Costumes & Games

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It had started with little things.

They enjoyed doing things together, shopping included. Hell, after the desperately lonely childhoods they'd both had, they liked being together full stop. Just being constantly around each other, always knowing that someone who loved them was literally within arm's reach was a source of warmth for both of them.

Misato used to gently tease them about it, commenting about 'being joined at the hip in more ways than one', but even she had eventually quieted, ending up slightly envious of how deeply in tune they were, able to have entire conversations without a word.

What broke Misato on that front was one occasion where she'd asked them about going out for dinner and a movie as a double pair with her and Kaji. Shinji had turned to Asuka, sitting beside him on the couch. Without a word, only looks, eyebrows, and small nods or shakes of their heads, they'd gone over the idea. Shinji then turned back to Misato, and told her the movie they'd picked out, and the restaurant they wanted to go to.

Misato had just stared back at them for a minute before declaring, "That was some spooky couple's telepathy, kids."

Shinji had calmly answered, "Alles Teil meines Plans die Welt zu übernehmen und sie meinem Freund vor die Füße zu legen." [All part of my plan to take over the world for Shinji, and lay it at my boyfriend's feet.]

In reply to Misato's confused look and raised finger, Asuka had put in "Yes, she meant what she said. Mwhahaha. And I will back up my girlfriend every inch. Who can resist her red hair and blue eyes? And oh! That body!" And grinned.

That was the point where Misato surrendered on that front.

So they'd go out, shop, just wander... Asuka was more than a bit of a fashion plate, and Shinji never minded getting her things to look good in. She was always more than happy to model them for her. She'd dive into her closet (a secret realm still closed to him, even after 2 years together.) and emerge with dazzling combinations of new tops, old shoes, lacy mysteries to tempt him with later... It was another one of their games.

Games.

They were on a random, leisurely walk through the mall passing a game shop when the next step came along. Shinji didn't even realize at that point how big a step it was, but it ended up becoming one of the biggest. They were passing the shop, Asuka ignoring it and Shinji not sparing it much of a glance, when a familiar voice cried out in victory from inside. "Blood runs, anger wakes, death rises, war calls!"

Asuka stiffened. Shinji stopped, looking at her curiously. She gave him an apologetic glance, then tugged him along behind her by their joined hands.

She plunged right into the back of the store, past models and game books, to where a large table was set up with small buildings, walls, hills... presided over by a smiling Kensuke Aida.

"For Khaine!" the freckled boy cried, and then spent the next 20 minutes finishing wiping out his opponents Ultramarines to the last man. "Take that, filthy Mon-Keighs!" he crowed. He went blank when he looked up and finally noticed his friend and the Red Demon watching from the far side of things, after the defeated boy had collected his blue figures and left in shame. "Oh...hey Shinji. Um... Soryu-san."

"Hi, Kensuke. Um... nice... game? You won?"

"Yeah, my Swooping Hawk Eldar can trounce anyone! Those Mon-Keigh stood no chance!"

"Mon...what?" Shinji blinked.

Beside him, Asuka snorted. "Pff. Like beating some idiot playing Ultrasmurfs is a big deal. The Emperor Protects! I could walk you with 500 points of my Guard Regiment."

Silence. Both boys stared at the German girl like she'd suddenly started speaking in tongues and breathing fire. She stared back at them. "What?"

"AAaaaaa!" Kensuke wailed, and pointed at her in shock.

Asuka slammed a hand over his mouth to stop the shout. "And if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll feed you your Exarch figurine, got it? Until you can beat me in a 1500 point match, you heard nothing."

Asuka whirled and... not fled. No, not fled. The mighty and indomitable Asuka Langley Soryu never fled. So her confused boyfriend merely shared a look with Kensuke, shrugged, and followed her.

Once home, Asuka confessed. Slowly, haltingly, she revealed her deep, dark secret to Shinji, a secret so shameful she'd kept it hidden even this long, afraid to reveal that side of herself to anyone in Japan. It was something she'd packed away in her mound of boxes, hidden away. Slowly, she dug them out, opened them up, and showed him what was inside. Showed him what she really was.

Asuka Langley Soryu was a massive, titanic nerd.

Warhammer 40K books. Figurines. An entire Imperial Guard Regiment, packed in foam-cushioned boxes. Magazines. Models. Manga. SF books. Shinji had boggled at the sheer number of boxes Asuka had piled in the hall when she moved in, but he'd never expected them to have... this.

