SHINJI MEETS THE AVENGERS

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or The Avengers.

Summary: After the battle with the Third Angel, Shinji is moved into his new apartment, with the Avengers as his guardians and mentors.

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Chapter 3

The Roommates

The Avengers, Shinji and Rei had quickly assembled on the bridge, where they were greeted by the NERV staff and one very aggravated commander.

"Is everything alright, Misato?" Captain America asked.

"Yes, actually. The UN has been informed of your situation. And as a result, they've unanimously decided to incorporate you into NERV." the purple-haired woman said with a smile.

The group looked a little shocked. Though Iron Man had informed them all of his plan, it was still a bit of a shock at hearing it.

"They've agreed to this?" Tigra asked.

"Yes." Misato said.

"All of them?" Living Lightning asked.

"Yes." Misato replied.

"In only a few hours?" Spider Man asked.

"Yes!" Misato repeated.

"All of them did?" Spider Man asked again.

"YES!" Misato shouted, causing the web-slinger to slightly jump.

"Sorry! It's just that... in our world the UN doesn't agree about these things so quickly." Spider Man said.

"I just wonder how they found out so quickly." Ritsuko mused.

Yes. I wonder that as well. Gendo grumbled, trying to figure out which Avenger had informed them.

"Speaking of which... Lieutenant Ibuki!" Misato snapped, as the female tech typed on the console.

Suddenly, the main screen came on, revealing the face of Hans Kohler.

"We're connected, ma'am." the woman said.

"Secretary General Han Kohler, allow me to introduce the Avengers." Misato said.

(Greetings Avengers.) The middle-aged man on the monitor said. (On behalf of the United Nations, I officially welcome you to our world, as well as your assistance in the face of this global crisis.)

"We're glad to be of help, Mr Secretary." Captain America stated. "Though to be honest, we're just lucky we arrived when we did.."

(Some might call it a fortuitous happenstance, Captain. But regardless, if there is anything we at the UN can do to accommodate you and your team here...)

"Actually, there are a couple things." Iron Man said, stepping up to stand next to the star-spangled avenger.

(Such as?)

"While I'm sure you agree that NERV would be a suitable base of operations for The Avengers to operate out of, we will need living quarters in the city itself."

(NERV's commander will provide you with the best possible accommodations within Tokyo-3.) The Secretary said with a smile. (Won't you, commander?)

It took everything Gendo had to keep from frowning and hurling profanities at the man in front of everyone. "Of course, sir." he stated.

(Anything else?) Kohler asked.

"Yes. We'd like official custody of Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit 01." he said, pointing to the boy.

"WHAT?!" Gendo roared, causing everyone to stare. "Why would you want that?"

"The child doth possess extraordinary potential and the Avengers can assuredly nurture that potential better than the man who abandoned him for ten years after his own mother passed on!" Thor declared to the grim man.

(So the rumor was true.) Kohler mused.

"You knew about this?" Tigra asked the Secretary General.

(We knew that Gendo Ikari had a wife and child, but we weren't certain he'd abandoned his own son after his wife had died. Given this, I officially grant full custody of Shinji Ikari to the Avengers team. And given the current crisis, I'm sure the commander won't have time to get reacquainted with his estranged son anytime soon.)

Gendo ground his teeth hard, absolutely infuriated at the loss of influence he would have had over his son. And what was worse, it had been granted to The Avengers without argument or contest.

"Well, gee, why don't you just take Rei as well?" Ritsuko said offhandedly, making Gendo swallow his tongue.

(Rei who?) Kohler asked.

"Rei Ayanami, pilot of Unit 00." Misato said, indicating the blue-haired girl standing next to Shinji.

"COUGH, COUGH!" Gendo shouted, trying to regain his voice.

"Breath, Gendo, breath!" Fuyutsuki said, slapping the man hard on his back.

(What about her parents?) Kohler asked.

