Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 15:36:12 EST
From: DAG1064@aol.com
Subject: "Neon Genesis Evangelion" part 2 t/t, oral

Neon Genesis Evangelion 02
By David (DAG1064@aol.com)

Author's note: All characters of the anime belong to Gainax Studios.  To my
knowledge, none of the characters are gay.  Enjoy the fan fic.

Neon Genesis Evangelion 02
"Starting Over"


	I woke the next morning and looked around the room.  Last night
seemed like a dream.  I found a pair of strange shorts on the floor next to
me and I picked them up.  I realized they were the shorts that Shinji had
worn last night when he came calling.  I sniffed them and inhaled the smell
of sperm into my nose.  It was an intoxicating smell, one that I would get
high on many times over for the rest of my life.  I lay back and recalled
to mind the feeling of his body against mine, the way he had touched me,
kissed me, hugged me, and helped me to discover a sensual side to myself
again.  He had woken feelings locked deep inside of me, ones I thought,
promised I'd never feel again.
	I brought my right hand up to my chest and started caressing
myself, pretending it was Shinji touching me again.  I felt my cock grow
hard again.  I reached for it and imagined Shinji's hand stroking my hard
shaft.  It didn't take long for the feelings to peak and explode
everywhere.  I sighed and relaxed.  I sincerely hoped this would be the
start of good things.  Noticing the time, I rolled over and got up.
Stretching, I could hear and feel things popping inside my body.  I
scratched my face as I headed off to the bathroom.  Had a doctor's
appointment today, and I wanted to be clean for them.  I walked downstairs,
the smell of fresh brewed coffee tantalizing me.
	"Sorry David, nothing until after the doctor's appointment.  They
want to draw some blood from you for a blood panel," Misato informed me.
	"Sadist," I growled.
	She smiled at my fake anger, knowing I was just kidding.  I went
outside and sat in a chair relaxing for a bit.  Misato tapped me on the
shoulder a moment later.
	"Ready to go?" she asked.
	"Yup.  You?" I replied.
	She nodded as she led the way to the study.  I wondered what the
hell she was up to watching her tug on the bookcases.
	"Commander Ikari told me there was a way to get to headquarters in
a hurry when the alarm goes out.  He wanted us to try it out," she informed
me.
	I nodded as I walked over to a bookcase.  I tripped over a loose
wire on the carpet and crashed into a small bust on the wall, knocking the
head off.
	"Shit!" I swore as I looked at it.
	But it was strange, because it didn't act like it was broken.  A
closer look revealed the head was on a hinge.  Underneath the head in the
neck area was a button.  I pressed it and a bookcase next to me slid aside.
I had found the opening.
	"Holy Hippos, Batman!" I shouted, pointing at it.
	Misato laughed out loud at what I had said.  "I used to read the
comic."
	"I grew up on the show," I admitted.
	Looking inside the hole, I discovered poles going down.  I reached
out and wrapped myself around the pole and slid down it.  It wasn't that
far down, and there were mats at the bottom to catch us when we landed.  I
looked around the little cave carved out of the rock formation under the
house.  I turned to see Misato looking at what appeared to be a roller
coaster car.  It could seat eight people.
	"Is that it?" I asked.
	"Must be.  Let's give it a try," she said, securing her briefcase
in one of the empty seats with a seatbelt.  We got in and secured
ourselves.  I pressed a button on the dashboard in front of us and it came
to life.  The car rolled forward slowly at first, then a little faster.  We
came to the edge of the straight track and I looked down to see at least
six loops turning to the right.  This was going to be interesting.  We went
down the loops, and then straightened out.  We had emerged into the huge
cavern area where I could see the pyramid off in the distance.  Misato
suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed.  The track dropped down a few feet in
front of us.  I set the timer on my watch and activated it just as we went
over the edge.  By the time Misato let out the obligatory scream, I
estimated we had covered a half-mile in free fall and were moving in excess
of 90 miles an hour.  I learned later that when we passed the three quarter
mark, we were doing better than 160 miles per hour.  The whole trip took
three minutes.  We arrived safely in the pilot's room where the pilots
would suit up in their plug suits and board the entry plugs for the Evas.
Ronnie was there to help a shaking Misato from her seat.
	"Hi Ronnie!" I grinned as I high fived him.  "Nice to see you!"
The beefy Irishman grinned, happy to see me again.  "How's the arm?"
	"Getting better.  Doc Ritsuko wants to poke at it," I said.  He
nodded.  "Good.  That lady knows her stuff."  Misato blinked and wobbled a
bit, and then slowly let out her breath.  "That was a ride."  I had to
laugh as I handed her the briefcase.  I followed her to the command center.
The place was busy this morning, activity at a high pitch.  I saluted her
and left to report to the medical section.  I hoped Ritsuko would have good
news for me today.


