the plate, Asuka was put off balance by leaning so far to catch it so she and Shinji rolled onto the floor in a heap of tangled arms and legs.

Shinji braced himself as he looked up in fear, “Oh my God… Asuka I’m-“

What came from the girl wasn’t a slap or even an insult.

Asuka laughed out loud for what seemed like the first time in months. Despite how bad she was feeling, she couldn’t help but laugh at how they managed to go from eating to falling. Nearly in tears, she held her sides as she continued to laugh.

So bright and happy her laughter was that Shinji couldn’t help but grin at the situation as well.

He was honestly happy to see her laugh though.

~*~

Shinji crawled on top of his bed and pressed play on his SDAT.

Yawning before he pulled the sheets on top of him, he smiled as he thought of the events that transpired.

Asuka was finally getting better and he was helping. Today was the first time that they found common ground in a long time and it was the first time they laughed together instead of her just laughing at him.

As they cleaning up the mess, he offered to fix another plate and she accepted easier than he thought she would. After eating the scrambled eggs, Shinji decided, almost sadly, that he was tired.

She nodded as he put an end to their fun and opted to take a bath.

Pulling away from thoughts of her with only a towel on, Shinji remembered what his guardian specifically told him. Even if Asuka seemed to be one way her mood could change at any time. Add her mood changes to the stress of not being able to do what she wanted to do most and then you had a person who a lot of people did not want to be around.

He closed his eyes and recalled the sound of her laughing, “I… wonder if she still hates me.”

The definite sound of his door sliding open was his answer.

Opening his eyes to see his visitor, he was not surprised to find Asuka standing in his doorway. Pulling of his headphones and sitting up, Shinji took a closer look, “Asuka…?”

Only dressed in a long T-shirt, she made her way to his bed and Shinji did not protest as she got into the bed with him. She rubbed against him as she pulled the sheets over her. Shinji dared not to turn around as he felt her press into his back.

“Does it hurt…?”

“W-What do you mean?” He asked just as quietly as she did.

Her fingers slid across the bruise on his cheek. As he flinched, he felt her press harder into his back. Shinji, forgetting the declaration he made to himself, turned around and faced Asuka who stared back at him.

No longer were the happy smiles and grins of today adorned on her face. This time her expression and touch was heavy with concern.

“No… it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I should,” she paused as her fingers trailed down to where she kicked him, “I should be saying that.”

Asuka bit on her lip when she felt the dried blood on his arm. It made her sick that she couldn’t even remember where she hit him. From the punches on his face to the scratches on his arm, all of it was done in a blind rage.

At the time it was okay. It was justified since she hated him but, when he entered her room, she wondered if that hate was being directed at the right person. Time spent with him provided the answer she was looking for and, ultimately, she realized that it was not Shinji she hated.

It was herself.

She could blame him for everything but in the end she knew who was really at fault. She knew it all along, but it wasn’t till she laughed with him that she accepted the truth.

Asuka felt them coming and it was the fact that she knew she couldn’t stop them that hurt her the most. In a final effort, she tried to hold them back but they still came forth.

“I… I should be saying that.” She repeated as the tears streaked down her face. As her tears stained his shirt, she knew this was the lowest she could sink.

She buried her face in his chest and cried. With each of her heartbreaking sobs, Shinji was reminded not of the times she insulted or hit him but the times when she smiled.

He was reminded of the time she clapped after he played, he was reminded of the time he forced Unit 01 to reach into the volcano, and he was reminded when he saw her sincerely laugh out loud for the first time in months.

Shinji decided his last stand wasn’t when he entered Asuka’s room as he pressed his lips against hers. It was a soft, teasing brush across on her lips that caused her crying to come to an abrupt end. His hand landed on the side of her face and, almost involuntarily, her lips parted.

This time he could breathe as his tongue shyly made its way into her mouth. Shinji brought his other hand to the back of her neck and she didn’t protest as he continued to extend the second kiss either of the two ever had.

As his tongue explored her mouth in much more detail than she allowed the first time, he noted that she tasted sweet.

‘The syrup…’ Shinji thought as he broke the kiss causing a thin trail of saliva to be the only thing linking their lips. The way she tasted, even if it was because of what she ate, was almost shocking. The bold but sweet taste of syrup perfectly captured how he thought of Asuka. For a moment, he wished that he didn’t put an end to the kiss. Not because of how good it was, simply because it was something they shared with each other and no one else.

Any rational thought that he was about to form was broken as Asuka moved. He watched as she suddenly pulled back the sheets and got out of his bed. Before she could leave, Shinji attempted to explain himself as fast as he could, “I wanted you to stop crying and I…”

He trailed off as the long white tee shirt fell on the bed.

Just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, he turned his head to look at Asuka and quickly turned away as he noticed her shirt wasn’t the only thing that came off. The bra and panties she had on fell on the floor as she made her way back onto the bed, “Shinji…”

Asuka watched him sit up in the bed as she crawled closer to him, “Look at me.” She whispered, the usual edge returning to her voice.

Before she repeated herself, Shinji relented. In the darkness of his room, he could make out her figure as she advanced on him. He could see her breasts sway as she pulled back the cover. Shinji blushed as those very breasts pressed into his chest but, in spite of himself, he turned away again.