"She doesn't have any. That and she lives in an apartment in the Old Industrial Sector." Ritsuko said, ignoring Gendo's coughing and wheezing as an attempt to get her attention.

"WHAT?" Misato gasped. "That place is an absolute dump! The buildings look like they should have been condemned years ago. Even rats wouldn't stay there! Rei, why the hell do you live there?" the woman asked the girl.

"The commander felt it was all I required." Rei answered, also unaware of Gendo trying to get her attention as well.

(Is that so?) Kohler asked/mused as the Avengers all glared at the still wheezing commander. (In that case, I officially award custody of Rei Ayanami to the Avengers.)

Gendo let out a long wheezing gasp as his voice finally returned.

"What... did you... no... I refuse..." he croaked out weakly.

(I'm afraid you can't, commander. Several members of the UN are family men, like myself, and to hear how you've treated your own son, not to mention carelessly endangering the life of one of your other pilots, well... I'm sure you can see why custody should be granted to someone else. And as the Avengers have volunteered, I see no reason to deny them this simple request.)

The veins on Gendo's forehead were throbbing. Any angrier and his head would probably have exploded. Furthermore his fists were clenched so tight, the image of strangling Ritsuko with his bare hands in his mind, that he was actually drawing blood from his palms.

"According to the computer, we've got at least 30 minutes before the Angel is fully functional, so we should be ready to go by then." Iron Man said.

"But the JSSDF haven't given us the go ahead." Makoto said from his console.

"They will, unless their N2 Mine doesn't work." Iron Man said.

He knows about the N2 Mine? Misato wondered to herself. Then she had a thought. Then again, they have been here at NERV for more than six hours. It's possible that they've overheard something.

(Considering the power of this enemy, if the N2 Mine doesn't work, it would be a good idea to prepare your Eva for deployment anyway.) Kohler said.

"We can do that." Misato assured.

(Then I leave this to you, Captain Katsuragi, and the Avengers. Good luck!)

With that Kohler's face vanished from the screen, leaving the Avengers and their new allies to just wait while the military wasted their resources.

"Gendo? Are you alright? You look pale." Fuyutsuki said. He looked down and realized why. "Oh, god! We need to get you medical attention." he said as he pressed the button for the platform to descend into the ground back to the office. "Captain Katsuragi! Take command of the situation!"

"Uh... yes, sir!" the woman replied, slightly surprised as both the Commander and Sub-Commander disappeared into the ground.

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The three generals were waiting patiently in their command bunker, watching their forces pelt the Angel with all their available weaponry, when a fax came in over the wire.

"What is it?" Field General Hiroshi Yamada asked.

"It's a fax from the UN, sir!" the assistant said. "From the Secretary General himself!"

"Let me see that!" Air Chief of Staff Koji Nakamatsu said.

The assistant handed him the paper and Koji read it. A couple minutes later he laughed.

"What's so funny, Koji?" Maritime Chief of Staff Akira Son asked.

"The Secretary General has instated the heroes who were aiding our forces earlier, The Avengers, into NERV, after a request from Gendo Ikari came through that he didn't want them there. What's more it seems as if the pilots of their robots, one of whom is his son, is now a ward of the Avengers. No, wait!" he paused, reading a little bit more. "No, I was right. TWO of NERV's pilots, one being his son and the other being under his guardianship, are now wards of the Avengers."

"Two? Out of how many?" Yamada asked.

"Three. And the third one is still in Germany." Nakamatsu stated.

"HA! Ikari must be shitting kittens!" Son laughed.

"To say the least." Nakamatsu said, then noticing the monitors. "Hey! The Angel is moving!"

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(NERV)

"The Angel is recovered and moving!" Makoto said.

"Destination?" Misato asked.

Here. Iron Man thought.

"Heading straight towards our location!" Makoto said.

Thank you, thank you. Cash up front please. Iron Man grinned underneath his mask.

"The military is acting!" Shigeru shouted.