	Walking in the medical section, I saw the doc leaning over a
microscope studying something.  She reached for a pen and wrote something
down.
	"Good news for somebody, I hope?" I asked.  Ritsuko turned and saw
me there.  "Definitely.  There's a lady who's gonna be happy when I tell
her she's going to be a mother."  I grinned.  "Good way to start a week!"
She laughed at that as she picked up the phone.  I turned and walked over
to the examination table and sat on it.  I started taking off my shirt and
a nurse came over to help.  Once it was off, she took my right arm and
started probing for a blood vein.  Ritsuko walked over and watched.
	"New here?" I asked the nurse.
	"Yes.  I hope to do well," she smiled nervously.
	"You'll do fine, nothing to worry about," I said.
	"Thank you," she said.  She found the vein and tied the piece of
elastic around the arm to bring it up.  I swallowed nervously and my
stomach started getting queasy.
	"Let me stretch out here," I said.  I swung my feet up and lay down
on the table.  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I closed my
eyes.  I don't handle needles too well, especially after a doctor made a
big production of it back when I was little.  Real funny, considering I was
shooting my drugs with needles.  But when you need that fix, you gotta do
what you gotta do for it.
	"Are you okay?" Ritsuko asked.
	"Just fine.  Fear of needles is all," I said.  The nurse waited
until I was letting my breath out real slow, and then she pushed the needle
in as carefully as she could.  I didn't feel it too much, my mind was
elsewhere.
	"Done," she announced.  I let the rest of my air out and then sat
up a moment later.  She turned and walked away with the blood tray.
	"Take it to the lab and have them get started on it right away,"
Ritsuko called after her.  Turning to me she rubbed the spot on the right
arm for a moment.  Felt better moments later.  I heaved a sigh of relief.
	"Now for the rest of the physical," she said.  She checked my
heart, lungs, reflexes, and my ears.  Then she had me drop my pants to
check for hernias and to give me a prostate exam.  She blinked at the snake
tattooed on my cock.  I blushed deep red.
	"Sorry about that.  I should have warned you," I said.  She put a
hand on my shoulder to reassure me.  She then did the next two things and
then I was able to pull my pants back up.
	"Okay, next thing is we give you a complete hearing test, and then
we will cut the casts off and do a bunch of x-rays and MRI scan to check
your arm and shoulder," she announced as she washed her hands.
	The tech that was conducting the hearing test led me to a booth and
then inside it.  I sat there and followed all of his directions to the
letter, not wanting to screw it up.  Sitting on the table in another room,
I noticed the gear to be used to cut my cast off.  I picked up the saw and
noticed that the blade was adjustable.  It would be able to cut without
cutting my skin open.  Ritsuko came in and sat down to watch the procedure.
The orderly knew what he was doing, making the cuts quick and easy.  Once
that was done, the x-rays got started.  Next came the scan machine.  After
that, I relaxed and waited for Ritsuko to come back.  She came in, smiling.
	"Everything's all healed up!" she announced.
	"How is that possible?" a voice said from the doorway.  We looked
to see Commander Ikari standing there.
	"Come into my office both of you, and I'll explain everything," she
said.  We followed her in and sat down in the chairs.  I was buttoning my
shirt back up.  She had a jar on her desk with some strange pink thing in
it.
	"I've been working on this for some time.  It is a biochemical
material designed to speed up healing time by speeding up the body's
healing process.  It releases the material into the bloodstream at a
certain time of day, interacts with the body's healing systems, gives it
extra proteins and materials to work faster.  Once the job is done, it gets
absorbed into the body and flushed out by normal means.  David was the
first to get this, and it worked perfectly!" she grinned.  Ikari sighed.
"You did it again, Ritsuko.  Good job!"
	"However, David will need physical therapy to get his arm back to
where it should be.  I'll send you to Dr. Tema for that.  You'll be meeting
him later this week.  For now, you are meeting Dr. Kinto for counseling and
therapy for your situation," Ritsuko said to me.  I nodded nervously.  I
hoped this guy wouldn't pull any fast stuff on me.  I just wanted answers
to my questions and to find peace of mind.
	"Okay.  I'll give him a chance," I said.
	"That's all we ask, David.  Some of us have spent time with him for
various things.  He'll help you if you let him," Ikari said.  I nodded.
"Where do I find him?"
	"He's going to meet us on the command deck.  He thought the first
meeting should be a bit public so you could feel a little comfortable,"
Ikari said.
	"That's cool," I said.
	"I'm waiting on his blood work right now," Ritsuko said.  A
technician walked in at that moment with a folder in his hand.  He handed
it to her and left.  She sat there sipping coffee while reading it.
	"Well, good news.  You are clean, no STD's (sexually transmitted
diseases), HIV, or AIDS.  Got lucky there," she said.  She was right,
considering the fact I had been raped so many times by those people.
	"Your chemical balance needs a little adjusting, so we will fix
that by putting you on a vitamin regimen.  We'll check you again in another
month.  See me before you leave today and I'll have the list ready for you
of what you will be taking," Ritsuko said.  I stood up and went around her
desk, giving her a hug.  "Thanks for everything."  She returned the hug.
"You're welcome."  I waved goodbye as I followed Ikari to the elevator.
Not much was said on the ride up to the command deck.
	"David, you can trust Dr. Kinto.  He is a good man.  I've known him
for a long time," Ikari said.
	"Good enough for me," I said.  He nodded at me as the elevator
doors opened.  We walked out into the busy room and Misato turned to see
us.
	"No movements from anywhere," she reported.  Ikari nodded as a man
joined us at the console.  He was about my height, had half glasses, thin
graying hair and a bit on the heavy side.
	"Commander," he nodded.
	"Hello, Ian.  Nice to see you.  This is David," Ikari said, turning
to introduce me.  I shook hands with the guy.  He seemed nice.  I hoped I
wasn't wrong about him.
	"Let's go up into a conference room and talk," Ikari suggested.  I
followed the two men up the stairs and sat down in a chair at the big
table.  The coffee pot was on and I got up and went to get a cup.  There
was a bowl of fruit there as well, so I grabbed an apple and started eating
it.
	"Couldn't have anything until the blood panel was done," I
explained.
	"No problem," Ikari said, getting a cup for himself and Dr. Kinto.
I finished the apple and dropped the core into the trashcan.  I studied
Kinto for a moment as he sipped his coffee.
	"I can understand that you are nervous about meeting me.  Most
people are.  People don't like to admit to their problems to a stranger,"
Kinto said.
	"It's mostly due to what happened to me nearly a year ago," I said.
"I thought I was over it, but I was wrong.  I desperately wanted peace of
mind, and the drugs and alcohol wasn't doing it.  All the pain, nightmares,
and the flashbacks would come back stronger than ever after I came down
from the drug or alcohol high.  They hurt me so bad.  All I wanted was
answers to my questions, and instead I get committed to a hospital and got
abused, tortured, and raped."
	"David, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.  If
there is something I don't know, we can find those answers together.  If I
start to make you feel uncomfortable, just say so and we can walk away for
an hour or so to give you time to relax and think about things.  If you
want, we can use this conference room as our meeting place, or I can come
up to pilot house and meet you there," Kinto said.
	"Let's meet here for now," I said.
	"Okay.  I don't have a problem with that," Kinto smiled.
	"Excuse me.  I really do have to get back to work," Ikari said,
heading to the door of the room.
	"See you later," I said.
	I did start to open up to Kinto.  Like I said, the abuse was so
horrible and I had a hard time talking about what had been done to me.  I
won't go into the specifics; it would take too long to tell.  It took about
an hour to tell about the first few days.  Kinto listened to me, giving me
support in the form of touching me on the arm or shoulder.  He decided I
needed really intense therapy.  The decision was made between us that we
would meet here for five hours a day for the next few weeks.  Turned out to
be a good decision on my part, because it really helped.  But that first
day, I felt like I was starting to get my head straight.  That felt good.
I told him I was writing a journal of what I was feeling, what my
nightmares were about, and what I could remember of what happened to me.  I
told him I'd bring it down with me tomorrow and let him read it if that
would help him get an idea of what was going on in my head.  He agreed to
that.  Looking at my watch, I discovered it was about three in the
afternoon.  We called it a day and agreed to meet tomorrow morning at nine.
As I walked down to the command deck, I saw Misato talking to a man.  I
waited patiently until she was done.
	"Hey, Misato, I'm headed back to the house," I said.  She came over
and put her arms around me.  "Are you going to be okay?"
	"I'll be fine.  Going to take some time with Kinto before I can
feel better about myself," I said.
	"I know you'll make it," she said, kissing me on the cheek.  I
blushed as I walked away.  She really was a cool lady.


