Simmer
By Kumorigoe
***
Shinji Ikari was having a fairly good day. There had been no Angel attacks, school had come and gone for the day, and the teacher, as usual, hadn't noticed that the entire class, including Hikari, had slept through his oft-recited Second Impact lecture. In fact, there was very little that could go wrong at this point.
"SHINJI!"
Scratch that.
The young man in question winced at at the tone of the voice bellowing his name from the bathroom. Asuka Langley Soryu used this tone exclusively with him, it seemed. And it was never a good thing.
"Y-yes, Asuka?"
It was a good thing that Shinji was in the kitchen at the moment, because the sight of a towel-clad Asuka would have only served to instigate a massive nosebleed. The German firecracker glanced at the couch, where she had left her newly-purchased bottle of shampoo. Glancing towards the kitchen, she knew that she would never be able to get to it without Shinji catching a glimpse of her.
"Shinji, could you get me the bottle of shampoo on the couch, and leave it outside the bathroom? I don't want to give you a heart attack or anything by getting it myself."
Shinji began to turn red. "O-ok."
He waited until he heard the door close, announcing the fact that Asuka was safely behind the door, before venturing into the living room. He immediately spied the bottle on the couch, and picked it up, reading the lable. It was a expensive brand, the scent of green tea. Curious, he opened the bottle for an experimental sniff.
"Is there a problem out there?"
Nearly dropping the bottle, he answered the redhead. "No, just wondering about the scent, that's all."
Not wishing to agitate her further, he left the bottle in the prescribed area, before retreating back into the kitchen to start on dinner.
***
Asuka stood under the hot water, working the shampoo into her hair. The smell of green tea slowly permeated the air, soothing her. She had been tempted to try this brand after Hikari told her about it, wondering is the scent would have the same effects for her as it apparently did for Hikari. Standing there, the smell calming her normally firey attitude, she had to agree that it did.
She vaguely wondered why Shinji took an interest. Of course she was the best looking girl in Tokyo-3, but she wouldn't expect him to actually show any interest in her, for fear of her killing him. Maybe he was growing up a little, perhaps even developing a spine.
She dismissed this thought, deciding that all the hot water and the scent of green tea must be affecting her thinking. Turning the shower off, she stepped out, dressing for dinner.
***
Shinji stood in the kitchen, surveying his domain. The ingredients were laid out, ready to be transformed into a meal. For this evening, he had chosen an Italian dish, tiring of fixing ramen and miso soup constantly.
Getting out a saucepan, he started on the alfredo sauce first, since the noodles wouldn't take as long to prepare. First, he put in the butter, keeping the heat low so as not to burn it, but just to melt it. While keeping an eye on this, he put the heavy cream and egg whites into a mixing bowl, whipping them into a froth with the wire whisk. When the consistency was right, he added it to the butter, blending them until smooth. Then came the parmmesian cheese, already grated. He was careful not to add too much, or the flavor would be too strong.
Setting the sauce to simmer, he then went to the noodles, putting them into a large pot with plenty of water to boil. He didn't want them to stick to the pan, so he added a bit of butter and a pinch of salt.
Having finished the hard part, he sat back to watch over the stove. He wasn't sure why, but cooking was a stress relief for him. It didn't require him to pilot, didn't make him feel guilt over a mistake, or a death. It was good for it's own sake.
He didn't notice Asuka standing behind him, watching his every move. She had dressed, smelling something positively heavenly coming from the kitchen. Observing his skill in the culinary arts caused her normally caustic opening comment to die a quick death. He seemed so...confident. The shyness, the aloofness, none of that was present when he cooked. It was as if a completely different person took over. "Shinji?"
The young man jumped, nearly knocking over a glass. "Don't DO that to me, you scared the hell out of me!"
Turning, he saw Asuka standing there, a somewhat slack-jawed expression on her face. "What?"
"You...you didn't apologize..."
Shinji opened his mouth to argue, when he realized she was right. Normally, he would apologize to a lamppost, if he thought he'd offended it. But he'd just...yelled...at Asuka.
More to the point, he'd yelled at Asuka, the "Red Headed Devil" Soryu, and lived.
Something was definitely strange here.
The sound of a lid clattering on an overflowing pot brought him back to his senses. Shinji turned, taking the top from the pot with the noodles, preventing the water from boiling over. Asuka watched this with a bemused expression on her face. There was something about Shinji actually showing some spine by yelling at her that she found...attractive.
Shinji turned the burner down, the noodles weren't quite done yet. Replacing the lid, he turned back to the redhead, to find her with a predatory smile on her face. This sent a pang of fear through his body, as he remembered what had transpired last time she had worn that expression. He could practically feel his nose being squeezed shut as her lips-
"Hello?"
Hearing her speak snapped him out of his reviere. "What?" he snapped. She had interrupted him at his favorite part.
Asuka gaped. He'd yelled at her twice, now. Oh yes, she liked this Ikari much better than the usual whiny, weak, wussy Shinji she was used to dealing with. "Whatever this is, it smells great, so you better hurry up with it, or I might get...bored...again."
With that, she turned on her heel, and strode from the kitchen, leaving a speechless Shinji staring after her.
***
A/N
I've been wanting to write my own Evangelion fic for a while now, and the idea struck me after Strike Fiss mentioned doing a "Tokyo-3 Iron Chef" fic. Thanks to him for the idea. Also, mad props go out to the crew at #fanfics, www.writeordie.org, and Corvus in particular, for helping to clear up some issues about this work. Thank you all!