"Of course they are." Misato sighed as she held her head.

The Avengers just watched the screen as they saw the military planes suddenly evacuate the area, at great haste.

"What are they doing?" Tigra asked.

"Bugging out. That means..." Spider Man started saying.

BOOM!

"The military has just deployed the N2 Mine against the Angel!" Maya shouted, the screen going sheer white and nearly blinding the group.

"And?" Black Panther asked.

"EM-Wave in, 3...2...1..." the female tech said, as...

WHAM!

Their systems were scrambled as their base shook.

"Damage report!" Misato shouted.

"Systems are rebooting automatically!" Makoto shouted.

"Three minutes until all sensors are back on-line." Ritsuko said calmly.

"I think I can help with that." Iron Man said as he stepped up to the console as a mechanical cable shot out of his left arm and plugged into the console.

"What are you doing?" Ritsuko asked the armored avenger.

"Giving your computers an additional processing boost." Iron Man said as HOMER continued to process the reboot systems with greater speed than they had.

Within a minute, the screens were back up.

"Wow." Ritsuko stated in amazement.

"What happened?" Misato asked, staring at the screen, an image coming up to confirm her fear.

"The N2 Mine didn't work. Target is still active!" Maya shouted.

"It'll heal and continue it's advance on NERV." Misato said.

"How much time?" Captain America asked.

"The Mine probably bought us another hour, sir." Maya said. "Two at the most."

"Excellent." Black Widow said as she turned and left the cages, dragging Shinji along.

"Where are you going?" Misato asked the Russian woman.

"To give Shinji some last minute instructions." the redhead said.

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It was two hours later. When the Military saw that their N2 Mine had failed to destroy the Angel, they had immediately turned over the operation to NERV. Since then, the redheaded Russian had been drilling Shinji on the basics of first hand combat against the Angel when it eventually healed itself and continued it's advance.

With more prep-time, both NERV and the Avengers were able to get the boy fully prepared and trained in combat and weapons.

"Shinji, are you ready to launch?" Misato asked.

(Ready Misato!) Shinji shouted from the Eva.

"Back-up team is already in place." Captain America said.

"EVANGELION LAUNCH!" Misato shouted.

The purple robot was catapulted up towards the deserted city streets of Tokyo-3, where Thor, Ms Marvel and Living Lightning were already waiting.

(This is Team One to Base. Shinji's arrived.) Ms Marvel said through her communicator.

"Understood Team One." Captain America replied through his communicator.

Shinji regained his focus from the intense rush he had just felt after being catapulted through the air and tremendous velocity. His eyesight focused on the cityscape before him, but noticed nothing out of the unusual.

"Alright, Shinji, just focus. Satellite surveillance puts the Angel two minutes from your position." Misato said.

"Shinji, the second you see the Angel, advance! Don't give it a chance to locate any weakness or raise it's AT-Field to defend itself." Black Widow stated.

(Yes, ma'am!)

"Excuse me, but who's running this show?" Misato snapped at the Russian woman.

"You may be the Operations Director, but I've had more personal experience in training the boy in preparation for warfare." Black Widow stated.

Suddenly, the Angel lumbered into the city, and full view of Eva Unit 01.

"SHINJI ATTACK!" Misato and Black Widow shouted in unison. "STOP DOING THAT! NO I WON'T! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!"

"Reminds me of an episode of 'Charmed'." Spider Man stated as the two woman glared at each other.

"Before or after Prue's death?'" Tigra asked.

While the two women continued to argue, Shinji had thrown Unit 01 into the air and body slammed the Third Angel into the ground.

He then began pounding on the Angel's face and body, only to get knocked off by a powerful swing of it's arm. Shinji rolled with the punch and rose up on his feet to face the Angel.

By this time, Captain America had to forcibly separate the two women before they came to blows with each other. Shinji on the other hand had launched himself again at the Angel, only to hit a bright orange and yellow wall.

