Shinji was sitting at the table having a late snack. With Misato's cooking he had to survive by his own means of food. "I don't understand why having people sleep over is so much fun..." he commented quietly as he took a bite.

"Oh Shinji, you're so dull," Misato replied sourly, turning around to look at him. "It's an excuse to relax, chat, and have fun."

"How can you relax with all those people around?" he asked.

Misato's face sunk. "Hoi... I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself, Shinji."

Asuka walked into the kitchen yawning; she was already in her pajamas. "Oh Shinji don't you get it? It's a chance to learn more about the people you know. Besides its fun to watch other people sleep sometimes, tells you about them," Asuka added slyly.

Misato raised her eyebrow knowingly. "Hoping to have Cirus fall asleep with his arms around you, Asuka?" she asked insinuatingly.

Asuka blushed violently. "I do not!" Turning indignant, she added, "I would only do that with Kaji."

Misato's eyebrow started to twitch. "I doubt we'll sleep in the same room anyway," she said calmly.

"Oh but that's the fun part!" Asuka shouted.

"I doubt Rei would want to," Shinji commented.

Asuka winced. "Oh yeah, I forgot the wind-up doll was coming..." she said sourly.

"Asuka," Misato said the girl's name firmly. "That's very rude."

"Eh give me a break, you know what she's like. Does whatever she's told."

"Actually she has disobeyed several orders recently," Shinji pointed out innocently.

Asuka glared at him. "Was I speaking to you?"

The doorbell rang finally.

"Ah, that would be one of them. Asuka, get the door please?" Misato asked.

Asuka frowned, but then thought it could be Cirus and so went to the door. She opened it and gawked, her eyes widening. "...H-hello you two," she said slowly, reeling herself back in.

Cirus was standing slightly behind Rei, but they were both there. Rei was holding a bag in her hands in front of her and Cirus had a smaller one of his own over his shoulder by one hand.

"Hello, Asuka. Something wrong?" Cirus asked calmly.

"Uh... not really. Come in," she realized abruptly they weren't inside yet. "They're both here, Misato," she called out to the kitchen.

Misato walked out of the kitchen with mild surprise on her face. "Both of you?" she asked. Then her face turned mischievous. "Meet on the way I take it?"

Cirus cleared his throat and forced a smile. "You could say that, Major," he replied.

Misato raised an eyebrow knowingly once again. "I see." She walked up to them with a smile and then looked at Rei. "Come on, Rei, half the fun is being able to wear pajamas around everyone!" she said excitedly and dragged Rei off with her to her bedroom.

Rei's eyes were slightly widened, but she managed to follow steadily.

"Bring yours, Cirus?" Asuka asked mischievously.

Cirus smiled at her wryly. "I'm afraid not, Asuka. I'll do just fine without them," he added with an insinuating tone and walked off toward the kitchen.

Asuka blushed, but quickly frowned. "Hmph."

Cirus leaned back out of the kitchen with a wry smile on his face. "I was kidding, Asuka. Of course I did."

"That's better," Asuka replied, marching indignantly after him into the kitchen.

Misato entered the kitchen shortly after, dressed in her own pajamas. "Oh Cirus, why do you always do everything last?" she asked in a light tone.

Cirus half-smiled. "My night clothes and my day clothes are surprisingly similar, Misato."

Misato shook her head dryly and sat down. "Eh, this place is no fun, let's go to the sitting room," she said and stood back up.

Shinji and Asuka stood up and followed her out, Cirus coming in last.

"So where did you put Rei, Misato?" he asked as he walked in.

"She's getting changed. You can't have a good sleep-over without being in your pajamas," she explained with a waving finger.

"Ah I see. So I better go change myself then, eh?" he asked back with a wry smile.

Misato nodded. "Yes," she drew out the word, "you should."

Cirus sighed. "Fair enough. Give me a moment then," he said and stood up, leaving the sitting room.

"It's no fun, he's still wearing his glasses and I didn't get a good look at his eyes before, the comm screen was all fuzzy," Asuka complained, resting her head on her hand in a huff.