	I did go home.  I walked into the house and sat on the couch for a
bit.  Pen-Pen crawled up on the couch and leaned against me.  I scratched
his head for a moment, and then ran my fingers through his feathers.  He
closed his eyes and shivered.  I had the idea that he liked this kind of
attention.  He dozed off after a few minutes and I sat there letting my
thoughts wander.  I thought about Shinji and what we did last night.  I
wondered if we were destined to become lovers or would it be just a casual
fling.  I wanted more than just a casual fling, I wanted a deep
relationship with someone.  I hoped it would be with him.  I looked up at
the clock as it chimed the hour.  It was now four in the afternoon.  I
decided to make dinner for everybody.  Getting up, I went into the kitchen
and looked through all the cabinets.  Oh joy, I had everything needed for
lasagna.  I got busy and started making it.  By the time five o' clock
rolled around, everything was ready.  All I needed was everyone to show up.
I was putting the final touches on everything when the front door opened
and they all came in.
	"Anybody home?" I heard Asuka call out.
	"Nope, just us bugs and rats!" I yelled.  I heard Asuka scream out
and Shinji laugh.  I grinned to myself.  Life around here would never be
dull, that's for sure.  Asuka walked into the dining room area, followed by
Shinji, Misato, and Rei just as I put the lasagna dish on the table.
	"Hey, what smells good?" Misato asked.
	"Lasagna, vegetables, salad, and garlic bread.  Hope you folks are
hungry," I said.  Everybody went up to their rooms and then came back down
moments later and sat at the table.  The food got passed around as we all
started eating.  Misato's eyes lit up as she took a bite of the lasagna.
	"This is good!  Didn't know you could cook," she said.
	"I had to learn how in order to survive.  Now that we have a proper
kitchen, there will be a lot more good dinners coming out of it," I said.
	"That brings me up to a subject that needs to be covered," Misato
said.  Shinji sighed.  "The house chores."
	"Yup.  Don't worry, they will be evenly divided up.  There are some
things I won't ask the guys to do, and some things I won't ask us girls to
do.  We can talk about it later," Misato said.  "I want to enjoy this."
	"I can cook German food.  Learned how when I lived in Germany,"
Asuka said.
	"Sure would like to try some of that," I said.
	"You're in for a treat," Asuka smiled.
	"I can do a bit of everything," Misato admitted.
	"Cool!  Wait till the barbeque gets set up.  Guarantee you will
like barbeque!" I grinned at them.  Misato looked at me puzzled.
"Barbeque?  You ordered one?"
	"Sure did.  It will be here tomorrow," I said.  "Can't have a house
without a barbeque for it."
	"What do you barbeque?" Rei asked.
	"Ribs, steaks, lamb, pork, and fish.  Got some great recipes for
them," I replied.  Shinji grinned.  "Can't wait for that."
	"Can you cook, Shinji?" Misato asked.
	"Microwave," he admitted.  Misato sighed.  "You poor boy.  We'll
teach you."  Asuka looked at me strangely.  "I just noticed your casts are
gone.  Does that mean you're cleared for action?"
	"Not yet.  I have to go through some physical therapy with a
Dr. Tema," I said.  Misato nodded.  "I know him.  He's very good at what he
does."  She didn't say anything about me meeting Dr. Kinto.  She explained
to me later that she thought that it was my business to say that and not
her.  She was right about that.  I liked here even more right then.  I
sighed and pushed myself away from the table once I was done eating.  The
dinner had turned out better than I had hoped for.
	"That was super.  Thanks David," Rei said.
	"You're welcome, Rei.  Glad to see my cooking skills didn't
deteriorate," I smiled, feeling good.
	I stood up and began carrying the plates into the kitchen.  Shinji
helped me clear the table and we started cleaning up the kitchen.  Misato,
Rei, and Asuka went into the living room.  I peeked out to make sure they
wouldn't hear us.
	"I saw a therapist today.  Guy by the name of Dr. Kinto," I said.
Shinji turned to look at me.  "That must have taken a lot of guts to do."
	"You have no idea," I said.  "He thought our first meeting should
take place in one of the conference rooms overlooking the command center
thinking I'd feel a little more secure."
	"The one that has the triple thick glass?" Shinji asked.
	"That's the one," I said.
	"Good.  Did it help?" he asked.
	"Sure did.  Your Dad introduced us and sat there for a bit to help
me feel comfortable talking to the guy.  Once I was feeling okay, he left
the room and I cut loose about a lot of things.  God, I'll tell you it felt
really good to talk, to get it off my chest.  I got a long ways to go, but
I know I'll get there," I said.  Shinji smiled.  "Man, that's cool."
	"Thanks.  I know I'm going to make it," I said, closing the
dishwasher.  Shinji sighed and looked away for a moment.  Something told me
he was going to say some thing about last night.
	"About last night," he began.  "I really liked it.  I never thought
I could feel like that.  It was so amazing."
	"I can't find the right words to describe the feelings, either.  I
was so used to feeling pain when people touched me.  Your touches did more
than you'll ever realize.  I can't thank you enough.  You've shown me that
I can feel like that again.  When I first discovered those feelings two
years ago, I'd go into my bedroom and lie on my bed for hours and just
touch myself everywhere.  The orgasms I had were just overwhelming.  I knew
what made me feel good; I knew how to make myself feel good.  Then they got
a hold of me and I went through some serious shit.  They made me feel dirty
and bad.  They were wrong, I know that now," I said.  Shinji nodded.
"David, please don't be mad at me if I ask you if we can slow things down
for a bit.  I would like to take the time to get to know you really well
before we go any further.  We can keep doing what we did last night, but no
further than that.  I would like us to have a relationship together, but I
think we should spend time together and really get to know each other well
first."
	I knew Shinji was right on that count.  We did need to spend time
together and get to know each other first.  What we did last night was too
fast, too soon.
	"I agree, Shinji.  Let's do that," I said.
	"Then you're not mad?" he asked.
	"No, why should I be?" I asked.  "It's the right thing to do."  He
grinned and we kissed.  I felt that we were getting off on the right foot
now.



	We finished the kitchen and then went to find the others.  They
were sitting on the couch and Misato was telling them about the roller
coaster ride.
	"That's the way the pilots will respond to the ready room when the
alarm goes out," she was saying.
	"A roller coaster?" Shinji asked.  I quickly explained to him what
had happened earlier in the day.  "Ronnie told me later that we were doing
160 plus at the three quarter mark.  Made it down there in three minutes.
Misato sure enjoyed the ride."  Misato glowered at me as I laughed.  Asuka
grinned as Shinji laughed as well.  There was a tiny smile on Rei's face,
probably the first time I'd seen her do that.  Sure made her look pretty.
I sat down in the lazy boy and relaxed.
	"Okay, so what's been decided about the chores?" I asked.  We
huddled over the chart for almost an hour.  By the time we were done,
everything was divided up evenly.  I thought the assignments were very fair
and I said so.
	"I agree with you," Asuka said.  "Things should go smoothly around
here."
	"That's the idea," Misato said.
	"When does David start school with us?" Asuka asked.  I hadn't
thought of that myself.  "Good question, because I don't know."
	"After the mid terms are done.  Wouldn't be fair to start David now
and have no clue what to do on the midterms.  But he is going to be tested
on what he knows, and that way he can be placed accordingly," Misato
replied.
	"Well, I'll tell you right here and now, I suck at math big time.
I have trouble working with numbers," I admitted.
	"We'll help you," Rei said.  "That's one of my best areas."
	"Mine too, especially the higher forms," Asuka said.
	"I have a hard time with division, algebra, and fractions," I said.
	"Easy stuff," Shinji grinned.  "We'll help you."
	"Thanks folks.  I really appreciate this," I smiled.
	"I'll post this someplace obvious so there won't be any arguments
about who's doing what," Misato said.
	"Works for me.  I've had a long day, so I'm going to call it a day.
See you all in the morning," I said, standing up and yawning.  They said
good night and I went up to my room.  I sat at my desk for a few moments
and wrote in my journal the events of the day.  I pondered if I should
confide in Kinto my relationship with Shinji.  It was affecting my life
already.  I decided to sleep on it.  With that, I stripped down for bed and
went to sleep.