"Shinji! Listen to me! Keep yourself out of the Angels reach and keep using your own AT-Field in order to negate it's own defenses." Black Widow said in Russian.

"What is she doing?" Misato asked in confusion.

"Helping Shinji." Captain America explained.

"How can she do that? Shinji can't understand Russian."

(Understood, Ms Widow.) Shinji replied, in Russian.

"Actually he can." Spider Man grinned as he noticed Misato's shocked expression.

Gendo also looked concerned. He can speak Russian?

Eva 01 broke through the AT-Field and tackled the Angel. Suddenly, a new voice came over the communication wire.

(Ms Marvel to NERV! We've got a civilian out here!) Ms Marvel shouted as she flew down towards the girl.

"Damn it! Shinji! Fall To Your Left!" Black Widow shouted.

"Alright!" the boy shouted as he jammed the controls hard, taking Eva 01 and the Angel turning to the left while Ms Marvel quickly flew down and scooped up the girl, flying at high speed towards the nearest shelter.

"Whew!" Spider Man gasped, wiping his brow of imaginary sweat.

"Marvel, get the girl out of there! Lightning! Thor! Scan the city and make sure there are no other civilians in the area!" Captain America shouted through his communicator.

(RIGHT!) The three Avengers shouted.

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(OUTSIDE IN TOKYO-3)

"Are you alright, my dear?" Ms Marvel asked the girl.

"Yes. But... who are you?" the girl asked.

"You can call me Ms Marvel. I'm an Avenger." the blond woman smiled as she continued to fly.

"I'm Mari. Mari Suzuhara." the girl said as they arrived at the nearest shelter, guided there by Captain America, who was directed by Maya.

Shinji punched the controls to roll his Eva onto it's back, pushing up to toss the Angel off of him and onto its face. The Angel got back up and tried to strike Shinji down with his arm lance, only to have Shinji dodge at the last second as he pulled his knife.

(Shinji! We're sending up a pulse rifle! Try to get it!) Misato shouted.

"Understood!" Shinji shouted as he did his best to block the Angel's lance with his knife, which only served to knock the lance off-course from his chest and into his arm. "AAAAAHHHHH!!" he shouted.

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(BACK INSIDE NERV)

"What's wrong?" Captain America asked, hearing Shinji scream.

"The Angel's weapon has pierced the Eva's left shoulder!" Maya shouted.

"The bio-feedback is causing Shinji pain as well!" Ritsuko shouted.

"Shinji! Relax! It's not your real shoulder! It's just Phantom Pain!" Misato shouted at the boy.

"This is such a stupid weapon!" Black Widow grumbled. "When it gets struck the pilots feel it."

"Yes, but it's the best way to maximize the Eva's potential." Ritsuko explained.

"And traumatize the pilot at the same time." Cap stated.

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(OUTSIDE IN TOKYO-3)

Shinji fought against the pain, remembering what Black Widow had told him, and grabbed the rifle from the weapons-building that he had been impaled right next to. Grabbing it with his right hand, he hoisted it right up against the Angel's chest, aiming specifically at it's core.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Shinji shouted as he pulled the trigger and opened fire, striking at the Angel's chest and red core.

However, the cores destruction didn't come. As he started firing, the Angel leapt forward and wrapped around the Eva as the red sphere glowed and then exploded.

The whole of NERV shook and rattled as a giant bright white cross-flare lite up the night, enveloping several empty buildings and Unit 01 itself.

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(NERV HOSPITAL, FIVE HOURS LATER)

"How's Shinji doing?" Captain America asked as he entered the hospital room.

"Still asleep." Scarlet Witch said as she sat next to Shinji's bed. On the other side of the bed, Cap noticed the blue-haired girl, Rei Ayanami, sitting in a chair with her head down on the bed, her hand clutching Shinji's. That made Cap smile.

"Will he be alright?" the super soldier asked.