"I didn't see them either, I was too busy watching the Angel," Shinji replied quietly.

"It would just make things awkward if you two asked to see them, so be quiet about it," Misato told them sternly. "I want this to be fun for everyone, you hear me?"

"Yes, Misato," Shinji and Asuka both replied in the same tone.

And just then Rei walked into the sitting room and sat down quietly on the floor, cross-legged, looking down at the ground calmly. Her nightclothes were the usual affair with a baggy pants and shirt of similar style. Hers being a shade of blue slightly darker than her hair.

"Much better, isn't it?" Misato asked her cheerfully.

Rei looked up and it was obvious she wasn't sure exactly how to respond. "...Yes, Misato," she said finally with a slight nod.

Misato smiled, trying to make the girl feel comfortable. She heard footsteps coming down the hall and looked up at the doorway as Cirus stepped back into the room. He wasn't kidding when he'd said his pajamas were similar to his real clothes. They were the usual baggy shirt and pants, but his were all black. He seemed to like the color a great deal.

"Ah, there you are, Cirus," Misato greeted him with a warm smile and waved him in to sit down.

Cirus nodded his thanks quietly and sat down near Rei, though it didn't look out of place, she had spaced herself from Asuka and Shinji so Cirus had simply taken the space for himself. Misato noticed with a slight smile that Rei didn't seem to mind at all. In fact she seemed to relax even more.

"So what should we talk about?" Misato asked no one in particular.

"Anything but Angels," Shinji said with a faint smile.

No one could help but chuckle at the comment, even Rei faintly smiled, which surprised Misato quite a bit.

"Can we ask Cirus about his life?" Asuka asked, looking at Cirus intently, but this time with a mischievous smile.

Cirus smiled wryly. "Eh... not much to know, Asuka," he said dismissively.

"Besides," Misato started sourly, "we're not here to interrogate anyone."

Asuka suddenly remembered what Misato had said to specifically not do when they arrived and so she promptly dropped the subject with a quick apology.

"Not a problem," Cirus replied lightly.

Shinji suddenly remembered something. He looked up at Cirus. "Cirus, why don't we see you at the school?" he asked curiously.

Cirus flashed a smile. "I've already been through my education," he said, looking sidelong at Rei through his glasses. He noticed her react slightly to his answer; it was a slight tilt of her head as she remembered what he'd told her.

"Oh, like Asuka?" Shinji asked.

Cirus seemed to ponder the question for a moment. "Yes, you could say that I suppose."

"So you're already past college?" Asuka asked with a faint smile.

"And then some," Cirus replied lightly. That 'some' was probably the biggest stretch of the word's definition ever used.

Rei looked up as if to ask Cirus something, but stopped herself and looked back down.

Cirus' brow creased and he looked at her. "What is it, Rei?" he asked calmly.

Rei looked up and shook her head softly. "I didn't mean to do that, it is a private question," she explained.

"About what?" he asked.

"Your eyes," she answered quietly.

"Oh, go ahead, Rei," Asuka said quickly. "Ask, ask!"

Rei looked at Asuka with a slight puzzled expression on her face, then back up at Cirus.

"Do you mind, Cirus?" Misato asked him.

Cirus thought about it seriously. Rei had already had the foresight to avoid asking the question and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk the fact that she may have been very right to not ask. He cleared his throat and let his guard down for once. "Don't mind at all," he said lightly. "Ask away," he said looking to Rei with a polite smile.

Rei nodded and looked down at the ground. "When I saw your eyes... during the battle," she added, looking at Cirus. He faintly smiled in thanks for her concealment of their prior meeting, "I wondered why they were like they are. Can you tell me?" she asked.

Cirus had to admit the question could have been much worse. "When SEELE... made me the way I am... they made my eyes this way. It allows me to interact with my Eva better, I don't know why it turned them... this way, though," he answered honestly.

"I didn't get to see them during the battle, Cirus, could you show me?" Asuka asked.

