driftfleet | Heron May mingle

[It's a response so breathtaking that it takes a while for Shinji to remember how to breathe again. That happens later on in the evening, when they're back in his room, sorting through a bundle of fresh laundry. Although Shinji is a little less helpless now, he hasn't tried to wrest laundry duty away from Kaworu. He can tell that Kaworu enjoys it on some level. With a plain shirt in hand, he glances over at Kaworu, glances down, glances back over... Kaworu tends to mismatch socks when left to his own devices.

He breathes in, clears his throat, but then decides not to correct him. It's kind of cute. Instead, he says,] You're still okay with doing this? [and he indicates this by holding up the shirt.] If you ever get tired of it, you can tell me. I know doing laundry can be really boring.

[The rest of Shinji's room isn't as much of a mess as it has been in recent memory. He makes sure to put away all of the sewing supplies when he's done with them, so there won't be any accidents. Asuka's hand getting cut by some stray scissors, minor though it was, is still a source of guilt for him.]

Edited 2016-05-28 03:40 (UTC)

[One might expect most socks to be white, maybe black for a bit of change, and Kaworu hadn't even considered that there were other options... until he saw them for himself. Now the socks among the heap of laundry come in colors like lime green and butter yellow, or cherry red with a pattern of what might be beetles. Right now, in fact, Kaworu is pairing one of the beetle socks with a powder blue one.]

Oh, I'm okay with it. I don't think it's boring... [He sets the pair of socks atop the sock pile, which anyone but Kaworu could tell is a travesty.] Doing laundry provides a good time to think about things, which I believe is important. And aside from that... [The shirt he digs out of the laundry is one of Shinji's. Kaworu shakes it a bit to get rid of any wrinkles, and holds it out before himself, examining.] When I'm doing things with clothes, I like to imagine how they go together. You know, outfits. [He lays the shirt out on an empty space on the bed, but instead of folding it, he goes for another article of clothing — it's a pair of jeans. Shinji's jeans. And he sets them beneath the shirt... Like he said, it's an outfit. With that, Kaworu turns his face up at Shinji to smile.] I like it. But maybe...

[One second. He snatches up that last pair of socks — beetle sock, blue sock — and drops it on top of the ensemble.]

There. It looks great.

[How weird. It's the boring, bland, repetitive quality of doing laundry that allows Shinji to stop thinking about things. His whole world shrinks down to smoothing out wrinkles and making sure all the socks are matched together. Beetle socks and blue socks definitely don't belong in the same roll. He wonders if Kaworu is somehow colorblind, or if he interprets colors differently, as an Angel. Or maybe Kaworu just appreciates whatever's within reach of him. His best friend isn't ashamed of colors.]

Mmm. [But that's his shirt, his jeans...] Is... that what you want me to wear? [His shirt, his jeans, and... a pair of clashing socks he wouldn't be caught dead in, normally. Normally. He's always been a conservative white socks kind of person. Black or grey socks, at worst, whenever he feels impertinent. But he could attempt to branch out a little, right? Not too many people are going to notice what socks he's wearing. He spends most of his time in his room, listening to music...

He returns the smile as best he can. It wouldn't be so bad, he tells himself.]

Edited 2016-05-31 02:10 (UTC)

Oh, well... [Kaworu's hands still where they are, and his expression gives the most minute of twitches — momentarily, he looks like he's been caught doing something ridiculous. Given the socks, that's not really untrue, but his reasoning doesn't come from that... Come now. He shouldn't try to dictate what Shinji wears. (But wouldn't it be nice— Setting out his clothes, buttoning his shirt— Rolling up his sleeves to the elbow, and covering him in cloth and color—)]

Looking at it, I thought it was nice. I like all of your clothing, though. It's just that I spend time imagining what colors might compliment you... [Abruptly, his hands are in motion once more, and they've gone from frozen to fluttering.] But anyone would like to think about such a beautiful sight.

Yeah, [says Shinji, patiently,] but is that what you want me to wear? [He isn't trying to tease Kaworu or anything. He's just endeared. Seeing Kaworu the least bit embarrassed or flustered is like seeing Halley's Comet pass by. Exceedingly rare. Precious. Brief. Beautiful, too.

Since it's almost time for sleep, there's no use in changing clothes now. Shinji gathers up each article of clothing and deposits them on top of his locker.] I'll try it on tomorrow. You can tell me if I do look nice. [Such a beautiful sight. It's nauseating, and it's thrilling. The thrill might be winning out. Still, the vast majority of people couldn't care less about what Ikari Shinji does or doesn't wear.]

... Do you want to know what I bought with my first pilot stipend?

You will look nice— [It isn't exactly hurried, the way Kaworu says this, since he does most things at a gentle pace. But it's, perhaps, a bit contrived, the closest he'll ever come to needing concealer for a blemish. While he watches Shinji set those clothes aside, Kaworu feels as though Shinji has singled him out for an honor. It could be said that he's indulging Kaworu...

Which is in no way deserved. Shinji's kindness is truly a miraculous thing. Sometimes, Kaworu wants to beg him not to force himself.

Even so, he says,] But I look forward to seeing it, [and he lets that sit in the air between them, marinating in all that it implies. He is not going to blush.

When he's certain that he's acceptably composed, he asks,] What did you buy?

[Shinji returns to the pile of unsorted clothing, a little more pleased with himself. He wouldn't call it an honor, but he knows how good it feels when someone wears the clothes he picked out for them. Most of Asuka's current wardrobe is based on his own preferences... In all honesty, that's pretty worrisome, but he gets to see some bare knees he otherwise wouldn't. So, if he can show Kaworu something that Kaworu wants to see...