"It's a miracle he wasn't killed when that creature self-destructed. I've done everything I could, but he still needs rest." the Scarlet Witch replied. "How is everything else?"

"The city's still being repaired, but it's coming along. Tony, T'Challa, and Peter have helped get the Eva and most of the major systems up and repaired. Carol and Thor are helping with the heavy lifting to get the major equipment in place quicker. And Greer, Natasha and Miguel are getting our new apartment in order for us to move in to." Cap said.

"Peter." Wanda mused. "I still can't believe Spider Man trusted us enough with his secret."

"Well, he trusted a few of us, but since we're stuck here in an alternate dimension, he felt that was enough to entrust his secret to all of us." Steve said. "Especially since we're going to be living with each other now."

"I'm curious to see our new apartment." Wanda smiled.

"I'm heading over there after my meeting with Captain Katsuragi." he said, turning to go out. "Once Shinji wakes up you can bring both him and Rei over."

"Alright Steve." the woman said as the super soldier walked out.

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Approximately the same time, another meeting was taking place.

"WHY AKAGI?!" Gendo roared at the blond woman in the large confines of his office. "WHY DID YOU HAND OVER REI TO THOSE COSTUMED BUFFOONS?!" he shouted and fumed. "YOU KNOW HOW ESSENTIAL SHE IS TO OUR PLANS!!"

Your plans, not mine. She thought before answering. "She isn't that essential. Not anymore."

"What are you talking about you bitch?!" he hissed.

She sighed in frustration and anger at those words. He's still upset that Unit 01 hasn't woken up yet. "You didn't read the report, did you?"

"Report? What report?" he snapped.

Ritsuko looked at the report that was sitting on the corner of Gendo's desk.

"The report about my findings of Rei's genetics." she answered.

Gendo grabbed the file and opened it. He quickly scanned the file and gasped at what he was reading.

"You... you mean..." he started to say, shock in his eyes.

"Yes. Somehow Rei's DNA has changed, completely. While she still has her physical appearance, her body no longer contains DNA traces of either Lilith... or Yui Ikari." Ritsuko said, mentally smiling as she said that.

"How... is this possible?" Gendo asked.

"I don't know. But I suspect it happened when she was miraculously healed by the Scarlet Witch."

"You mean that... witch... healed Rei and altered her DNA at the same time?"

"Yes. If this is actual magic, like the Avengers suggest, then it would be the only logical answer to how this was even possible."

"Magic as a logical answer?" Gendo glared at the woman. "Tell me what happened."

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FLASHBACK (Dr Akagi's Lab, Two Hours Into Shinji's Training with Unit 01)

"So, how are you feeling Rei?" the faux-blond asked the blue-haired albino. Not that she really cared, mind you, but she had to ask.

"Actually, I feel quite wonderful, Dr Akagi." Rei said with a relaxed expression.

Ritsuko cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Wonderful?" she asked. Who slipped her the Prozac? She thought.

The machines in Ritsuko's lab were running the standard blood and DNA testing on Rei's blood, the blue-haired girl just sitting in the office, somewhat anxious. Suddenly, the computer flashed with the preliminary results.

What the... this can't be right! Can it? She gasped at the screen. "Uh, Rei?"

"Yes, Dr Akagi?"

"How have you felt? I mean... you were pretty injured only a couple hours ago, and yet you seem perfectly healthy now. Did anything unusual happen lately?" she gasped as she punched in the commands for another test.

"That woman in the red outfit, the Scarlet Witch, used her powers to heal me. Other than that... the only thing that happened was... I blushed when Shinji-kun held me."

He HELD her? She gasped, then remembered the incident in the Eva cages. Right he did. But still...

"Dr Akagi?" Rei asked, curious about the gasp.

"Uh... he held you?" Ritsuko asked, trying to get back on topic.

"Yes. He caught me after we got knocked off of the gurney." she said, blushing as she remembered.

"Right. I was there. He saved you." Ritsuko nodded.