Cirus raised an eyebrow and looked to Rei. She looked up at him and realized Cirus was waiting for her to tell him whether he could or could not show Asuka. Rei nodded faintly and he turned back to Asuka with a faint smile.

"Remember, Asuka, they aren't exactly appealing," he warned her as he took his glasses off and looked down at the ground.

Asuka looked on intently as he slowly looked up and into her eyes. Shinji and Asuka both looked at them in shock for a moment before coming back to their senses.

Cirus flashed a slight smile and put his glasses down beside him. It was nice to take them off. "Not exactly what you were expecting?" he asked Asuka and Shinji calmly.

They both shook their heads.

"No, but they look very interesting," Asuka replied.

"Yes, very unique," Shinji added quickly.

Cirus chuckled. "You don't need to make up compliments, I know what they look like."

Rei looked up at Asuka and Shinji with a slight frown. "Do not stare, it's rude," she reminded them. "They are his eyes, like any other person's," she added.

Asuka and Shinji, and actually Misato and Cirus also, looked at Rei in surprise.

"S-sorry, Ayanami, they just are interesting," Shinji apologized first, suddenly wary of looking Cirus in the eye for fear of upsetting Rei again.

"Y-yeah, sorry, Cirus," Asuka replied, rubbing the back of her head with one hand.

Rei looked up at Cirus and saw the quiet surprise on his face, but then it melted into a thankful smile and a nod. "...Thank you," his voice reached her quietly.

Rei blushed softly and looked down quickly to hide it. "...You are welcome."

"Oh you two are so cute as a couple," Misato said with a high-pitched tone.

Cirus cleared his throat abruptly and looked down at the ground himself, utilizing Rei's tactic. "A-hem, thank you, Misato, but I'll let Rei decide that," he replied with an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, let Rei decide it," Asuka agreed sourly looking at Misato.

"Oh Asuka, chill out," Misato waved away the girl's anger.

Cirus looked to his side and noticed that Rei's cheeks were even pinker than before. The poor girl was mortified. He smiled in quiet sympathy; she was adorable when she was embarrassed. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "Rei, didn't you tell me something about wanting to check the kitchen before we got here?" he asked calmly.

Rei realized what he was doing and nodded quickly. She stood up and walked out of the sitting room.

Misato shared Cirus' faint sympathetic smile as she looked after the girl as she passed through the door. A few moments later Rei walked back in calmly and sat back down.

"Thank you," she said quietly in Cirus' ear.

"Don't mention it," he replied softly.

"Someone's whispering," Asuka said in a tattletale voice, looking at Cirus and Rei with a mischievous smile.

Cirus looked up at her with a faint wry smile. "Not being the center of attention irritating you that much, Asuka?" he asked her.

Asuka frowned and her face turned red. "Hmph!"

"So, Cirus, where were you when I called Rei?" Misato asked with a sly smile.

Cirus looked at her with mild surprise in his eyes. "When did you call her, Misato?" he asked back calmly.

Misato's entire face turned sly. "You're avoiding the subject, Cirus," she pointed out to him in an insinuating tone.

"He was at my house," Rei said suddenly.

Asuka, Shinji, and Misato abruptly looked at her, and then at Cirus, in shock. Cirus swallowed a lump in his throat and forced a smile.

"Ahem, yes," he said.

Misato's expression turned mischievous. "And what were you two doing?" she asked in the same tone as before.

"Misato," Cirus said her name in shock.

"Something to be embarrassed about?" she asked back.

"No," Rei answered again, calm as ever. "I invited him over for dinner, we ate."

Misato made an interested noise. "Oh how romantic, dinner for two at her house."

Cirus blushed and looked down at the ground, clearing his throat. "Misato, perhaps you could drop it?" he asked subtly.

"Someone has a soft spot," Asuka replied.

I'll get you for this one, Misato. "Not at all, Asuka," Cirus replied, calming himself down and looking up lightly.