	Something woke me up.  I looked at the clock and it read two in the
morning.  I heard a noise and looked toward the door.  It was opening, and
then I saw Shinji come in.  I waited until the door was closed to turn on
the lamp next to me.  Shinji blinked in the light and came towards me.  I
lifted the sheet away from me and he got down on the futon with me.  I
covered him with the sheet and turned the lamp out.  No need to let anybody
else know we were up and together.
	"I couldn't sleep," he said.
	"Sorry to hear that," I said, rubbing his back.  His skin was soft
and warm to the touch.  It felt alive and that excited me.  I pressed my
hard cock against his leg.
	"I see little David is awake," Shinji giggled.  I could feel his
hard cock against my leg.
	"Well, so is little Shinji," I cracked.  He laughed softly.  Shinji
snuggled in closer to me.  I really felt good feeling his warm body next to
mine.  We kissed, our lips making contact with the others.  He sighed and
relaxed, wrapping his right arm around me.
	"Let's just lie here and enjoy being close," he said.
	"Sounds good to me," I said.  I reached for the alarm clock and set
it for six so he could get back to his room before anybody woke up.  We did
doze off together.  I dreamed of us walking together on a sunny beach,
holding hands and being happy.  I didn't hear the alarm go off, or feel him
kiss me.  I woke around nine and he was gone.  I sat up and sat there
thinking about last night.  It felt good to me; it felt right and natural.
I was beginning to believe that Shinji would be the one I'd spend my life
with.
	I sighed and stretched out, and then ambled into the bathroom.  I
took a long look at myself in the mirror.  I didn't look anything like the
David I once was.  I had changed, became somebody else.  I was now trying
to find myself again and I wondered if I would ever recapture the person I
once had been.  My face looked older, especially with the scar running from
the bottom of my left ear to the middle of my jaw, a knife wound courtesy
of the guy who attacked me in the airport during my escape from the US.  I
managed to stitch it up myself during the flight.  I made sure I was loaded
up on booze before doing it.  I decided to ask Ritsuko if there was
anything she could do about it.  I had a feeling there wouldn't be,
probably because it was too late now.  I pulled my long hair into a
ponytail and saw the skull earring dangling from my right ear.  It looked
so out of place.  I wondered if Misato could loan me a decent one until I
had the chance to go and get one that would look better.  I scratched at
the dragon tattoo on my chest.  I remembered the Asian man who put it on
me.  I remembered the pain I suffered during the whole thing.  It took him
weeks to do it.  I wondered why he did it to me.  There was no reason for
it, he just did it to get his jollies, I guess.  I knew I had so much to
work out of me.  Dr. Kinto seemed trustworthy.  I really was taking a
chance in letting him help me.  I knew deep down inside that if I was ever
going to heal myself of all this, I needed to trust him and talk to him and
tell him everything.
	I sighed at left the bathroom after I finished my shower.  I got
dressed in my usual, jeans, t-shirt, and a button up long sleeve shirt over
the t-shirt.  Reason I covered up the tattoos on my arms was because I
didn't want to offend other people if they saw them.  I was used to them
now, I just didn't think other people could handle them.  I had a Chinese
style snake with wings going up my left arm and coming over my shoulder,
and small Kanji script on my forearm.  I was told they translated into the
words "Samurai Warrior".  He seemed to think it was a great big joke.  Well
doom on him, it backfired.  Because that's what I turned into.  A samurai
warrior, the moment I was invited to join Nerv as an Evangelion pilot.  I
left my room and went to Misato's and knocked on her door.  She opened it a
moment later.
	"Good morning!" she said brightly.  She looked good this morning.
Apparently she liked to dress in simple clothes like I do.  Her jeans
hugged her hips just right; the blouse certainly complemented her figure.
	"Damn, girl!"  You be looking too fine!" I whistled.  She bowed.
"Why thank you kind sir!"
	"Reason I knocked on your door was to ask if I could borrow some
plain gold studs or a small gold hoop.  I want to get rid of these two
earrings," I said, indicating the dangling skull and the silver marijuana
leaf.
	"Definitely!" she said.  "Come in, I know just the thing!"  A
moment later, I had a diamond stud in the top hole with a dangling tiny
gold Samurai sword in the bottom one.  I liked them.
	"They look good on you, much better than these.  Throw these away?"
she asked, holding my old ones.
	"Please.  Time I started making changes.  But they are going to be
slow changes, in my own time and at my own speed.  I'm not going to change
something because someone doesn't like something about me.  They are
welcome to say it to me, but I'm not going to change it because they object
to it," I stated.
	"Good for you," Misato said.  "Now let's get going, we got a lot to
do today."  I followed her down to the garage and got in her car.  We drove
to a nearby Nerv warehouse and went down in the usual way via moving
platform.  The roller coaster cars would be used in a call out only.  There
was one by the school as well, and the other pilots knew where it was
already.  I sat back and enjoyed the ride.  Misato was talking on her
phone, discussing something while I sipped my coffee and looked out the
window.  It amazed me that this geofront existed and that Nerv had it.  We
arrived at the parking area and went inside.  I nodded to Ikari as I headed
up to the conference room to meet Kinto.  He arrived on the nose and we got
started.  We talked until about two o' clock.  I went to report to Dr. Tema
for my physical therapy.  He was a tall thin guy, which was unusual for a
Japanese man.  We sat and discussed exactly what we were going to do.
Taking my shirt off, he examined my left arm and shoulder.  He didn't even
blink at my tattoos or scars.  I had the feeling that either someone warned
him about me or he was used to seeing things like that.  But he seemed okay
to me.