And then she opened the next box. Costumes. Lots of costumes.

His girlfriend was a cosplayer.

Asuka looked at him, blushing in embarrassment. Then Shinji said the words that made her light up like a searchlight.

"C-can... can I see you in some of them?"

Her smile burst to life. "Yes! I... go sit out in the living room and wait! I'll be right there!" She shooed him out of their room. Not that she had any objections to him seeing her naked anymore, but 'it would ruin the effect!' if he got to watch her change. So out he went.

He sat on the couch, leg bouncing, wondering why she'd felt she had to hide this. Didn't she know by now that there was not even one thing about her he didn't accept, didn't adore? Sure, she kind of still worried a little bit about her status as the 'hottest girl in school', and getting caught out-nerding Kensuke Aida would look funny, but still, she shouldn't have to worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-

His brain stuck.

Sailor Mars stood in the doorway to the hall and struck her iconic pose. "Well?" she asked him. "How do I look?" She swung into a graceful spin on one foot, sending her skirt rippling outward and upward a bit.

Legs legs legs legs legs skirt heels heels legs form-fitting oh gods lookit those legs tiny skirt oh shit I forgot to breathe I should think about that later legs all the way up dat ass dat ass dat ass

"Gleeble. Bwaaaaaahhhhh."

"...Shinji, you're drooling."

"Uh huh," he agreed vaguely. Whatever she said, it was good.

Mars sighed, then grabbed his face, pulling it to hers. One thorough kiss later, she released him gently... then bopped him over the head. "Oi, baka. That means wipe your chin and answer my question."

"Buh..." A dim awareness that the legs skirt gorgeous hot perfect woman in front of him might leave the room if he didn't reply pushed its way to the front of Shinji's brain and kicked the motor into gear. "Y-y-you look... so hot... brain... not working..." There, that was a complete sentence, right? He wiped a hand in the general area of his chin.

She actually blushed. "It... it's kind of tight. I was a bit smaller and um... 'smaller' when I bought this." She looked down at her chest, slightly accusingly.

Shinji's eyes helplessly followed, getting rather lost in watching the smooth white material struggle valiantly to contain his lover's assets, which were a good deal more substantial now than they'd been when they'd first met. "Iz fine..."

She snorted. "Well, that answers that question. So... the wig looks alright and everything?"

"Wig?" he asked blankly. He only just then noticed the long black mane.

Sailor Mars pulled off her hair and was Asuka again. "Your eyes never got north of my boobs, did they?" she asked acerbically. She then deliberately crossed her arms under her breasts and gave them a pointed lift.

"S-sorry? Um... and your legs."

She sat in his lap and raised one leg up high enough that the knee was at face level and her heel well over his head. "These legs?" She ran a hand up one.

"Guh."

She lowered her leg. "Hm... hard to sit in your lap right now. Funny, that. Oh well!" She wiggled just a bit on top of the hardest spot. Shinji whimpered at the heat he could feel through two layers of clothing.

She hopped up out of his lap and walked back towards their room. "Wait right here. I've got more where that came from!" She headed off, perfect model heel-toe-heel-toe walk making her hips move in just that way...

Skirt skirt skirt legs dat ass...

A few minutes later, Lum emerged. Then Noriko Takaya. Then Rias Gremory. Her Lina Inverse was... even better than canon. Certainly 'bigger'. Then came Yoko Littner. At which point Shinj's willpower gave up, handed the wheel to his lizard brain, and signed out for the night. Asuka squealed in amusement and anticipation as Shinji picked her up, tossed her onto his shoulder, and carried her into their room. Loud, repeated combinations of "GOTT!" "JA!" and "SHINJI!" began to emerge shortly, and went on for a while.

Dinner was late that night. Good thing Misato was late coming home too.

And the games began.

Asuka's cosplay stayed a hidden treasure for them alone, but she began wearing even more daring outfits in public. The shortest skirts. The tightest tops. She seemed to revel in her power over his reactions, which he happily and freely gave. She smiled even more now.

Escalation ensued. Finding out-of-the-way corners to exploit for urgent privacy became a sport of its own. They both developed a bit of a taste for sneaking sex when out on the town, whenever Asuka managed to drive him to his limit with teasing glimpses of her body. She took to wearing underwear only as a way to drive him even higher with lust, when she bothered to wear some at all. Guessing that one was a game too.