Misato chuckled. "I'm sorry, Cirus, I was just getting on your nerves, it's very easy once you know how," she added with a wry smile.

"Yes, it is," he replied dryly.

"I know!" Asuka shouted suddenly. "Cookies, milk and cookies. The perfect midnight snack!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yes," Misato drew out the word. "Go and get them, Asuka."

Asuka sprang up and ran out of the sitting room.

"Isn't it bad to eat something so sweet before going to sleep?" Shinji asked.

Misato waved away his worry with her hand. "Eh, don't worry about it. Once won't hurt us."

Cirus looked down at Rei with a warm smile. "Have you ever had milk and cookies?" he asked her quietly.

Rei shook her head slightly. "No."

Cirus glanced up at Misato with a slight smile. "Well, depending on what variety Misato has, you'll either love them, or think they aren't able to be defined as edible."

Rei smiled slightly at his comment. Shinji saw it and suddenly remembered something from his distant past. His mother, Yui, when he was a young child. He'd seen her smile and it looked almost exactly like Rei's. It was very pretty and it made Shinji relax a little more around Rei.

"So Misato, I would have thought Kaji would be here to spend the evening with you," Cirus said suddenly, getting his subtle revenge.

Misato forced a calm expression on her face while her inner emotions went from violent anger to calm realization of what he was doing. "Eh, yeah well he doesn't do this sort of thing really."

Cirus nodded, the double meaning being his satisfaction with her answer. "I see."

"So how was dinner?" Misato asked back.

Cirus had to admit she was quick on the draw. "Excellent, actually. Rei is a very good cook," he said, looking down and smiling at Rei.

Rei blushed slightly. "...I-It was not that well made."

"Oh don't be embarrassed, Rei, you're a wonderful cook," Misato replied.

Asuka finally came back into the sitting room with a mountain of cookies on a plate and five mugs of milk. "Let's eat!" she said energetically and set the tray down with all the goodies in the middle of the sitting room.

Misato scooped several cookies out into her hand and took her mug of milk over by herself. Shinji took a couple and his mug, while Asuka followed in Misato�s footsteps.

Rei delicately crawled over to the tray and picked up the mug of milk in both of her hands, looking down at the cookies curiously. Cirus averted his eyes, catching himself staring at her again. He waited until she seemed content with one cookie and brought it back to her spot on the sea of blankets that Misato had already sprawled out over the floor in the room.

Cirus crawled over himself, but in one large extension of his leg and took two cookies and his mug of milk before reeling himself back into his former position.

Misato didn�t bother to dip her cookies in the milk; she stuck a whole one in her mouth and chewed it up before taking a massive gulp of milk to wash it down with. She smiled broadly as she wiped the milk mustache off of her face. "Ah you were right, Asuka! No better way to eat at midnight!"

Asuka smiled as she ate one of her own cookies.

Shinji dipped each of his in his milk before lifting them up to his mouth, making sure to not let anything drip onto the blankets.

Rei looked at each of them eat theirs and then looked down at her lone cookie and her mug of milk, trying to decide which avenue of attack she should utilize. She decided to mix and match and took a small bite of her cookie with a sip of milk.

Cirus watched and smiled wistfully as she set her mug down, not realizing the milk mustache on her face. "...Rei, you have something on your," he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence as he motioned at his own upper lip area. She looked up at him slightly puzzled. He finally shook his head and reached up to her face slowly with his free hand. He gently wiped the milk off of her face with his thumb, suddenly realizing how close he was to her as he did. Her eyes looked into his calmly and he suddenly felt as if he were trespassing again; she was so innocent. He finished wiping the milk off and cleared his throat softly, pulling his hand back.

"Thank you," Rei said softly.

Cirus smiled at her, pushing the awkwardness out of his mind. "You're perfectly welcome."

Misato had seen the little interaction and smiled to herself as she took another sip of milk. They were adorable together. He could be surprisingly gentle for someone with his background.