	That became the routine for the next month or so.  While the others
went to school, I was going down to Nerv for my therapies daily.  They were
helping, too.  I was working my way through everything.  The more I talked
about what happened to me and dealt with my fears, nightmares, flashbacks,
and my addictions, the better I felt.  I was doing really well with my
physical therapy as well.  I even went as far as to soak my arm and
shoulder in the jacuzzi for two hours every night, moving my arm and
shoulder through the full range of motions.  Tema approved of that and told
me to keep it up.  Things on the home front were going well and that made
me happy.  Shinji and I spent every moment we could together talking.  Of
course we got a little bit intimate every now and then.  We were getting to
know each other fairly well.  I know for sure that we had made the right
decision.  I hoped Ikari wouldn't give us a hard time about us.
	 The call out happened one morning as I was talking to Kinto.  We
both dashed out of the conference room and onto the command deck.
	"Three marks coming in from seaward, breaching territorial waters,"
a tech said.
	"I've called for the pilots!" Misato announced, hanging up her
cell.
	"Misato, I'm right here," I said.
	"I appreciate your offer, but you're not cleared yet," Ikari said.
"I'm sorry."
	"I understand," I said.
	"Shinji and Asuka are on site and suiting up," another tech said.
	"Stand by to launch," Misato said.  I reached for a headset and put
it on.  If I wasn't going to pilot, I'd help in any way I could.  I studied
the main screen.
	"Is there anything to indicate what their abilities might be?" I
asked.
	"No sir, none.  If they do have any powers, we'll find out
shortly," a tech said.
	"Shit, this is going to be a handicap match," I said.
	"Handicap match?" Kinto asked.
	"Yeah, three against two.  Not good odds," I said.
	"Any suggestions?" Misato asked.  I thought for a moment.  "There's
wrestling techniques that can be used against them.  Asuka knows martial
arts, she's an eleventh Dan black belt.  That would be help there.  Does
Shinji know any karate?"
	"No, I don't," Shinji's voice came through the headset.
	"I'll teach you some basic moves later," Asuka said.
	"I sure could use a refresher course myself," I admitted.  I
watched the Evas appear in the streets and turn towards the tangos.  My
mind raced to come up with something good.
	"Rei is on deck and ready to launch," a tech informed us.  Ikari
nodded.  "Launch her!"
	"That should even the odds out a bit," I said.
	"Got a plan yet?" Misato asked as I watched two of the angels start
the attack.
	"Yes.  Shinji and Asuko charge the front two and extend your arms
out.  Make sure the forearms go into either the top of the chest or the
throat areas.  That move is called a clothesline.  It should knock them
down for a moment.  Rei, follow up with a double elbow drop into their
cores.  That should take out the twins," I announced.
	"Go for it," Ikari said.  We watched on the screen as Asuka and
Shinji executed the plan.  Both angels dropped quickly, Rei coming up
behind them and taking them out with the double elbow move.  Those two
angels blew up.  Rei emerged unscathed thanks to her force field.
	"Shinji, charge the loner and do a tackle around his middle, Asuka
elbow drop his core," I instructed.  Shinji charged and nailed him
perfectly, but the angel had been ready for him.  It recovered quickly and
picked up Shinji's Eva and body slammed it down forcefully.  I stared in
horror as the angel turned on Asuka and charged her.  She was ready for it
and hooked her arm into it and hip tossed it.  The angel rolled back to its
feet and charged again.  Asuka attempted a roundhouse kick and the angel
caught the foot and threw her out into the ocean.  Shinji staggered back to
his feet.
	"Shinji, slow approach, try to grab an arm and twist it behind him.
Rei, elbow drop to the head," I instructed.  Shinji attempted the move, but
the angel was faster.  He grabbed Shinji and tossed him towards a nearby
power plant.  My chest tightened up in horror.  "NO!"  It was too late.
The Eva crashed into the power plant and set off a lightning show.  We
couldn't see anything.  Rei quickly moved in and tackled the angel.  Asuka
came up behind it and grabbed it in a bear hug and squeezed tight.  Rei
wound up and put her fist into the angel and missed the core.
	"Shinji!" I yelled, fear racing through me.
	"He's flat lined," someone said.
	"Activate the shock system," Ritsuko ordered.
	"Medical team is on the flight deck, no pilot," someone announced.
I ran out of the command center and to the flight deck, Ikari behind me.  I
kept the headset on to follow the action.
	"What now?  The angel broke Asuka's hold," Misato informed me.
Coming up out on the flight deck, I ran to the chopper.  "Everybody in!"
	"You can't fly!" Ikari yelled.  I ignored him and went through the
check out, and then started the chopper.  "Thank you Sam for your gift."
	"Who's Sam?" Ikari demanded.  Ignoring him again, I lifted off fast
and headed for the fight action.  I activated the weapons system that was
on board.  That was a wise move on my part.  Coming around a building, we
saw the angel had both Rei and Asuka by the throats, and it was doing a
fair job of strangling them.
	"No!" I screamed, charging in.  I opened fire with the fifty
caliber guns, shooting it in the face and the eyes.  It responded by
dropping Rei and Asuka and bringing its hands upward.  I moved the chopper
out of range fast.  A blur raced past me and then it was Rei slamming the
angel down on it's back and Asuka following up with an elbow into the core.
She didn't miss.  I moved the chopper to a clear space and watched the
rescue crews get Shinji out of the Eva he was in.  They got him on board
and yelled for lift off.  I took off over the ocean.
	"Young Dragon to Ladycat," I radioed.  Misato's voice came back.
"Ladycat to Young Dragon, go ahead."
	"Advise Sawbones we are en route, ETA five minutes, requesting
trauma team to stand by at landing zone.  Top hat is riding shotgun with
me," I reported.
	"Roger, will do," she said.  I could feel Ikari's eyes on me.  I
knew I'd have some explaining to do.


	I landed the chopper three minutes later.  I quickly shut it down
as the trauma team loaded Shinji onto a stretcher.  I leapt out and
followed them into the medical center, my heart pounding like crazy.  I
wanted to stay with him
	"Sorry, can't come in here!" a nurse tried to shut me out.
	"I'm coming in, he's my friend!" I yelled.  Ronnie grabbed me and
gently pulled me away from the doors.
	"He'll be fine, let them help him," he said, keeping a hold on me.
I breathed hard, my heart pounding.  He was right, and I knew it.
	"Okay," I surrendered.  Ronnie guided me to a nearby waiting room
and I looked out the window, staring at the far mountains.  I hoped and
prayed Shinji would be all right.  Ikari came up behind me.
	"That was nice shooting you did.  I would like to know how you knew
to fly, and who Sam is," he questioned.  I didn't respond for a moment.
God, I hadn't thought of him in a long time.  It had been two months after
the elections that I met him.  I tried to save his life that night, but
failed.  He gave me something in return.  I could see the other pilots come
in behind me in the window's reflection.  Ikari continued to stand there
for another moment.
	"David," he gently shook me.  I turned to face him.  "Sam was a boy
I met just before I left America."

************************************************************************
Flashback: Sam

	I was taking out the big trash bag full of empty beer cans to the
dumpster behind the trailer where I lived.  I found Sam digging through it.
He made like he was going to run. I smiled at him.
	"Come to my place, I'll get you food," I said.  He nodded at me and
followed me to my trailer.  He sat down on the couch and watched me heat up
a bowl of soup.  He was holding his left side like he had been hurt.
	"Are you okay?" I asked.
	"No.  I been shot," he admitted.  I grabbed my first aid kit and
went to where he was sitting.  It was a small hole, like it was a .38
caliber shot.  I did what I could to stop the bleeding.
	"I'm calling the ambulance," I said.  He panicked.  "Please don't!
They'll find me!"
	"Who?" I asked.  He looked at me for a moment and then sighed.  "I
am on the run from the military.  They found out that I am a mutant,
someone with powers.  I read people's minds.  The other reason they are
looking for me is that I'm gay, and they enjoy passing me around."  I
listened while trying to stop the bleeding.  I couldn't do it.  He looked
at me and nodded.  He knew it was too late for help.  I felt so helpless.
	"My name is Sam," he said, brushing long stringy brown hair away
from his fair skinned face, revealing his pain filled hazel eyes.  "Thanks
for trying to help me, David."
	"How did you know my name?" I asked, and then realized.  "Oh.  You
read my mind and found out."
	"I know I'm dying.  I used to live here.  There is a place I want
to go to.  Can you help me?" he asked.  I stood up.  "Yes."
	I went to the gardener's shed and borrowed the wheelbarrow.  After
making him comfortable, I pushed him in it to the hill he indicated.  There
was a full moon out, so I had no problem seeing where I needed to go.  I
stopped just underneath a huge oak overlooking the small valley.  I propped
him up against the tree and sat there with him.  I don't remember what we
talked about.  Then the sun started coming up.  His eyes lit up.
	"It's so beautiful," he whispered.  "I want to give you something.
Don't be afraid, just concentrate on watching the sunrise."  I did.  I
could feel a slight buzz at the back of my head for a few minutes.
	"There.  It's done.  I gave you all the knowledge I gained from
those people.  You will be able to fly planes, use all kinds of weapons,
and have better fighting skills.  Thank you for helping me to leave this
life on my own time and place of my own choosing.  I know you will want
revenge someday.  The best revenge you can get is to live your life well,
and with honor," he said.
***********************************************************************