"Yes. I... I blushed and thanked him for saving me."

Hmm. Interesting. She blushes and thanks Shinji, a boy she doesn't even know, yet somehow she responds to him right away. Very interesting. "Rei... have you ever... blushed around any other boy before? Anyone the same age as Shinji... like anyone from school perhaps?"

"I don't think so." Rei said. "No. I never have." she reevaluated her answer.

"Interesting." Ritsuko mused.

"Is that... unusual? I mean... girls blush around cute boys, right?" Rei said.

Now she's calling him cute? This is seriously creeping me out. "Normal girls, yes. But you..." she started to say, when the machine beeped. Ritsuko tore the paper out of the machine and looked at it. "are normal!" she gasped as she finished reading the paper.

"Really?" Rei gasped.

"According to this... you're completely human!"

Then Rei did something that caused Ritsuko to do a double take.

She smiled.

END FLASHBACK

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"The DNA test came back completely negative?" Fuyutsuki asked, stunned and surprised.

"Yes. Rei's genetics do not correspond to either Yui Ikari's... or Lilith's Angelic DNA." Ritsuko stated.

"And what does this mean for the scenario?" Gendo growled.

"At worst...it could mean that the scenario will not work." Ritsuko answered.

If looks could kill, Ritsuko would have been atomized.

"So... Rei has no more value as a pilot?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that... the Rei Ayanami that is active and moving around... is not the hybrid clone we created." Ritsuko stated.

"So she is of no further use to us." Gendo grumbled.

"Yes. So giving her to the Avengers as a ward means that we lose nothing at all." Ritsuko said.

"What of the other clones?"

"Well, without Rei, they will probably be of little use for anything other than the Dummy Plug. Especially since Rei is still alive but no longer a hybrid clone."

Gendo grunted. "Fine. You are dismissed." he said through his teeth.

Ritsuko nodded and left.

"Fuyutsuki, you can leave as well."

"Understood." the older man said.

Once both of them were gone, the grim looking man clenched his hands into fists. Everything was going to hell around him.

First, nearly a dozen superheroes from an alternate dimension had arrived and battled the Angel, screwing up their timetable for the Angel to arrive at NERV and battle Unit 01. It had actually given them more time to prepare, rather than use Shinji at the last second to pilot his robot.

Second, these heroes had given his estranged son encouragement and support, which had made him psychologically stronger.

Third, his little doll Rei, who was essential to his plans to control Third Impact, was no longer useful since she was no long half-Angel. And what's more he had just learned that she was no longer part of his wife anymore either.

Fourth, because of Shinji's newfound strength, his fight with the Angel had failed to awaken Yui. There was no weakness or psychological dependency needed to force the mother to protect the son, said son defeating the Angel on his own.

And lastly, these Avengers had approval from the UN to be an official thorn in his sides for as long as they were here.

SEELE is going to have my head for all this! Gendo groaned as the small light on the underside of his desk blinked and beeped, signaling SEELE's call to him.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Not that I'm opposed to having you and the Avengers here to help us out, Captain..." Misato said as the star-spangled Avenger sat across from her.

"Steve." he interrupted.

"Pardon?"

"My name is Steve Rogers." he said, removing his mask to reveal his blond hair and blue eyes.

"Ok. Steve." she smiled, noting how handsome he actually was, then resumed her speech. "As I was saying, I don't mind having you and the Avengers here. Heck, you guys are a god-send, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to be your liaison to the UN."

"Our what?" he asked, confused.

"You didn't know? I got this fax two hours ago." she said, handing him the white piece of paper.

"Hmm. 'To Misato Katsuragi. Because of your position in NERV, it has been decided that you are the appropriate choice to become the UN's liaison to Captain America and the Avengers.' Really? I'm impressed. Sounds like an important responsibility." Steve exclaimed.

"It's good and all, I just don't think I'm the right person for it." she stated again.

"Doesn't seem like you have much choice."

