Fanfic / Long Time No See

Pic by wayne15404074

A soft music filled the hall, but barely anyone used the opportunity to dance, unless their partner dragged them to the dance floor. Many of the former NERV-employees had secured themselves a place at the long bar, where the bartenders and assistants were busy filling everyone's orders. Most people, however, congregated in groups around the tables that were scattered around the room.
He would have been unable even to recognize most of them 15 years ago, so it wasn't surprising that there were only few known faces. On the other hand, only few people were able to recognize the once shy fourteen years old pilot either. And if he was honest, he still preferred it that way. If his wife hadn't pushed him, he most likely wouldn't have come at all.
And he still wasn't sure why he didn't just go home. Those he would like to see, he could visit anytime... or wouldn't be there anyway – that was a hope he had buried a long while ago.

Long Time No See is a Neon Genesis Evangelion one-shot by Jimmy Wolk, author of The Second Try, Aki-chan's Life and The Ikaris.

Fifteen years after the Angel War, Shinji Ikari is henpecked into attending Nerv's reunion party. While reminiscing with old friends and co-workers about his post-War life, Shinji runs into someone whom he hasn’t seen in a while.

It can be read in Jimmy's site and FF.net.

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Tropes:

• Alcohol Hic: After having one drink, Rei suffers from hiccups, slurred speech, and disorientation.
  Rei: "Heeey, Ssssinji! I almoss' thought you would misss all the fun!"
  Shinji: "Are you drunk again, Rei?"
  Rei: "Nonsensss! I had jusht one drink with the Major!"
  Shinji: "That's just what I meant. You know that you can't hold much alcohol. Did Misato trick you again?"
  Rei: "Trick? She juss' told me to have shome fun...Wheeere'sss... sss... eh... aah – you know who I mean."
  Shinji: "Oh, she didn't feel very well and couldn't..."
  Misato: "Whoo'sh no' well?"
  Rei: "Ah... shh... she... You know!"
  Misato: "She can't be shick! She wash shupposed to party wish ush! Ooohhh, poor Shinshi! All alone here shen! And knowing you, mosht likely worrowying abou' her! Come, party wish ush! We're shupposed to have fun here after all!"
• Alternate Universe Fic: The story is set fifteen years after the events of the show, but the Third Impact did not happen.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Asuka doesn’t like Hanako, Toji and Hikari's daughter, because she’s always picking on her son Kenji. Shinji suggests that’s because she actually likes Kenji.
• The Big Damn Kiss: After the party, Shinji and Asuka share a passionate, fervent kiss in a balcony.
  It was by far not his first kiss. In fact, there had been quite a lot, ranging from heated and passionate, to gentle and loving ones, to small greeting and goodbye pecks.
  And yet, as their lips touched, he couldn't think of anything to compare to this sensation. Maybe that was just because he was too distracted to think straight; maybe a part of him just wanted this kiss to be special, but right now he didn't care, didn't want to care. Right now, he didn't want to think of the last fifteen years or those waiting at home. Right then, he was just the fourteen year old teenager again, receiving his very first kiss that he had longed for so long.
• Big "WHAT?!": Misato burps a loud exclamation when a hammered Rei splutters that she’s already getting grey.
  Misato: "Come, Rei, let'sh – hey, ish shat Aoba over there? Ha, almosht not recogn'zed him wish so little hair! Ish he gettin' bald or what?"
  Rei: "Heh, not hiss faul', is it? Everyone isss getting older. Your hair 'as lost quite sssome color too..."
  Misato: "WHA'?"
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Rei cannot handle alcohol at all. Asuka learned this fact back in the day when she gave Rei one drink, and her stoic teammate started singing after one sip.
  Shinji: "I've long given up checking on Misato's drinking in any way. As for Rei, I'd guess she had no more than one and a half."
  Asuka: "Still can't hold her liquor, I see."
  Shinji: "Nope."
  Asuka: "Why is she even drinking then? Don't tell me Misato is still pulling of the 'I'm your superior'-trick on her."
  Shinji: "Sometimes, yes. But fortunately not as often as those times you three had your 'parties' after she moved in with us. Which, if I remember correctly, was the time when you gave Rei her first drink."
  Asuka: "God, I just wanted her to loosen up a little. How should I've known she would be singing on the table after taking just one sip? Besides, we did have some good times then, didn't we?"
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: After several years, Misato managed to pull enough strings to get the pilots retirement pays. Asuka is still pissed at Nerv taking so long before acknowledging their efforts saved the world.
  Shinji: "If Misato hadn't helped us out by getting us a nice 'fund for extraordinary employees' from NERV, I guess I'd still be working as dishwasher in some cheap restaurant."