	"He died in my arms.  I buried him under the oak tree," I said,
tears streaming down my face.  "That's how I can fight so well, and fly
aircraft so well."  Ikari nodded.  I saw Kinto standing there.  I stood
there for a long time until I turned around.  Misato was there as well.  I
got hugs from everyone there.  All we could do was wait.

	About an hour later, Ritsuko came out to see us.  The look on her
face was not good.  She sighed as she sat down with us.
	"Shinji is in a coma.  When he crashed into the power plant, the
electrical energy was more than enough to overcome the Eva and electrocute
Shinji.  If David hadn't gotten there with the chopper, he wouldn't have
made it.  I have no way of knowing if there is any brain damage.  We will
have to wait for him to wake up," she said.  There was no reaction from
Ikari.  I was feeling shock.
	"Can I see him?" I asked quietly.
	"All of you can, but one at a time.  He is going to look different
with all kinds of things hooked into him," she warned.  I stood up.  "You
first, Ikari.  You're his father."  He looked at me, and then walked away.
I couldn't believe what he was doing.  I started after him, but Misato
stopped me.
	"Let him go," she said quietly.  I turned to see anger in her eyes,
and on everyone's face as well.  Ritsuko guided me in to see him.  I wasn't
prepared for what I saw.  He was lying there so still.  There were wires
and tubes connected to him, machinery working to keep him alive.  I touched
his hand, and it felt cold.  I felt shivers run up and down my spine.
That's all I could think of.
	I don't remember going home.  I sat on the couch in the living room
in a daze.  The only sound I heard was the clock ticking.  My hands were
shaking and I thought of getting something to calm me.  I dismissed the
thought as soon as it entered my head.  I needed to be clear and thinking
right.  I didn't sleep at all that night.  All I could think of was seeing
him there.  Towards four in the morning, I gave up trying to sleep and
dressed.  I went down to the hospital where Shinji was.  I wanted to be
with him.  Hardly anybody was there in the halls, but there were teams of
doctors and nurses monitoring him.  I looked into the room to see him lying
there still.  I sat down in the chair and took his hand into mine.
	"Hi.  Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come down here and keep you
company.  Hope you don't mind.  I've been thinking a lot about us, what
we've said to each other over the last few weeks.  I know for sure we were
meant to meet and become lovers.  You helped me a lot when I first came
here.  I'm going to help you anyway I can once you wake up so you can get
well again.  I want you to know that I love you and I care about you.  I'm
not going to run out on you ever," I said, leaning over him and kissing him
on the cheek.  I didn't see Ikari in the shadows.  He quietly retreated and
left the room.  I sat there for a while, reading to him a book that he was
reading for school.  Ritsuko came in around seven thirty.
	"Hi," I said.
	"Any changes?" she asked.
	"None yet.  I heard somewhere that if you talk, read, sing, and
touch the person that's in a coma, they wake up faster," I explained.
	"Proven fact.  I've seen it happen.  But we can't rush him.  He'll
wake up when he's ready," Ritsuko said.  I nodded, knowing she was right.
I wasn't giving up.
	I stayed there, but I would walk out when other people came to see
him.  Ikari never showed up to see him.  I knew people were spending time
in the little chapel praying.  I had stopped believing long ago because of
what happened to me.  I felt He had abandoned me in my time of need.


	Shinji woke a week later.  I was reading Shakespeare to him when he
started twitching.  I dropped the book and pressed the nurse call.  I took
his hand and began talking to him softly.  He must have heard me because he
squeezed my hand very tight.  The doctors charged in and studied the
machines monitoring him.  I ignored them as I kept talking to him,
encouraging him.  Shinji kept twitching for another few minutes as I
continued talking to him. Shinji calmed down.  A moment later he opened his
eyes.  He looked at me.  I smiled at him, gently squeezing his hand.  He
sighed and tried to smile at us.  He closed his eyes again and went back to
sleep.  The monitors began showing increased movement.  I knew right then
he was going to make it.  I left the room quietly and walked to the end of
the hall where the waiting room was.  People turned to look at me as I
walked in.
	"Shinji woke up.  Docs say he's going to make it," I said.  There
were sighs of relief and smiles.  I picked up the house phone and dialed
the command center.
	"Misato," she answered on the first ring.
	"Shinji woke up, and he's going to make it," I told her.  She
passed the word and I could hear loud whoops of joy in the background.  I
felt good myself.  I had been scared.
	Shinji did improve rapidly after that.  He was weak and unable to
do things for himself so I became his assistant.  I helped feed him, bathe
him, and assist in the physical therapy in bed to keep his muscles from
going too flabby.  He went home a few days later.  That was a very big deal
for all of us.  I managed to keep up on my own therapy in the meantime.
Kinto finally decided that I'd had enough of him and told me to call him
anytime I needed to talk to someone.  Fine by me.
	Shinji saw him a few times and that helped his own nightmares about
the situation.  Shinji and I also talked about our own fears of losing each
other, and that just made the bond between us that much stronger.  His
school friends, Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara were regular visitors to
pilothouse to see Shinji and hand him schoolwork.  They had been to
pilothouse almost since day one.  They were unique people, too.  Kensuke
was on the lean side, very much into anything military and anything
concerning the Evas.  His father and Grandfather worked in the Nerv labs.
Toji was a very outspoken guy, an in your face kind of guy.  He never
hesitated to state his opinion in his New York style accent.  I enjoyed
listening to both of them talk.  Sometimes they were funny.
	"So, how much longer are you gonna be out of school, Ikari?" Toji
demanded.
	"Probably another week," Shinji said.
	"Midterm exams are coming up.  Hope you'll be ready for them,"
Kensuke said.  Shinji sighed.  "Don't remind me.  I have been studying so I
guess I'm ready for them."
	"I'll be joining the school after them," I said.  "But I will be
taking tests of my own.  They want to see how much I know so they can put
me in the right class."
	"That sounds like fun," Toji grinned.  "At least we won't be the
only ones suffering through that hell."  I mock punched him as the others
laughed.  I picked up the math book I was working on and started working
another problem.
	"When do you go into action?" Kensuke asked.  I looked up from the
book.  "Don't know.  Hopefully soon, I'm starting to go nuts here."
	"You're not the only one," Shinji sighed.  Misato breezed in the
front door at that moment.  "Hi everybody!"  We all saluted her as she
walked into the living room area.  Dumping her briefcase on the couch, she
sat down and looked at us.
	"How's the studying going for the exams?" she asked.
	"I'd rather mud wrestle an angel than be tortured by exams," Toji
said sarcastically.  She grinned.  "Now you know how important this is to
your education."
	"I learned the facts of life outta a comic book.  That's all I need
ta know," Toji grumbled as he picked up his book.  I sighed.  "Well, that
does explain a lot of things about you, Toji."  Everybody cracked up
laughing as Toji chased me around the living room and into the dining room
area.  I stopped behind Misato.
	"Well, protect me!" I said.
	"Sorry, you're on your own," she laughed.  Toji sat back down on
the couch and sighed.  "Well, I suppose I could learn a few things from
school, as long as sensei doesn't go off about Second Impact."  I turned to
Misato.  "Any word as to when I go into action?"
	"The commander has called a general meeting tomorrow morning.  All
of us are to report there," Misato said.
	"That should be interesting," Asuka said.


