This or That

[elementalherodragonlord]

This or That

1. Person A posts their character 2. Person B replies with RNG 1-13 3. Person A picks option A or B 4. Have fun rp'ing! 5. If you have suggestions to add to the table hmu and I'll do it

1a. Coffee Shop AU	or	1b. Flower Shop AU
2a. Alternate Universe	or	2b. Fix-It
3a. Enemies to Lovers	or	3b. Childhood Friends
4a. Angst	or	4b. Fluff
5a. Love at First Sight	or	5b. Pining
6a. Modern AU	or	6b. Historical AU
7a. Soulmates	or	7b. Unrequited
8a. Fake Dating	or	8b. Secret Dating
9a. Break-Up & Make-Up	or	9b. Proposals & Weddings
10a. Get Together	or	10b. Established Relationship
11a. Oblivious Pining	or	11b. Domestic Fluff
12a. Hurt/Comfort	or	12b. Crack
13a. Meet the Parents	or	13b. Meet Cute

Comments

[rinseandrepeat]

7!!!

post-movie soulmates time!

[getoutoftherobot]

[Half of the kitchenware is still in boxes. The biggest issue is that Shinji doesn't know which boxes. They've been finding pots and pans packed in with shower curtains and decorative knickknacks all day. Shinji and Kaworu are both fairly well-organized people, but it turns out that when she has more possession than could fit in a backpack, Rei is not. It doesn't help that Tsubame, six now and very eager to be involved in everything going on around her, had decided to help pack as well.]

[They're only a 20 minute walk from the Suzuharas, but it's still a big deal to have a place of their own. Even having spent most of his time in NERV playing housewife for Asuka and Misato, Shinji had never thought he'd actually have a place of his own one day. It's one of those delightful surprises in this world without Evas-- that he can hold down a job, that Rei is sickly but not dying, that Kaworu is here and whole and breathing while Shinji roots through boxes for their rice cooker.]

[It's almost easier to believe Kaworu's stories about past worlds, endless cycles of failing to save them both. The warm light of the kitchen and the disorganized boxes of belongings seem almost harder to accept, mundane as they are.]

Did someone pack canned goods and one of the spare futons together?

[Shinji laughs to himself in bafflement as he cuts open the most recent box.]

[rinseandrepeat]

[This feels like the end. In a good way. Settling down somewhere with Shinji, just the two of them, is the beginning that's tearing away from the end of all Kaworu has known and come to expect. He's never gotten this far, not at all, but waiting for the shoe to drop has weighed on him all these years; who's to say he wouldn't fail to keep them safe from the next big threat again?]

[But that threat never came, and now, this time, these moments feel like it's over. The seed of worry in the back of his mind can wither and die while he pours his soul into loving Shinji. He's starting to stop having the dreams of waking up in space again, naked and alone, prepared to take his part in the whole thing one more time. Together with Shinji he's weathered the road to domesticity and what must be their life of normalcy from now on.]

[Kaworu smiles and wants to touch Shinji's hair and kiss him, but not with the unsheathed boxcutter in his hand.]

Maybe the thought was to keep them safe.

[He hovers around Shinji, ready to help him with the box's mystery mish-mash of contents.]

[getoutoftherobot]

[Shinji shakes his head and starts unloading cans of sauce and vegetables, making a neat little pile on the floor. Once he's far enough down to know that there isn't anything more valuable hiding underneath, he stops and tilts his head back to look at Kaworu. That's nostalgic, in a way-- it's been a while since Kaworu had significant height on him.]

Wish they'd picked the plates instead of the cans. How many of those did we lose, three?

[Accepting this box as a lost cause, Shinji sets down the box cutter and stands up. His legs protest the way he'd had them tucked underneath himself and he makes a small noise of complaint, putting a hand on Kaworu's arm to steady himself.]

So, how hungry are you? I think we can probably leave most of this out and find a home for it after we've eaten something.

[rinseandrepeat]

[Kaworu can't help but smile at the way Shinji struggles just a little to get up, a testament to their aging, their ability to grow and live on. He holds onto Shinji's hand once he's steady, wrapping his fingers around it, giving it a gentle squeeze.]

Three so far.

[He looks around at the boxes, down at the cans, and curls his fingers against Shinji's hand one at a time.]

I'm a little hungry. I could keep going, but a break for lunch sounds nice, too.

[getoutoftherobot]

[Well, that's definitely the quickest and most effective way to get Shinji to stop caring about the plates. He glances down at their hands and smiles, soft and happy with that old edge of shyness filed down to almost nothing.]

Yeah. Me too. Let's eat something.

[He squeezes Kaworu's hand in return, struck again by how lucky he is to be here. He's been having moments of that all day, gentle disbelief.]

I'm, um. Feels a bit weird to say it out of the blue, but I'm really happy you're here.

and the more 'soulmate au' style one (with bonus haruhi)

[getoutoftherobot]

[On the day Shinji meets his second soulmate, it's the last thing he expects. He isn't even really paying attention when the new kid is ushered into class that morning-- he's planning a trip to the grocery store after school, and he's trying to think up the most 'homemade rustic commoner' recipes. Haruhi's host friends are weirdly obsessed with cheap food and it's become the easiest way he can help her out with the whole situation. He never would have expected 'rice balls with imitation crab' to become a bargaining chip, but here they are.]