By Kumorigoe
***
Shinji Ikari was having a fairly good day. There had been no Angel attacks, school had come and gone for the day, and the teacher, as usual, hadn't noticed that the entire class, including Hikari, had slept through his oft-recited Second Impact lecture. In fact, there was very little that could go wrong at this point.
"SHINJI!"
Scratch that.
The young man in question winced at at the tone of the voice bellowing his name from the bathroom. Asuka Langley Soryu used this tone exclusively with him, it seemed. And it was never a good thing.
"Y-yes, Asuka?"
It was a good thing that Shinji was in the kitchen at the moment, because the sight of a towel-clad Asuka would have only served to instigate a massive nosebleed. The German firecracker glanced at the couch, where she had left her newly-purchased bottle of shampoo. Glancing towards the kitchen, she knew that she would never be able to get to it without Shinji catching a glimpse of her.
"Shinji, could you get me the bottle of shampoo on the couch, and leave it outside the bathroom? I don't want to give you a heart attack or anything by getting it myself."
Shinji began to turn red. "O-ok."
He waited until he heard the door close, announcing the fact that Asuka was safely behind the door, before venturing into the living room. He immediately spied the bottle on the couch, and picked it up, reading the lable. It was a expensive brand, the scent of green tea. Curious, he opened the bottle for an experimental sniff.
"Is there a problem out there?"
Nearly dropping the bottle, he answered the redhead. "No, just wondering about the scent, that's all."
Not wishing to agitate her further, he left the bottle in the prescribed area, before retreating back into the kitchen to start on dinner.
***
Asuka stood under the hot water, working the shampoo into her hair. The smell of green tea slowly permeated the air, soothing her. She had been tempted to try this brand after Hikari told her about it, wondering is the scent would have the same effects for her as it apparently did for Hikari. Standing there, the smell calming her normally firey attitude, she had to agree that it did.
She vaguely wondered why Shinji took an interest. Of course she was the best looking girl in Tokyo-3, but she wouldn't expect him to actually show any interest in her, for fear of her killing him. Maybe he was growing up a little, perhaps even developing a spine.
She dismissed this thought, deciding that all the hot water and the scent of green tea must be affecting her thinking. Turning the shower off, she stepped out, dressing for dinner.
***
Shinji stood in the kitchen, surveying his domain. The ingredients were laid out, ready to be transformed into a meal. For this evening, he had chosen an Italian dish, tiring of fixing ramen and miso soup constantly.
Getting out a saucepan, he started on the alfredo sauce first, since the noodles wouldn't take as long to prepare. First, he put in the butter, keeping the heat low so as not to burn it, but just to melt it. While keeping an eye on this, he put the heavy cream and egg whites into a mixing bowl, whipping them into a froth with the wire whisk. When the consistency was right, he added it to the butter, blending them until smooth. Then came the parmmesian cheese, already grated. He was careful not to add too much, or the flavor would be too strong.
Setting the sauce to simmer, he then went to the noodles, putting them into a large pot with plenty of water to boil. He didn't want them to stick to the pan, so he added a bit of butter and a pinch of salt.
Having finished the hard part, he sat back to watch over the stove. He wasn't sure why, but cooking was a stress relief for him. It didn't require him to pilot, didn't make him feel guilt over a mistake, or a death. It was good for it's own sake.
He didn't notice Asuka standing behind him, watching his every move. She had dressed, smelling something positively heavenly coming from the kitchen. Observing his skill in the culinary arts caused her normally caustic opening comment to die a quick death. He seemed so...confident. The shyness, the aloofness, none of that was present when he cooked. It was as if a completely different person took over. "Shinji?"
The young man jumped, nearly knocking over a glass. "Don't DO that to me, you scared the hell out of me!"
Turning, he saw Asuka standing there, a somewhat slack-jawed expression on her face. "What?"
"You...you didn't apologize..."
Shinji opened his mouth to argue, when he realized she was right. Normally, he would apologize to a lamppost, if he thought he'd offended it. But he'd just...yelled...at Asuka.
More to the point, he'd yelled at Asuka, the "Red Headed Devil" Soryu, and lived.
Something was definitely strange here.
The sound of a lid clattering on an overflowing pot brought him back to his senses. Shinji turned, taking the top from the pot with the noodles, preventing the water from boiling over. Asuka watched this with a bemused expression on her face. There was something about Shinji actually showing some spine by yelling at her that she found...attractive.
Shinji turned the burner down, the noodles weren't quite done yet. Replacing the lid, he turned back to the redhead, to find her with a predatory smile on her face. This sent a pang of fear through his body, as he remembered what had transpired last time she had worn that expression. He could practically feel his nose being squeezed shut as her lips-
"Hello?"
Hearing her speak snapped him out of his reviere. "What?" he snapped. She had interrupted him at his favorite part.
Asuka gaped. He'd yelled at her twice, now. Oh yes, she liked this Ikari much better than the usual whiny, weak, wussy Shinji she was used to dealing with. "Whatever this is, it smells great, so you better hurry up with it, or I might get...bored...again."
With that, she turned on her heel, and strode from the kitchen, leaving a speechless Shinji staring after her.
***
A/N
I've been wanting to write my own Evangelion fic for a while now, and the idea struck me after Strike Fiss mentioned doing a "Tokyo-3 Iron Chef" fic. Thanks to him for the idea. Also, mad props go out to the crew at #fanfics, www.writeordie.org, and Corvus in particular, for helping to clear up some issues about this work. Thank you all!