	There was a huge turnout in the main assembly room at 1000 the next
morning.  Ikari gave people a chance to settle down in our seats before
approaching the microphone to start the meeting.
	"Good morning," he said, and the room went quiet.  "A few things to
announce.  First off, promotions are in order.  Captain Katsuragi is hereby
promoted to the rank of Major, effective immediately."  Applause rang out
as Misato accepted her new rank.  She deserved it, too.
	"The bridge staff is promoted to the next available rank, effective
immediately," he said.  More applause greeted that statement.
	"As for the pilots, Rei Ayanami is promoted to the rank of first
Lieutenant, which puts her in charge on the battlefield.  This is because
she has been part of Nerv for a long time, her experience in dealing with
the unknown, and her ability to make judgments on the battlefield," he
announced.  Rei blushed as all of us applauded, happy for her.
	"Pilots Soryu and Ikari are Second Lieutenants."  More applause
from the crowd.
	"Mr. David Morgan, you are now cleared for active duty," Ikari
said, nodding at me as the others shook my hand.
	"To other business.  The events of the last attack has convinced me
that the Angels are becoming much more aggressive than in the past.
Therefore, the decision has been made to establish two teams of Evas and
pilots.  Pilots Ayanami, Ikari, Soryu, and Morgan will be referred to as
the A-Team.  The search is now underway for four more pilots that will
comprise the B-Team.  This will mean more work for everybody, and I expect
everyone to keep up the work they are doing.  I cannot stress how important
we are.  We have been charged with the task of protecting all of humanity,
and we will not fail in this duty.  Thank you," he said, and turned to
leave.  As he passed me, he stopped and looked at me.  "Report to my
office.  The rest of you pilots go to conference room A at 1300."  I got up
and started following people out.  It took me a while to get to his office
as the elevators were busy.  I knocked on his door and waited.  It slid
aside and I walked in.
	"Commander," I nodded.  The office was dark with the exception of a
single light above his desk and a smaller light on the desk.  There were
strange glowing drawings on the floor and ceiling.  He sat there unmoving,
his hands covering the lower half of his face.  Kozo stood on his right
side.
	"David, you first assignment is to fly a transport plane up to
northern Japan to retrieve your Eva.  It is finished and ready to go.  The
activation will be done here.  Pilots Ikari and Soryu will observe the
activation in their own Evas in the unlikely event that yours should go out
of control.  It has happened before so that is why we take the precautions
that we do.  You did not receive a rank due to the fact that you have no
combat experience in an Eva.  You are free to suggest any tactics that you
think might be helpful during a sortie.  You will fly out of here next
week.  Let's go to see the others," Ikari said, standing up.  I followed
him to the conference room where the other pilots were.  He sat down at the
head of the table as I sat next to Shinji.
	"Due to your new ranks, I am ordering all of you to start carrying
weapons, including Morgan.  Although you may not have heard or seen reports
of individuals or groups who are opposed to us, they have made themselves
known.  Threats have been made, and security around the house and the
school has been stepped up.  The security at the house will be discrete and
will not interfere with your private lives.  But they will be obvious at
the school and other places.  They will observe you, but not interfere
unless needed.  Mr. Scott in the armory will qualify you for your concealed
carry permits.  Please report to him now.  That's all," Ikari said and
left.
	"That shouldn't be too hard," Asuka grinned.  "I'm a great shot
myself."  I chuckled.  She spun and stared at me with that piercing stare
of hers.
	"You laughing at me?" she demanded as Shinji groaned.
	"Yes I am," I smiled.  She stuck her face in mine.  "Well, I'll
show you!"
	"Wanna bet on that?" I asked.  She thought for a moment.  "Whatcha
got?"  I reached for my wallet.  "I have a hundred dollars that says I can
beat you."
	"You're on!" she shouted.
	"Good.  We'll have Misato hold the money," I said.  Misato led the
way to the armory.  Mr. Scott was a slim Scotsman, but one look at him
convinced me he was all business.  I looked at the shooting lanes and
figured them to be regulation distance.  I walked into one and picked up
the automatic that was lying on the counter there.  He stepped over to say
something, but changed his mind when he saw me eject the magazine from the
gun and inspect it.  It was loaded.  I put it down and worked the slide,
dropping a round into the palm of my hand.  I sighed.  I proceeded to strip
the gun down and check it.  It was dirty.
	"Mr. Scott, who handled this weapon last?" I asked.
	"I'll find out.  Why?" he asked.
	"I want to kick his ass," I said.
	"Why?" Rei asked.  I picked up the magazine.  "First off, they left
a loaded magazine in the gun.  Second, there was a round in the chamber.
Third, they never bothered to strip and clean the weapon afterwards.  A
dirty gun is trouble."  Scott nodded.  "You're right on all those counts.
Misato, please check the other guns while I get the papers handed out and
the lecture started."
	The lecture took four hours.  Since I already knew how to handle
weapons, the written test was easy to do.  The actual shooting came next.
Rei was a natural, she handled it well.  I thought the nine was a bit much
and said so.  Scott gave her a .380 and she could handle that one much
better.  Shinji was nervous, so he barely squeaked in under the wire.  All
of us had to shoot sixty rounds for the actual test, and then added up the
scores from there.  Asuka and I stepped up to the line and we began our
shoot.  I paid no attention to her, just concentrated on my targets.  She
was done before me, so she handed in her target to Scott.  I finished a
moment later and handed in mine.  He added up the scores while I stripped
the H & K nine I was using.  I liked the gun it fired smoothly and worked
flawlessly.  I decided to requisition it.
	"Okay.  Asuka has 595 points.  David wins by one point, 596
points," Scott grinned at us.  Asuka's face turned dark with fury, but she
didn't say anything.  I collected my money, put in the request for the gun,
and left for the day with Shinji.
	"She's pissed," Shinji observed.
	"She's a big girl, she'll get over it," I said.  He sighed.  "I
sure hope so."  I looked up.  "How about a steak dinner?"  Shinji grinned.
"Sounds good to me."