"Not really. Though the extra incentives are a perk." she grinned.

"Extra incentives?" he asked, looking at the paper again. Right under the lines he had read previous, he noted the part where she would be compensated for this additional duty, which was twice her normal pay for NERV. It was like getting a second paycheck just for keeping an eye on a bunch of costumed heroes. "And you'll have access to the UN files and computer records, not to mention to the ambassadors and representatives of the countries the Avengers are representing."

"I'm supposed to inform each of them of anything that happens in regards to you and your team. Like the African ambassador of anything that happens to the Black Panther. Or the Chinese ambassador of anything that happens to Tigra. The Canadian ambassador of anything that happens to Spider Man and so forth."

"You don't sound thrilled about that."

"I'm the operations director for NERV. Not a spy or an informant."

Steve rubbed his chin as he posed in thought for a minute.

"Well then... I think I know a way to make things easier for you." he smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(AVENGERS APARTMENT, BLUE SECTOR, EARLY EVENING)

Shinji stared out over the cityscape of Tokyo-3, leaning over the balcony railing as Wanda came out.

"We've got everything moved in. Your things have been placed in your room, Shinji-kun." she said to the boy, dressed now in casual clothes.

"Thank you, Wanda-san." Shinji smiled.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I think so. I just... can't believe that I..."

"Saved this city?"

And nearly got blown up doing it. "Yes."

"You did. You should be proud of that Shinji. Most teenagers wouldn't be up to the challenge."

"If you and the others hadn't been here, I probably wouldn't have even survived." he said with a smile.

"I think you would have." she smiled back.

"Hey you two!" Tigra called out to the pair. "Misato and the others are here! Let's get this house warming started!"

Shinji and Wanda looked back and grinned.

"Is Ms Greer what people call a... party animal?" Shinji asked.

"Only when she goes feral." Wanda said as she escorted the boy back inside.

The Avengers had managed to get the top two floors of one of Tokyo-3's newest apartment buildings as their new residence/headquarters. It was equipt with everything from their own personal rooms, to kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, work rooms, even a large workshop area where Iron Man and the others could build the gear they needed to continue battling against the forces of evil.

Though that was an exaggeration, as there were no supervillains in this world, The Avengers were experienced enough to know that just because there weren't any now, didn't mean they wouldn't show up later.

But for now, the team had gotten settled in to their new apartment and were throwing a necessary housewarming party for themselves and the NERV crew. The list of which included Misato, Ritsuko, Maya, Shigeru, Makoto, Fuyutsuki and any other NERV employee that wished to attend.

Gendo did not show up.

During the party, The Avengers and the NERV crew got to know each other better.

Ritsuko was actually surprised that the man behind the red and gold armor, Tony Stark, was as handsome as he was intelligent. Fuyutsuki found the American man, Steve Rogers, to be as old-fashioned as himself. He was rather shocked to find out that he had been frozen in a block of ice for several decades before the Avengers found and rescued him. The Bridge Bunnies had never met an African man, T'Challa, or a Spanish/Mexican, Miguel, nor had they ever met a God before, Thor. And to be honest, it was amazing how human said god seemed.

Peter was playing up his Canadian-heritage as best he could, which was effective since none of the NERV crew had ever met anyone from Canada. Greer was also doing her best to make everyone believe she was of Chinese descent, not a hard thing now that she spoke fluent Chinese now. She was currently flirting with the long-haired tech called Shigeru.

Carol was retelling her story of how she had saved that young girl who got out of the shelter, and how she had reamed her older brother who had taken his eyes off her for only a minute. She was sure he was close to pissing his pants in front of everyone in the shelter.

Wanda and Maya were having a nice conversation about life in Tokyo-3 and what there was to do. Maya was also interested in Wanda's magical powers, wondering if she did any kind of spells, like an old television show she used to watch about three witch sisters.