As Asuka started up a chat about something to do with how irritating boys could be and how they just didn't compare to her Kaji, Cirus calmly shook his head and quietly took a sip of his milk. It was a very soothing drink, he had to admit. Almost as much as her touch... he realized quietly. He suddenly felt guilty for thinking about her like that and closed his eyes against the thought. It wasn't his place to think in such a way. Cirus set his mug down on the blanket to his side and rested it there with his hand, lulling his head back against the wall with quiet contentment on his face.

Rei looked at him furtively with her eyes, still holding her mug of milk in both hands. She was sitting on her legs and her hands were in her lap. As the others started to get into a debate about their discussion Rei wondered why she�d come in the first place. Because Cirus was... She looked down at his hand, lightly holding his mug's handle, and it was really resting on the ground more than anything. It was very nice to have him so near to her, it made the others' argument less grating on her, and, in fact, let her relax and simply ignore it.

She looked back down at her hands. Slowly pulling her left hand out from the mug, she reached down to his. Just as her fingertips drew near, she hesitated. He looked so peaceful that she didn't want to disturb him. Though she wished he would stay calm if she touched his hand, she knew he wouldn't. It would be very nice to hold his hand at that moment, but she wasn't sure what he would think. Then she realized that he did seem to like it when she was comfortable. Maybe he would relax for her? But that wasn't fair to assume, even if it was true. She just wanted to hold his hand though. Pushing her worry aside, she reached out with her hand slowly and then gently slipped it into his, softly caressing the back of his hand with her thumb. His hand relaxed from the mug and closed gently around her hand. Rei smiled; his hand was so warm and soft as it held hers... so comforting. And also, she looked up and saw the same peaceful expression on his face, but this time a faint smile was playing across his lips. Rei kept smiling faintly; she felt very safe right then.

Cirus normally would have been shocked by her hand slipping into his, but this time it was obvious that she just wanted to hold his hand, and that was a gift so beautiful to him that he couldn't help but relax, even more so than he normally felt possible. As her thumb caressed the back of his hand he couldn't imagine a better feeling. And her touch was so gentle; he'd never felt one like it. Her touch soothed him infinitely; it was impossible not to relax. It was as if she'd unwrapped a tight binding around his soul and it was finally able to stretch itself free. So soft...

"What do you think, Cirus?" Asuka's voice suddenly cut in.

Cirus raised his head up calmly. "About what?" he asked back.

"Haven't you been listening!? Who's right?" Asuka shouted back.

Cirus smiled wryly. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't hear a word."

"How come he gets to say that?" Shinji asked. Apparently he'd tried the same tactic.

"Because he's telling the truth, not just trying to get out of the conversation," Misato answered the boy with a twitching eyebrow.

As they went back into their debate Cirus looked down at Rei and smiled warmly. She smiled back and squeezed his hand again before gently pulling her hand back. He let her hand slip through his, appreciating the last moment of her touch before bringing his mind back to the sitting room.

"Thank you," Rei said quietly.

Cirus' smile broadened. "No, thank you."

"So are you two having another discussion?" Misato asked as she crawled over from the others and back to her previous spot.

Cirus looked up at her calmly and shook his head. "No, not really."

Misato smiled slyly, but then nodded. "Alright, just checking. Asuka finally just decided we were too stupid to bother arguing with, but that was after we informed her about Kaji's interest in... other women," she explained with a mischievous grin.

"You're down right mean sometimes, Misato," Cirus replied with a wry half-smile.

"Eh, I know," she replied lightly.

Rei yawned quietly and took another sip of her milk. It was getting late now and she was rather tired.

"Hoi, I think it's time to call it a night," Misato said with a loud yawn as she stretched her back and arms.

"Yes," Shinji replied with a nod.

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty tired, too," Asuka agreed reluctantly.

Misato stood up. "I'm going to go sleep in my room, Shinji, Asuka, why don't you two do the same. Let's let the guests have the sitting room," she explained. "Good night, everyone!" she said as energetically as she could with a wave as she left the room.

Everyone responded with a casual good night, even Rei.