And at home, she showed him just how many costumes she had, and how good she looked in them. She'd always been happy about the fact that he really looked at her, but now she was almost hypnotic to him, and he made sure she knew it. More than one morning saw Misato giving them mildly dark looks, especially if Kaji was kept out on trips by his work. The end of the Angel War hadn't meant an end to the need for UN Inspectors, after all.

And even if Asuka did grin smugly at Misato, she never got obnoxious about it. Misato couldn't really complain. She made up for it when Kaji came home, and Shinji and Asuka had already long since demonstrated that their relationship was based on far more than just playing 'Who Gets Tired First?'.

Other games went on too. The morning after that first incident in the games shop, a letter was slipped into their mailbox. Addressed to 'The Red Demon', it was a handwritten challenge to battle... written in Eldar. Asuka had merely glanced at it for a minute, before writing a reply, accepting the Eldar Exarch's terms.

And two days later, Kensuke Aida was forced to watch in disbelief as Imperial Guard panzers crushed his Swooping Hawks almost easily. That Asuka had come to the match in a Commissar's uniform, complete with Bolt Pistol and sword, only made it worse. He looked close to tears when she made him call her 'Creed's daughter'. Shinji still had barely any idea what was going on. He had no complaints when after the match, flush with victory, Asuka had gotten them home in record time, gotten them into bed, and then proceeded to show him just how much energy a crushing victory like that gave her. Several times.

Escalation continued. It was not long before Asuka got some more costumes. For him.

"But Asuka, Sword Art Online had terrible writing and a ridiculous plot. You even said so when we watched it."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but the music was great, and the art was pretty. Not every show is going to be as wild and awesome as Children's Crusade was. And don't you want to see me in Asuna's outfit, hmm?"

He opened his mouth, but before willpower could complain about Kirito being an edgelord idiot, lizard brain seized the wheel and said "Yes! I'll wear the black outfit for that! Worth it!"

"Good boy." The smile that ruled his heart.

After a few months, Shinji was amazed by several things: That they'd still never been caught in public 'running Entry Plug simulations', that Asuka kept coming up with new costumes, and that Kensuke Aida, military nerd extraordinaire, still could not beat Asuka in Warhammer 40K.

She'd admit, privately to him only, that she'd been saved at least twice by bullshit luck with the rolls at a point where things could have gone bad, but both times she'd managed to play it off like she'd planned it all along. There was no irony left in Kensuke's voice now when he called her 'Creed's daughter'. Nor was there much spare sweat left in either of them in the now frequent post-battle romps at home. Shinji merely responded by ordering oysters occasionally.

Rangiku Matsumoto was a memorable one. So was Holo the Wise Wolf. And Seras Victoria (she left fang marks on his neck that Misato noticed the next morning). She was Nami at the beach one weekend. Asuna Kagurazaka she did with her own hair. He admitted he wished their regular uniforms looked like that.

Their birthdays were fun. Sometimes Rei would come 'help'. And stay for a few nights.

Time went by. He learned things. He had an entire part of his personal cookbook tabbed in red. Misato noticed it at one point.

"Shin-chan?"

"Mmm?" he said absently, stirring the pot of spiced stew.

"Why are these pages tabbed red?"

He looked over at the page she'd tapped and smiled. "Oh, those are my 'romance' recipes."

Misato smiled back at him. They were such a cute pair. "Aww, you mean Asuka's favorites?"

"Kind of. More like I get so into making them that she jumps me halfway through. I had to make some tough choices; slow cooking meals work best, nothing I have to keep an eye on. Sous-vide has saved so many dinners."

Misato looked thoughtful...and asked to copy a few recipes.

Asuka got clever about ways to get him into couple's outfits. On at least one occasion:

Shinji didn't want to go out. He hated parties. Always too loud, too many people, too close... And a costume party? Meh. He'd rather just-

"Ohhh, Shinji~"

[ arsadeptus / / cpCorsetAsukaFinal. p n g]

He looked up. Asuka was already in her costume. And part way out of her costume. Wow. Um... what had he been doing?

His girlfriend crooked a finger, beckoning. She snapped her hips to the side and struck a pose. "Are you still willing to say you don't want to go to this party?" she said, sultrily.

"Suddenly, I'm very interested. Let me go see what black clothes I've got in my closet right now."