	We got back to the house around six.  Nobody was home, so we sat in
the living room and talked about things.  The last three months had been
going so well, and I was in a really good mood.  We snuggled up on the
couch and started to kiss while holding hands.  Shinji himself was in a
good mood.  In fact, he had been coming out of his shell, and starting to
feel good about himself.  Amazing what a bit of love and caring can do for
someone like that.  I stood up and pulled him up to me.
	"What say we go up to my room and continue this discussion?" I
asked, kissing him while holding him.
	"Sounds like a cool idea," he smiled, returning the kiss.  Neither
one of us was aware of the front door opening and people coming in.
	"What the hell is going on?" Toji's voice surprised us.  We both
turned to see Toji, Kensuke, Hikari, Rei, Misato, and Asuka standing there
in shock. I blinked, feeling like the deer that got caught in the
headlight.
	"Shit," Shinji said softly.
	"Can we go into the living room and sit down?  We can explain,"
Shinji said.  We did, and Shinji sat down on the loveseat with me.  Toji
got to the point.  "Shinji, are you gay?"
	"Yes I am, Toji.  But that shouldn't change our friendship.  I'm
still the same person you know," Shinji said.
	"But it's wrong!" Toji yelled.
	"Can you prove it?" I asked.  He just looked away.  "It's not
proper for guys to be screwing each other.  That's perverted and sick."
	"It's okay to be in love with a girl and to make love to her, but
it's wrong for two guys to be in love.  Is that what you are saying?" Asuka
asked, surprising me.
	"You of all people should know that, especially since you're so hot
for Kaji," Toji snapped back at her.  Asuka jumped up and got into his
face.  "I have my reasons for wanting to be with Kaji.  What's wrong with
that?  Misato has her reasons for being with him.  What's wrong with that?
David and Shinji have their reasons for wanting to be with each other.
What's wrong with that?"  Toji didn't say anything.
	"Love really doesn't care who you are, it just knows to bring two
people together and to make them happy with each other," Hikari said.
	"You taking their side?" Toji glared at her.
	"Doesn't matter who they are, I'll stand behind their right to
love," Hikari said.
	"I know some gay people myself.  I talk to quite a few on the web
in my chat rooms.  Nicest people you ever want to meet," Kensuke said.
	"Well, all I know is they dress weird and act weird and they do
sick stuff to each other.  I saw them in that parade last year!" Toji
snarled.
	"Not all gays are like that.  Personally, I don't go for that kind
of thing.  I'm not into S&M, feathers, cross-dressing, and so on.  I choose
to look like a guy, walk like a guy, and talk like a guy because that's
what I am.  I like working on cars and driving fast cars.  I like baseball,
and wrestling.  I look normal, because I choose to.  Only difference is
that I like guys instead of girls," I said.
	"So you don't like them?" Toji said, pointing to Asuka, Rei,
Misato, and Hikari.  "They don't look pretty to you, or turn you on?"
	"I don't have a problem talking to a girl, or working with one, or
hanging out with one.  I think Rei, Asuka, Hikari, and Misato are very
lovely looking women, and I'm glad to count them as my friends.  I just
don't want to be in a relationship with one.  That's me.  That's the way it
is," I stated.
	"I agree with David," Shinji said.
	"How can you choose to be that?" Toji said.
	"You can't," Misato said.  "Research has proven years ago before
the Second Impact that gay people are born that way.  It has something to
do with their genetic makeup.  Nothing can change that," Misato said.  Toji
stood up, looking angry.  I wasn't sure if he was going to come after
Shinji and me.
	"Come on.  I'll walk you home," Toji said to Hikari.
	"I'm going to hang out here for awhile," she told him.  Kensuke
looked at his friend.  "So am I."
	"Fine!" he snorted in disgust and stomped out the door.  The house
fell silent after he left.  I felt bad for Hikari and Kensuke.  Hikari must
have seen the look on my face, because she leaned over and took my hand.
	"Don't worry.  Give him some time and he'll come around.  It's not
your fault he can't accept you two for who you are," she said.
	"Just be you," Rei spoke up.  "Everything will work out."


	In bed that night, Shinji snuggled up to me close.  Misato, Shinji,
and I sat down and talked some more about things.  Both of us assured her
we were clean having been tested two days prior.  We told here we were
going slow, taking time to get to know each other before doing anything.
She applauded our decision, calling it a very mature, adult decision.  Sure
made us feel better.  Shinji decided to start staying with me at night, but
we'd maintain separate bedrooms just to keep people at ease.  We also
decided to switch off rooms every once in a while.  I was in his bed that
night, and Shinji was lightly stroking my chest and then running his
fingertips down to my cock and balls, teasing them.  I was really turned
on.  Shinji kissed me lightly on the cheek, and then kissed his way down my
torso.  I closed my eyes, enjoying the good feelings.  I felt his hands on
my cock, gently pulling on it.  Suddenly, I felt something wet take hold of
my cock.  I looked down to see Shinji taking my cock in his mouth and
starting to suck on it.
	"Are you sure?" I whispered.
	"Yes," he whispered back.
	"Feels good," I moaned softly.  He continued to suck me for a bit
and then backed off.  I returned the favor, kissing his neck and then down
his torso.  I moved my body into a 69 as I went down to his genitals.  Once
we were settled down into place, I sucked his cock into my mouth the same
time he sucked mine into his mouth.  The sensations felt so good.  I ran my
fingertips along his right side as he ran his along my left side.  I felt
my nuts draw up close to my body.  I was getting close now.
	"Gonna cum," I moaned out.
	"Me too," Shinji said.  We started sucking on each other harder and
faster, wanting to pleasure the other.  Suddenly I was cumming, and so was
he.  I tasted his sperm as it shot out of his cock and into my mouth.  It
tasted so sweet.  I could feel the sperm leaving my cock and going into his
mouth.  He moaned loudly as he sucked and swallowed it all.  Once we
stopped cumming, Shinji took me into his arms and kissed me.
	"I love you David," he said.  I looked into his moist eyes and saw
tears there.  I knew it was the truth.
	"I love you, Shinji Ikari.  You complete me," I said, kissing him.
We snuggled down together after pulling the covers over us.  There was no
doubt in our minds that we were united together and we would support each
other come what may.  We knew there would be others who would oppose us,
and we would survive that.  For now, we were happy together.  I was glad we
had support from our friends, and we knew it would be time before Toji
would come around.  I hoped so.  He was a really nice guy.  He just needed
some time to think things out for himself was all.  I turned to see Shinji
sleeping peacefully and I kissed him on the forehead.
	"Good night my love," I whispered.


To Be Continued

Episode Three: I fly out to the northern part of Japan for my Eva.  Shinji
and I take off on an overnight trip before my activation test.  Shinji and
Asuka stand by in their Evas in case of trouble with mine, activation test
is a success.  Some unknown people attack us on the way to school one
morning, who are they?  Shinji and I have our first fight.  Unknowns chase
Shinji after he leaves and I manage to catch one.  Shinji survives the
attack, and we kiss and make up.  More people find out about us.  Stay
tuned!