"Hey, they shouldn't sleep in the same room!" Asuka shouted in shock as she suddenly realized what Misato had said.

"Aw, Asuka, just forget about it. We sleep in the same room, too," Shinji replied as he stood up with a yawn.

"Well, yeah, but-" Asuka wasn't sure what to say as she glanced from Shinji to Cirus to Rei, and then back to Shinji.

"Asuka, go get some sleep," Cirus told her with a slight smile.

"Oh fine!" Asuka replied sourly and then marched out of the sitting room in a huff.

Shinji shrugged at Cirus and Rei before waving a quick goodnight to them both and leaving himself, closing the door behind him.

Cirus relaxed against the wall again as Rei crawled over to the left center of the room and pulled one of the many convenient blankets over herself. "Good night, Cirus," she said in a soft, low voice.

"Good night, Rei, pleasant dreams," Cirus replied quietly.

Rei curled up into a loose ball as she started to doze off and Cirus smiled at her before looking away and finding his own place to rest, just a few feet away from her. He looked up after settling himself in and saw that Rei was shivering slightly and pulling herself more into a ball to keep warm. He stood up, carrying his blanket, and gently placed it over her, not wanting to wake her up. He smiled when she relaxed and her body uncurled under the covers.

He walked back over to the wall and leaned against it, lulling his head back to the wall.

"Are you cold?" Rei's quiet voice surprised him.

He pulled his head down to look at her and saw her quietly looking at him in the now dark room. "N-no, Rei, I'm fine," he answered, regaining his composure.

"...Thank you for the extra blanket," she replied even softer and more quietly than before.

Cirus smiled at her. "You're welcome."

Rei nodded and then closed her eyes again.

After a few moments her breathing was regular and steady, showing that she was asleep. Cirus let himself lie back down, just a foot away from the wall, his arms as his pillow, the image of Rei smiling at him still in his mind as he fell asleep.

At around two in the morning, Rei's eyes opened slowly and she saw Cirus asleep on the floor across from her. At first her eyes widened at seeing him asleep, but then she felt saddened slightly that he didn't have a blanket, and that he'd actually given the one he'd been using to her. Also, she felt a little alone in the room without someone near her. She stood up, pulling the blankets with her and using them as a temporary cloak as she stepped over to him and then got down beside him.

"Cirus?" she asked quietly.

She saw his eyes flutter open and then their deep blackness look in her direction. "Yes, Rei?" he asked softly, his voice didn't sound drowsy at all. He was probably trained to wake up quickly and be fully alert.

"We can share the blankets," she answered.

Cirus smiled. "Oh Rei, that's fine, you can use them," he replied.

"I don't want you to not have a blanket," she responded.

Cirus opened his mouth as if to respond, but he was stuck. He couldn't take one of hers because then she would be cold, but he couldn't share them with her either, that wouldn't be right of him. "Rei, don't worry about it. I'm fine, trust me."

"Please?" Rei pleaded softly. "Could I just sleep near you then?" she asked.

Cirus' eyes widened. "Rei, are you lonely?" he asked with gentle concern as he sat up.

Rei nodded quietly and pulled some her hair behind her ear to get it out of her face. "It was very comforting when you held me before that night. Could you do that again?" she asked softly.

Cirus smiled at her and reached up with his hand, gently caressing her face. "I would be honored to," he answered.

Rei smiled as he took her hand and lay down, holding her in his arms again. She let the blankets cover them both together and turned around in his arms so that she was facing him. Cirus held her to him gently as she rested her head on his chest, her arms curled around him in a soft embrace. Cirus smiled as silent tears fell down his face once more. She relaxed in his arms again and he could see her smile as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice gently drifting into Cirus' ears.

Cirus, still smiling gently, reached up with one of his hands and gently caressed her face again with the backs of his fingers. "...And thank you," he replied very softly.

They lay there, comforted in each others' arms, gently held together, each feeling the other breathe and hearing the other's heart beating. And finally, they fell asleep.