Steve had managed to pull Misato away from Natasha before they got into another argument, the pair talking about how the purple-haired woman was going to handle her new living quarters.

"I still can't believe you want me to move in with you." Misato said. "We're not even dating." she teased as she drank her Yebisu.

"I can't believe you said yes right away, without thinking about it." Steve grinned. And it's not like I'm against the dating thing.

"Well, it's not like I get this chance everyday. To live with a bunch of superheroes, and the teenage pilots who are going to be protecting the world." she said, thrusting another beer into his hands.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" he asked.

"Maybe." she smirked. "It's a party, right? We just had a major victory, we should celebrate."

Steve looked down as a penguin with red hair on his head waddled past them. The strange thing was, it was holding a beer can too.

Too bad I can't get drunk. Steve thought as he watched the penguin walk back into the living room. Would have made that seem a little less strange. He thought as he popped open the can and started drinking along with the female Captain.

While everyone was inside just talking and having a good time, Shinji found himself out on the balcony once again. He smiled at the group inside just enjoying themselves.

"Shinji-kun?" a soft voice suddenly spoke.

"Oh. Rei-chan!" Shinji smiled as he turned around to see the blue-haired girl standing in the doorway to the balcony. "Uh... how's your room?"

"It is much nicer than my old apartment. Larger too."

"Did you enjoy your shopping time with Wanda and Carol?"

"Yes. They bought me a lot of new outfits." she said, drawing her hand over her newest outfit, a blue sleeveless sundress that stopped half-way to her knees.

Shinji blushed at how pretty she looked.

"You... it looks good on you." he smiled.

"Thank you." she said, joining him by the rail.

The pair were silent as they just stood by the railing, the music and party still going on inside. Shinji finally spoke when he felt Rei's arms wrap around his arm, her head leaning on his shoulder.

"Rei-chan?"

"I was so worried for you, Shinji-kun!" she gasped out.

"Really?"

"I... when the Angel exploded, I thought I had lost you." she sobbed.

Lost me? He gasped. She says that like... "Rei... I'm fine. I just..."

She lunged forward and enveloped the boy in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his chest, burying her face in his neck. Shinji gasped as she did that, his own arms wrapping around her soft skin and body.

"I don't want to lose you, Shinji-kun!" she cried. "Not now, not when I... I never... never..."

"Never what, Rei?"

"I've never been this close to a boy before. Any boy. I don't understand why I feel like this... towards you." she said, pulling her head back to look into his eyes. "No. I do know."

He stared into her eyes, seeing what she felt.

"You can feel it too." he said softly. "Our connection."

"Yes." she said softly. "I don't know how, or why. I don't care. I just know... I want to be with you."

A sudden breeze whipped across the balcony, causing their hair to flutter gently.

The moonlight peered out from behind the clouds and shone on them, bathing the pair in a soft glow as heat rushed into their cheeks.

From the balcony door, four eyes watched as the two teenagers leaned in and softly pressed their lips against the other.

"Should we do anything about this?" Peter asked his companion.

"No. I think this will be good for them as well." Wanda said as she lead, more like pushed, the web-slinger back into the apartment.

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Author's Notes:

To be honest, when I first wrote this story, I wasn't planning on having everything move so fast. As I was writing, it just kinda happened.

The Avengers getting approved by The UN so quickly; the Avengers getting custody of Shinji AND Rei; Steve and Misato getting together so quickly; the Avengers revealing their identities to the NERV crew; Gendo getting screwed so badly.

Also, in case you, the reader, haven't realized or suspected, there are multiple pairings here.

Shinji-Rei, Steve-Misato, Tony-Ritsuko. (These are actually intentional)

Other pairings I have yet to determine which ones would be compatible.

And yes, I have made Rei completely human now. Thanks to the Scarlet Witch she no longer has any DNA from either Lilith or Yui Ikari, so there is no chance of any kind of incest between the two.

Anything else I have missed, I apologize, so leave me a review and just enjoy.