Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Practice ❯ White Knight to C-4 ( Chapter 16 )

“Tadaima!” I call as I walk into the apartment Misato and I share.

“Hey, Shinji.” Misato calls out from the kitchen, a little more slurred than usual.

I begin to worry about Misato. She was a heavy drinker before, but I can count the number of times in the past week where I've seen her without a beer in her hand on one hand, with fingers left over. “You alright?” I ask.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine...” Misato says in a quiet tone.

I've noticed that when Misato is thoroughly drunk, she gets very quiet and introspective. That side of her shows through every so often normally, but it seems to take her over when she gets like this. “You sure?” I say, letting the concern creep into my voice.

“No.” She replies at almost a whisper. I hear the thump of a can of beer hitting the ground, and the fizzle of what's left in the can spilling out.

I walk into the kitchen and blink at the number of empty beer cans that have appeared since I left for school. I count at least seventeen such cans, plus the one still spilling its contents on the floor. I pick up the emptying beer can and set it on the table, then get some paper towels to clean up the slowly advancing pool of liquid.

“amm... fal...” Misato slurs from her position, slumped over the kitchen table.

I blink as I try to decipher the gobbledegook that the Major has just spouted. “Nani?” I ask.

“a'... all m' f'lt...”

I finally translate what she's saying. “It's not your fault.” I say, picking her arm up from where it's dangling and putting it above her head.

That move proves to be futile, as Misato starts to shake her head from its resting place on the table. She barely moves at first, but soon she shakes her head hard enough to knock out a wall from the small castle she had made out of beer cans at one point — complete with, I see falling out of the topmost can, a small flag made from a piece of newspaper impaled on a toothpick.

I pick up the five cans that actually made it onto the floor, including one that fell on my head while I picked up the other four. I look up and Misato has sat up, and is looking at the can castle that she destroyed. “I' all r't'rns t' nothin'... it jus' kee's tumb'lin down tumb'lin down tumb'lin down...” She sings.

She suddenly goes quiet for a few moments. “Whr's th' wh't kn't?” She almost seems ready to cry.

Another sentence I can't translate. “Nani?”

She turns and looks at me, and her eyes light up... well, as much as can be expected for someone in her state. “Y'ur safe!” She says.

“Um, yes, I'm safe.” I say, wondering who Misato thinks I am.

I should probably try to get Misato in bed, let her sleep this off. I think. “Misato?”

“Mm?” She asks.

“It's time for bed, I think.”

“B'd?”

“Yes. Time to go to sleep.”

“O'. B'dtime.”

She tries to get to her feet, but it proves to be somewhat futile. “Hold on, Misato, I'll help you.”

I throw one of her arms around my neck and try to get her to her feet. She can move somewhat, and can support her weight with my help. We walk unsteadily to her bedroom. “Okay, here we are...”

I try and get her to squat down so I can move her into a lying position, but she isn't having any of it. Using strength I didn't know she possessed at the moment, she grabs me by the waist and we both fall onto her futon. “Whooooah!” I say as I fall, trying to put my arms out to break my fall, but they're being pinned by Misato's arms.

I get the wind knocked out of me when I hit the padded ground, but thankfully Misato's aim is good enough to get both our heads to land on the long pillow that takes up one edge of her bed.

I finally open my eyes, and see that Misato is already asleep. I look down... then look right back up. One of Misato's breasts has popped out of her loose yellow top. My face seems to erupt in flames as I blush madly.

I shift, trying to get out of Misato's grip, but as soon as I move, Misato pulls me closer. I sigh, resigning myself to spending the night with her.

I try to close my eyes and get some sleep, but almost as soon as I do I start to hear a light rasping noise. I open one eye and see that Misato has begun to snore. It's going to be a long night... I think, closing my eye again and trying to ignore the saw-like noise that will probably keep me up half the night.

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I begin to wake up slowly, very slowly. My senses slowly come on-line, one by one. First is touch... I seem to be sleeping next to a large, hard object of some sort. I can still feel the effect of the beer I had last night... scanning my brain, I can't remember a thing about what happened. I can't even remember if Shinji got home or not. I wonder if he spent the night at Motowa's... the girl sharing a bed with him is very lucky, indeed.

I open one eye to attempt to identify the object I'm sleeping next to, and immediately regret the way I phrased my last thought. Shinji?! How the hell did he get in my bed?

I open the other eye and look around. My arms are wrapped around his, and he appears to be sleeping peacefully next to me. What the hell did I do last night? I think, beginning to get more and more worried.

I shift slightly, and my eyes go wide as I feel something out of place at my chest. I look down, and see that one of my tits have slipped out of my shirt. Crap, I think, moving the arm that isn't under Shinji to readjust my shirt. Don't tell me I...

Shinji stirs. “Mmngmn...” He mumbles as he slowly regains consciousness.

I watch as he opens an eye, and blinks confusedly at me once before seeming to remember how he got here. “Oh, good morning, Misato. How's your head?” He asks.

“Huh? Fine, fine...”

“You kept me up half the night, you know that?” He says suddenly, and my eyes barely avoid popping out of my head.

“What?!” I exclaim, louder than I should have.

Shinji blinks and rolls onto his back. “You snore.”

I blink, then begin to laugh. “What?” He asks.

“I can't remember anything about last night. The way you said that... I had thought...”

Shinji blinks hard enough to hear about it. “That wasn't my intent. Too bad you can't remember last night, though. I'm still trying to figure out your motive for literally dragging me into bed with you.”

I try to roll onto my back, but I'm stopped by the fact that Shinji's back has my arm under it. “Uh, Shinji? Can I have my arm back?”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Shinji says, doing a half-sit-up to allow me to slide my arm out.

“So what else did I do?” I ask, already dreading the answer.

“Besides drinking what appeared to be twice your normal daily consumption of beer in one sitting? You made a small castle out of the empties, and you were half-passed out when I found you.” Shinji thought for a moment. “You were on number eighteen, dropped it on the floor, I cleaned it up, you knocked over your little castle, and I helped you in here, where you basically gave me a bear hug and fell on your futon.”

“Wow.” I think. I don't think I've ever been that plastered before.

“Anyway, judging from your clock it's almost ten, so I guess it's time for breakfast.”

I nod. “Do we have the stuff for bacon and eggs?”

Shinji gets up. “Oh, and Misato?”

“Yes, Shinji?”

“Don't drink like that again. You scare me when you're like that.” He says, and walks out of the room, leaving me to contemplate what he said.