“Asuka, what are you doing…?” He questioned her, the blush on his face taking a deeper red as she crawled on top of him.

“What I want to do.” She voiced with a calm, collected whisper in his ear.

Shinji gasped as she started to slide his boxers off. With a gentle tug, the undergarment was sliding down his legs. Before his underwear even met his knees, his manhood was standing fully erect and Asuka focused on it intently.

“Asuka! You don’t have- Ah…” He was quieted as her hand started to rub down his hard shaft.

She leaned forward and looked down at Shinji, “Look at me.” She whispered as her hand worked.

Shinji sat up slightly and rested his back on the headboard of the bed as he looked at the girl on top of him. Now sure that she had both his attention and eyes on her, Asuka smiled as she got in position. She stopped rubbing his dick and slowly got up.

With the soft smile that Shinji was sure he saw on her face, Asuka turned around. The slight squeeze on his penis reminded him where her hand was as she finally came to rest with her back facing him.

Although he didn’t have the slightest idea what she was doing, Shinji, still in shock from the fact that Asuka was even touching him, didn’t dare mutter a word as she hovered above his pelvis.

He found out exactly what was happening when she lowered herself onto his stiff member.

It happened so fast. Instead of lowering herself, it was more like she dropped on top of him. His length in its entirety shot inside her and Asuka quietly whimpered.

Shinji could barely contain himself as she leaned back causing her skin to press into the fabric of his shirt.

Neither of the two moved save the occasional shifting of Asuka. While forcing it in did hurt, she was starting to feel satisfied by the feeling of being filled, “Give me your hand…” She whispered and watched as Shinji did as she wished.

Her hand guided his towards her sex, “R-Rub me right- Yes!”

Shinji carefully rubbed her clitoris and she started to move again. Asuka shifted herself up and back down onto his dick causing another wave of pleasure to course through both of them.

Asuka’s pelvis collided harder with Shinji’s as she picked up her pace. Assisting her not only by providing the friction she desired, he also fell into a rhythm with his partner. Shinji felt like he was dreaming as his dick slipped in and out of her faster and faster with each stroke.

She screamed something in German as he used his dormant hand to squeeze her breast. Fearing he did something wrong, Shinji almost promptly attempted to remove his hand until Asuka placed her hand over his.

The pain associated with having her virginity taken was a distant memory as his penis invaded her at a pace that made her mind go blank. She couldn’t think of anything except the near brutal rubbing at her clit, the rough kneeling of her breast in his hand, and, of course, the way his dick pounded into her. He was taking her in a way no one ever did before and she loving it. She was sure this had to be another fantasy she conjured up while she was sleep or one of the daydreams she had in the bath.

Asuka didn’t even know she moved until the side of her head fell on the bed. Now lying stomach down, she didn’t move as Shinji continued to fuck her brains out. With his hands on the bed providing support, the brown-haired boy drove his dick into her as fast as he possibly could.

She shivered when he hit the right spot at the right time, “I’m… I’m c-coming.”

Her orgasm hit her harder than she assumed it would.

The blissful feeling clouded her mind and all she could concentrate on was the color of his bed sheets. The soft, dull blue was a violent contrast to the sharp feelings of pleasure that surged through her body, “So… good…” She barely got out.

The warm feeling of Shinji’s semen being shot inside her didn’t deter her mood in the least and, as a matter of fact, it added to the overall ecstasy she felt.

With that marking the end of their passion, Asuka felt slightly frustrated that it was over. It was then that the reality of the situation came to her.

She and Shinji just made love.

‘No,’ Asuka thought as she touched the white substance Shinji left on her sex, ‘We just had sex…’

That was right. They knew they didn’t love each other. One day of laughs didn’t make them the best of friends or make them understand each other and fucking him surely wouldn’t make her be able to pilot.

While they could perhaps share better days despite their own problems, it was obvious that this was something they couldn’t partake in given their relationship.

This… This was a line that couldn’t be crossed again.

Suddenly, the bed sheets fell over her nude body and Asuka wearily eyed Shinji who was moving closer to her. With a blush on his face, he stared into her eyes, “Do you mind if I get closer to you?” He asked as he handed her the only pillow.

Asuka clumsily accepted the pillow as she pondered her answer. Brushing her problems and pride aside, she didn’t reply with her trademark smirk or the mocking laugh most people related to her.

She smiled and rubbed at her eye before a tear could fall.

“Please…”

~Fin

Author’s Note: Don’t throw the tomatoes yet. >_<

Compared to the recent chapters, this one is a bit… well really light on the sex but I was intending to focus more on Asuka’s character anyway.

The 15th’s attack left her pretty fragile and I was thinking I could make it work if I set it up right. Still, I don’t think I depicted her mood swings just right (came off as overly emotional too often) but I think I wrapped things up okay at least. It’s all good since Asuka and Rei get two chapters since they are obviously the favorites in most cases.

Shinji was a bit bolder than I usually write him, but I think it came out alright. ~_~

In closing, many thanks for the reviews and support. ^_^