His cheeks gain a smudge of color when he picks up the next shirt (striped, with shorter sleeves). Neither of them seems too concerned about fully separating out whose clothing belongs to whom. Maybe this is what adults mean by "domestic bliss."]

I bought every flavor of ice cream I could find, and I ate them all. But also... [He folds the shirt in half carefully, the same as all the others.] I bought a super nice formal suit, with a tie and cummerbund. I never got a chance to wear it, but... I liked thinking about wearing it.

Edited 2016-05-31 07:35 (UTC)

[They're children bound by fate. They're a part of destiny. Or, you know, whatever else Kaworu has said about their ties to Eva...

But Ikari Shinji wanted to be a child. Just that, without all the emotional blackmail. He didn't sign up to be a soldier. He never postured himself as the world's last chance. And it was never his intention to be a force of failed life. But to be a normal child was never an option, for him. Bound by fate, Kaworu said. Who wrote this boy into the scrolls? Who decided his misery, billions of years ago? Did Adam know? Was she complicit? ...]

You'd be so handsome. A suit would treat your silhouette so well. I imagine the lines of your shoulders, your back, would be especially lovely. [Kaworu's smiling, completely shameless in contrast to his fluster from just moments ago. He could be daydreaming.] It's nice to buy something like that... Even if you didn't have the opportunity to wear it, it was like a step toward the future.

[But the weight of what Shinji has told him doesn't go unappreciated. And Kaworu does know that Shinji can find at least a little comfort in Kaworu's hands. So, dropping whatever laundry he'd been attempting to fold himself, he reaches across and lays his fingers over one of Shinji's wrists.]

The ice cream... What was your favorite flavor?

[Whenever Kaworu talks about his silhouette, and how lovely it is, Shinji could swear that Kaworu is speaking a foreign language. He doesn't know what the heck Kaworu is going on about; it's totally unknowable to him. He's spent a ton of time in front of the mirror, turning this way and that way, trying to figure out the appeal of his weak, appallingly effeminate body. It's the half-developed embarrassment that he's going to have for the rest of his life. The worst of the worst.

But he ducks his head out of modesty, telling himself not to blush, then blushing like an idiot anyway. The body horror isn't so horrifying when Kaworu is feeding him compliments by the handful.]

A step... yeah, maybe that's what it was... [He got very close to wearing the formal suit. As stupid as it seems now, he planned to wear it to Ayanami's dinner party. He wanted his father to see him dressed up like a man, not a little boy, on the off-chance his father showed up. He wanted his father to acknowledge him as more than the pilot of Eva Unit-01. Shinji's brow starts to crease as he thinks about that, how naïve and foolish he was. Even back then, his father had no intentions of treating him as anything other than a weapon in a war that Shinji didn't want to fight.

He's drawn out of his stormy thoughts when Kaworu touches his wrist. It feels like daybreak.]

Oh, jeez... I don't know how I'm supposed to choose. I got pretty sick of it towards the end... but I remember banana wasn't too bad, and salted caramel. [He sticks out his tongue for a moment.] Soy sauce was probably the worst. Bleh.

Edited 2016-06-05 05:11 (UTC)

[Shinji, ducking his head, is like the inward curl of an anemone. Kaworu has seen those creatures on video. The video was a film piece about how mankind had destroyed the planet even before the disaster of Second Impact. The oceans had been dying for a long time. Anemones were poisoned and killed, more and more frequently. But Kaworu recalls their vibrancy and grace, but also how they pulled in when threatened. He hopes that Shinji isn't feeling threatened — insecure, perhaps. But surely that can be fixed with a liberal application of love. So Kaworu takes his hand from Shinji's wrist and lifts it instead to Shinji's shy face, tilting his fingers against that blush.] Oh, you're so warm... [He's not teasing. Instead, it's like he's enthralled, even though this isn't the first time at all.

His touch lingers but then retreats, and, maybe too casual, his hands return to the laundry. Kaworu's looking down at the easy pattern of a shirt, but he puffs out some quiet, pleasant laughter.] It's wonderful that you tasted so many things. But I have heard that overexposure can be tiring. [For a few seconds after that, Kaworu doesn't say anything; but while his smile is small, it's very content. Then, eyes still low, he asks,] What other things did you buy?

Edited 2016-06-05 10:56 (UTC)

[Shinji's face has more in common with the surface of the sun by the time Kaworu pulls away from him. Overexposure can be tiring, sure, but that doesn't seem to apply to the sensation of Kaworu's fingertips. Shinji wonders if he's ever going to acclimate to being caressed and complimented and held near and dear and securely. Probably not. His face is so hot, almost pulsating, when he fumbles for the next pair of pants to fold. These pants are too colorful and closely cut to belong to him. His stupid thighs would never fit inside them.]

Uhm, [he mutters, wishing a meteor would just crash into his head. He shouldn't waste Kaworu's time with silly little anecdotes.] Books for school, and other supplies, also for school... I got a pocket protector I really liked, but everyone said it looked stupid. Even Kensuke said that. It's, uh... [Just in case Kaworu doesn't know, he explains:] They're little pouches you put in your shirt pocket, and you put pens in that, so if the pens leak at all, the ink doesn't ruin your shirt. I thought it was nifty as heck, but...

[But when the resident nerd says you're too nerdy, there's a problem. Kaworu would have made that pocket protector look like a high fashion accoutrement, though. He can make anything look like it belongs on a glittering runway in Europe. Even polka dots would look amazing on him.]

Edited 2016-06-16 17:44 (UTC)

Heron May mingle

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