[The teacher calls for everyone's attention and Shinji stops staring out the window and thinking about food. The new boy is standing in the front of the class. Shinji makes eye contact.]

[For a moment, all the sound in the classroom fades to a faint hum. Music plays in the empty space it leaves behind, notes on an imaginary piano. He knows that song. He wakes up with it stuck in his head at least twice a week.]

[The sounds of the room filter back in. Shinji ducks his head and frantically pulls back his sleeve. The music notes halfway up his right forearm are still black, but around each one is a thin halo of color. Together, they make a rainbow.]

[He just gapes.]

[rinseandrepeat]

[To put it bluntly, Kaworu's parents just aren't wealthy enough for Ouran Academy. They could afford the Catholic boarding school in the next district but once they moved, prestige was out of their grasp. So, here he is. Public school. He's excited. He'll do just fine without the marches to the cathedral, the biased texts and teachings, and the pressure to hide his sexuality for...obvious reasons. So, yes, public school sounds fantastic.]

[Kaworu has had a fun time meeting teachers and observing students as he wanders the halls in the morning. Everyone is still in uniform, sure, but they're more casual than at the boarding school, and he likes how some kids have their own spin on their uniforms and accessories on their bags. Everything's personal. And if anyone is reading books, they aren't bibles or propaganda disguised as literature written by the teachers.]

[His homeroom teacher calls him into the classroom and he's more than happy to oblige. He walks in, closes the door behind him, and stands in front of the class. The teacher introduces him as a transfer student from the next city over, then asks him to introduce himself. Kaworu looks around the room at his classmates.]

[He meets eyes with a boy and a cello refrain fills his head the same way it does as he falls asleep and wakes up. It makes his heart swell; the one he's been dreaming of, a faint figure in his thoughts, someone he's loved without ever knowing them. He doesn't need to check his arm to know: this boy is the one.]

[He keeps his cool, scans the class as the music fades. He writes his name on the board and turns back to the class.]

I'm Kaworu Nagisa. It's nice to meet all of you.

[He looks directly at the boy by the window again, the one who sounds like the cello. He smiles.]

Please treat me kindly.

[He bows and the teacher assigns him to a seat the row next to the boy but in the far back. It's hard to pay attention to class when the back of his soulmate's head is just so interesting.]

[getoutoftherobot]

[Shinji is amazed that he catches his soulmate's name, given how hard his heartbeat is pounding in his ears. His face must be beat red, and oh god, he just smiled right at Shinji. Holy shit, oh god, he's beyond gorgeous, he has such a nice smile and his hair looks so soft and it catches the light like something ethereal, how is he Shinji's??]

[Shinji hears maybe 2 words of homeroom and at most 6 words of Japanese lit. He's so nervous his stomach hurts but that's-- that's better, right? He doesn't want to eat so he can-- do you offer your lunch to your soulmate? He did that with Haruhi but they were seven and platonic. He really, really hopes this one isn't platonic.]

[He somehow survives until the lunch bell, at which point he nearly knocks everything off his desk trying to stand up as quickly as possible. He panics at that point and doesn't actually walk over to Kaworu's desk, because he's embarrassed and oh, just glancing up to look at his soulmate makes him turn red all over again.]

[rinseandrepeat]

[Kaworu has a bad habit of leaning his cheek into his hand, giving off a visual impression he's not paying attention which, to be fair, is accurate. It doesn't take long for him to slide into this position, his focus torn between class and just...watching the boy. There's not much to watch, the back of someone's head isn't all that interesting, but Kaworu has dreamt of this moment for so long he can't help himself. Now that he has a face, his daydreams of doing mundane things such as holding hands, taking long walks, and sitting next to one another are complete.]

[What he assumes is the lunch bell rings and only somewhat gets him out of his thoughts. He's aware of students leaving, he can see some turning to one another in his peripheral, but his focus is on that boy, his soulmate, the one he was born to meet. He's been in love with the idea of his soulmate for so long he thought he'd be more prepared for the real thing, but watching him stumble and blush and peek at back at him...how could he have ever imagined what falling in love would truly feel like?]

[Kaworu smiles and with the hand he's not resting his face in he waves.]

Hello. Would you like to eat lunch together?

will i ever use a different icon? sources say no

[getoutoftherobot]

[Shinji is learning new things about himself today-- since when can he blush so hard even his chest feels hot? He takes a deep, shaky breath and manages a nod.]

Um!! Yes! Let's-- let's do that.

[He starts too loud and ends too quiet, and god, he's embarrassing himself in front of his soulmate already. Okay. Channel calm. Another deep breath. Focus on getting your food out of your bag. Go talk to your extremely pretty soulmate.]

S-Sorry, I'm, um. Not good at this.

[It doesn't help that half the class is looking at them. There's an unusual-looking new kid and the first person he's talking to is shy, bland Shinji Ikari.]

Do you want to go somewhere else to talk? Um! If you need to buy food, I can show you the cafeteria, or... we could share?