"I really was born to meet you."

Shinji blinked as he looked at Kaworu. Something about the look in his eyes caused Shinji's heart to skip a beat. He smiled, a little uncertainly, one hand twitching gently in reaction to a sudden bout of nerves.

He didn't have very long to feel nervous, though, because Kaworu shifted closer to him very suddenly, and then he too busy trying to remember how to breathe, because Kaworu's face was so close to his and he didn't know if he should be pulling away or not. A very large part of him was perfectly fine with staying right where he was, but there was still a small part of his brain telling him to scramble away quickly.

"I think you are blushing, Ikari-kun." A gentle hand touched Shinji's cheek, and this time he did jerk away, although only for a moment. Almost immediately afterward, he leaned into the touch, relishing the feeling of having such a reassuring presence near him.

Hesitantly, Shinji brought one of his own hands up to place on top of Kaworu's, drawing in a slow, deep breath. "It's your fault," he finally managed to say. It wasn't really what he had wanted to say, but it was first thing that came to mind and so it sort of just… spilled out.

Kaworu didn't seem put off by the words though, and instead continued to smile at Shinji. In fact, he seemed to have gotten even closer than before. When he spoke, Shinji could feel the brush of his breath against his cheek. "I think it really might be my fault. But I am alright with that."

There was a brief moment in which Shinji had the clear impression that Kaworu was about to kiss him. And he barely had time to come to terms with that idea before he felt Kaworu's lips on his own. It was gentle at first, and Shinji was shocked by just how soft the other boy's mouths felt. His eyes widened for a few seconds before sliding closed as he finally kissed Kaworu back, a hesitant but eager gesture.

It wasn't long before they parted, though, and Shinji was left staring breathlessly at his best friend in the whole world. Kaworu was still smiling like he always was, but Shinji could see a trace of pink on his pale cheeks. "That was nice."

Shinji nodded in mild awe, his hand clenching tightly around Kaworu's. "It … It was." He paused, and a frown creased his forehead. "But … why?"

After a few seconds of silence, Kaworu moved forward to press a gentle kiss to Shinji's forehead, whispering his response to him.

"Because you are important to me, Ikari-kun. More important than you could ever know."