Author's Note: Well, this is my first go at an Eva fanfic and also my first go at a oneshot/fluff story, so please be kind. This is an AU fic, where Third Impact was avoided and Shinji and Misato are living together. I'd also like to say that I came up with the idea of this fic while I was at work on third shift, while I was bored out of my skull. And that I wrote the middle part first and the rest afterwards, so if it reads weird, I'm sorry. Finally, I didn't do a real thorough edit, so if there are any glaringly obvious mistakes, my bad :X
Disclaimers: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. I also don't own the lyrics to the song "Love's Holiday", by Earth, Wind, & Fire. That being said, here is the fic, Would You Mind.
The sun came up over the horizon and all of Tokyo-3 was awash in rays of gold. Shinji Ikari, former pilot of Evangelion Unit 01, pushed the curtains in the apartment he shared with a Miss Misato Katsuragi aside to let the sun's light in. He pushed aside the window and, leaning against the window sill, gazed out across the landscape. It had been quite a while since Third Impact had been narrowly avoided, with most of the credit due to Shinji himself. Almost a year... Shinji thought to himself. Almost a year, and here Shinji still found himself, residing with Misato even though he could have left at any time.
Thinking back, Shinji realized that he wasn't merely content to stay in Tokyo-3. He was happy. Happiness, an emotion he seldom felt sincerely. He was happy to be alive, happy to be finished with fighting Angels, happy not worrying about what his father thought, happy that he could finally begin living a some-what normal lifestyle.
Most of all, he was happy living with Misato.
He couldn't really pinpoint when it happened, but somewhere along the course of things, Shinji began to feel more and more affection towards Misato. He stopped thinking of her as a guardian and more as a person he could really begin to love. So Shinji stayed and, like he always had, he took care of the apartment; cleaning up, cooking meals, doing laundry, and the list went on. Instead of leaving, Shinji had stayed with Misato because he wanted to make her happy. She had done so much for him, ever since that first day they met. Shinji had decided he wanted to make Misato happy and that he wanted to be happy with her.
A loud yawn from the hallway brought Shinji out of his reflections, and he turned his head to see the purple headed beauty shuffling out of her room and into the dining room. Scratching her bare stomach, Misato slowly looked around the apartment and stopped when she saw Shinji at the window.
"Good morning, Misato," Shinji greeted.
"'Mornin' Shinji," she answered, another yawn escaping her. Shinji grinned and headed into the kitchen.
"Come on, Misato-chan, breakfast is almost ready," he informed her, pulling out a chair for her in the dining room. Misato, still waking up, nodded and sat down. "Want a beer?" Shinji asked, opening the fridge. Misato seemed to brighten up.
"Ah, you read my mind, Shinji-kun!" she answered, Shinji placing a can of Yebisu in front of her. He turned, and seeing that the food was done, began piling all the eggs and sausage onto a plate, finally setting it down on the table. He glanced up at Misato and saw that she had just finished downing her beer. She slammed the empty can on the table top, a large grin on her face. "Ahhh, that really hit the spot!" she declared, a small burp escaping her throat. "Nothing like a good beer in the morning!"
Shinji stared at her, a smile on his face. Misato looked up.
"Well, Shinji-kun, you seem to be happy today," she told him.
"Yeah, well, I'm in a good mood," he answered, still staring at Misato. Inside his head, a plan was forming, a risky plan that Shinji wouldn't have normally considered. Having reflected on things earlier, Shinji found confidence in himself that he hadn't had before... not before he had met Misato. Like a flash of lightning, Shinji knew what he wanted to do. What he had to do. Now or never he instructed himself. He knelt down in the chair beside Misato, still keeping his eyes on her, his smile turned into a small grin. Misato's own smile began to fade.
'Shinji?" she asked. Shinji inched forward until he was right in front of Misato.
"Would you mind," Shinji said. Misato blinked, seeing how close he had gotten to her.
"Wh... what?" she questioned, a small blush beginning to creep across her face. Shinji grinned.
"Would you mind," he said again, " if I touched, if I kiss, if I held you tight," he said, and suddenly wrapped Misato in his arms, "in the morning light?"
"Sh- Shinji!" Misato stuttered, shocked at how forward he was being. He had never been like this before.
"Would you mind," Shinji repeated, leaning in closer to Misato, "if I stared into your eyes until I'm hypnotized?" Shinji was indeed staring into Misato's eyes. Her blush deepened. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. "Would you mind," he said once more, his voice just above a whisper, his face merely inches from Misato's, "if I made love to you until I'm satisfied?"
Misato's breath caught in her throat. Is he serious?! Misato screamed to herself. "Shinji..." she whispered, but was soon cut off by Shinji's lips pressing against her own. Internally, Misato was screaming out to stop him but instead, she returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of Shinji's neck.
After a few moments, the two slowly separated a few inches. Opening her eyes, Misato saw Shinji staring into hers. "Shinji..." she whispered. "W- why?" she asked.
"I love you," he simply answered. Surprise ran through Misato.
"Y- you mean...?" Misato started.
"I love you, Misato Katsuragi," Shinji said. "I love you and I want you to know that. I... I want to make you happy, Misato-chan." A sad smile spread across Shinji's face. "I want to be happy with you, from now on, until I die. I want to be with you everyday for the rest of our lives." He looked down. "I know it sounds cheesy, but I..." he looked back up at her. "I really love you Misato, with all I have." Misato felt her eyes begin to water up.
"Shinji... I... we can't," she said. "I'm way too old for--"
"I'm not a child anymore, Misato," Shinji interupted. "I stopped being a child a long time ago..." Misato stared at him for a few silent moments.
"Then, you really don't care that I'm an old hag?" she asked, fear and hope creeping into her voice. Shinji blinked in surprise.
"Misato," he began. "You're not and old hag. You are the most beautiful woman in the world." Internally, Shinji cringed at how sappy he sounded. But Misato brightened up and sank her head into Shinji's chest. After a few minutes of content cuddling, Misato broke the silence.
"So I guess now, we just take it one day at a time," she said softly, her head on Shinji's shoulder. Rubbing her back, Shinji nodded.
"Yeah," he answered. "One day at a time."
END
A/N: Yeah, got the idea for this while listening to Love's Holiday by Earth, Wind & Fire. The whole "would you mind..." bit is from the song. Please R&R!