  Asuka: "So that's where that money suddenly came from. I was just angry that it took them so long to honor my work for them properly."
• Eating the Eye Candy: Shinji stands staring at Asuka speechlessly when she greets him. Asuka jokingly asks if he’s too busy with ogling her breasts to greet her.
• Exact Words: Not long after arriving at the party, Shinji is already considering leaving. After all, his wife only said he "had better go to the reunion, or else". She never said how long he had to be there.
  Shinji: (thinking) Might as well go home then. She can't say I wasn't here. And there was no word about that I'd have to be the last one to leave.
• The Ghost: Subverted. Several times Shinji mentions his wife, who was apparently too sick to come, and Asuka mentions her husband attending his company's party in passing. Then it’s revealed they are each other's spouses.
• Happily Married: Doble subversion. Some bits of Shinji's inner monologue and Asuka's dialogue suggest they are merely deluding themselves that they married their respective spouses out of love rather than fear of loneliness... until it’s revealed that they are very happily married to each other.
• Henpecked Husband: Shinji and Toji only came to the party because their wives pushed them. Shinji reluctantly admits he’s henpecked.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Toji starts grumbling about Kensuke boasting about his great life until Shinji points out Toji himself was doing just that.
    Toji: "Ha, didn't that little bastard send you a card from New Hollywood? Boasting about how great it was there?"
    Shinji: "Didn't you do more or less the same just now?"
    Toji: "Yeah, but that... ah... whatever..."
  • Asuka doesn’t like Toji's daughter, Hanako, because she’s always picking on her son Kenji. When Shinji suggests Hanako picks on Kenji because she likes him, Asuka scoffs at the notion, and replies that Kenji should hook up with a nice, polite girl like Hanako's sister Shizuka, whom Shinji finds a little creepy. Of course, back in the day Asuka picked on Shinji because she liked him, and she found a certain quiet blue-haired girl creepy.
• Longing Look: When they got together, Shinji's wife admitted she was watching him in secret whenever she could. Shinji, naturally, never noticed until she bluntly told him.
• No Antagonist: The story is about Shinji going to Nerv's party reunion, fifteen years after the War, meeting old acquaintances and reminiscing about his life.
• One Drink Will Kill the Baby: Subverted. Shinji gets worried when Asuka has one drink even though she’s pregnant, but she’s certain that one drink will not harm the baby.
• Retired Badass: In their late twenties, former child soldiers Shinji and Asuka have become a cook and a high-school teacher.
• Rewatch Bonus: Rereading the fic after the plot twist shows how efficiently the writer played with the readers' assumptions. For example: Shinji says he has two children back at home right before Asuka tells she’s expecting her third baby; Shinji chides himself for smiling at Asuka drinking instead of being concerned about his wife's health, who has just told him she’s pregnant; Asuka mentions her husband went to "some festivity for his own company", in other words, Nerv's party...
• Rule of Three: Parodied when Asuka announces her third pregnancy.
  Asuka: "Either way, don't expect me to name it after you."
  Shinji: "Why should you...? Oh, because it's the 'Third'... (groaning) You know, you already had better jokes."
• Shipper on Deck: Shinji ships his son with Toji and Hikari's daughter, Hanako. On the other hand, Asuka thinks Hanako is a brat, and a polite, nice girl as Hanako's sister Shizuka would be much better for him.
• So What Do We Do Now?: Asuka never stopped to think what would happen if they won. But then the War was over, and the Angels and Evangelions gone, and she was feeling scared and aimless. Then Shinji helped her see a life without the job she worked so hard for.
• Stargazing Scene: As the party is winding down, Shinji and Asuka go out on a balcony to get some fresh air and look up at the starts while they talk about their post-War lives and choices, before sharing one kiss.
  One of the empty balconies seemed inviting enough. As Shinji stepped outside, letting the music and chatter fading behind him, he took a deep breath of the chill air. Looking up, he could even notice some stars in the sky.
  It was such a big contrast to the muggy and noisy climate inside, it felt like another world. A world, he felt much more comfortable in – quiet, peaceful.
  "You know, I never could appreciate them as much as other people do. But it looks nice, for a change."
  Shinji turned a little to the side, though he already knew who had stepped up next to him. "I almost thought you were already gone."
  Asuka shook her head, keeping her gaze fixed on the sky. "Not yet. I... There's something I still have to do..."
• Tomato Surprise: Shinji and Asuka's mysterious spouses are each other. Asuka was joking when she said, "Long time no see", and Shinji decided to play along with her.

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