"Good boy," she grinned. "Are you developing a 'cosplay thing', yet?"

He pulled her into his lap and ran his hand up along her hose and under her skirt. "I have an 'Asuka' thing, I think." His hands and face froze when his fingertips found no silk or satin, only heat and growing dampness. "Oh my... are you..."

Asuka grinned like a wolf and leaned into his chest, thrusting her own out at the same time. "Hey, we put a lot of work into all that commando training at NERV. Good to get some use of it, ja?"

"Commando... training?"

They didn't leave that party early. They just snuck off in the middle of it and Asuka showed off more of her commando training. To be fair, they did stealthily manage to avoid the 'guards', even in media res.

More escalation. Asuka began making her own, even more elaborate and custom tailored costumes. A seamstress's dummy appeared in one room of the apartment they moved into together, a few doors down from Misato's. (Misato had needed the extra room once she got Kaji to stand still long enough to start some kids. Asuka was 18 by then, so it wasn't too much trouble to get their own place, especially when NERV still owned the building.)

Asuka's talent with a needle and design was as sharp as her other skills. Shinji was often at a loss from her more daring ones. And Asuka loved watching him react to them.

[ arsadeptus / / cpAsukaDressPost. p n g ]

[ arsadeptus / / cpAsukaUndressPost. p n g ]

One day Asuka left her laptop open to the design program, and a curious Shinji had taken a look at the latest one. It took full advantage of the effects of a tight corset on Asuka's still burgeoning figure. Shinji stared at it, frozen. "Wow..."

Asuka looked over his shoulder. "Oh yeah that one's not ready ye-"

"Don't care get dressed now," he said, voice tight and urgent.

"A-and what's gonna happen when I do?"

"I am going to bend you over your desk and give you my full, honest, and exhaustive opinion on it," he growled, deep and low, that tone that never failed to get her nipples hard.

Asuka swallowed heavily, her pulse visibly beginning to speed up . "W-with follow up review periods?" She rubbed her thighs together, feeling heat starting to build already.

"Yes."

"I like this plan." She began unbuttoning her shirt. It was originally his anyway.

Lunch was very late that day.

Years of this. Well, a couple, at least. Kensuke eventually managed to squeak a victory over Asuka. By that point she no longer minded being 'outed' as a nerd. They were having too much fun to slow down. Both of them were waiting for that one day, anyhow.

That one day.

"Shinji?"

"Mmm?" He didn't look up from his reading. He didn't have to. She was laying on top of him, her own tablet reader on his chest.

"You know what tomorrow is, right?"

He swallowed. "...yes. Tomorrow is December 4th, 2021." He failed to keep the quaver out of his voice.

She nodded, eyes locked on his. "I turn 20."

Gulp. "Y-yes."

"Which means we're both adults under Japanese law."

Another gulp. "Yes."

"We can... get..."

He turned his tablet around to face her, showing the forms already filled out and ready to be filed. "The city office opens at 0800."

Asuka stared at the small pad. "...you sure about-"

"Yes. I want no part of them."

She looked at him. His eyes were perfectly calm, cool, and steady. He was sure. "Then... I've got one more costume to bring out that you haven't seen yet." Laying on top of him, she could easily feel his heart start to race.

"The white one?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "And you've got one more question to ask me."

"Didn't I ask you that one already, five years ago?" he said softly. He took her left hand in his, raising it so it was in between their faces. Gold and diamond sparkled on her ring finger.

"Yes," she said, even softer. "But I like hearing you say it."

He kissed her, smiling. "Should I get in the traditional position?" he asked, his throat tight.

"I don't feel like moving. Do it right here, like this."

"Asuka... I want to stay with you always, and be your husband. Will you marry me and let me be yours?"

She closed her eyes, but damning the tears was futile. "You baka... you always make me cry. Never stop. Yes. Forever yes." She pressed her lips to his.

A good while later, they broke. "Then... I can wait to see that costume," he said gently.

"And I can't wait to kiss my husband... Shinji Soryu."

One last costume... the white one. With just a little blue, a gift from a close friend to both of them.

Lace on the trim, a gossamer-sheer veil, and a rippling silk train that trailed behind her like a banner...

.

Shinji was very sure it was his favorite she'd ever worn.

It started with little things. It ended with the bigger ones.

And the games had hardly begun.