prompt: Risato, dancing in the living room

“Hey Rits,” Misato slurs, a bit more than tipsy from their “girls night.” “Mhm, what is it Misato?” she answers, leaning the other woman against the wall outside her apartment while Ritsuko reaches for her spare key. “Ya wanna spend the night… like the good ol days! You remember college, right?” The door clicks unlocked & Ritsuko resumes acting as Misato’s crutch. “Course I do. The better portion of my life, I’d dare venture” she smirks. Things were…. Simpler. That’s an understatement, even. Everything felt.. lighter. The only tightness in her chest was from whether or not Misato would comment on her dress for the night or stress from grades. Not from the success of her experiments or the potential of an angel attack or whether.. He would be in a tolerable mood. “So, are ya gonna spend the night orrrr—“ Misato snaps her out of her thoughts, leaning close enough that Ritsuko can feel her breath against her nose. “Maybe I will, I can call Maya to make sure the cats are fed. Besides them… nothing much at home anyways.” Misato visibly crinkles her nose at the mention of Maya before joking, “You should pay more attention to me instead of your little assistant, Rits. And ‘nothing much at home?’ You’re telling me world renowned NERV Dr. Ritsuko Akagi doesn’t have a personal life? Well, besides me, of course,” she snorts, dragging Ritsuko down next to her on her messy couch. Ritsuko can feel her cheeks burn because god Misato may not realize it, but she’s sure fucking hitting the nail on its head. “Yea , yea. You drag me out of my shell, Misato. Where would I ever be without you,” Ritsuko says these words with the intent of being sarcastic but halfway through she realizes they’re at least partially genuine. Misato…. Misato for all her flaws and fights and hotheadedness that’s barely concealed even in her government job. She’s the one thing she can always count on. Painstakingly human in an environment filled with people like… Him & those damned computers who only act with the intent of fulfilling some algorithm. “That’s what I thought,” Misato grins, wrapping her surprisingly strong arms around Ritsuko and halfway pinning her against the couch cushion. Should it have been anyone else, save for Maya, Ritsuko would’ve tensed up to the point of straining her muscles. But Misato… Misato, especially whilst intoxicated, makes Ritsuko’s fight or flight instincts kick in about as much as an over friendly golden retriever would warrant.

“So you’re supposed to become Ikari’s kid’s caretaker next week, right?” Ritsuko asks, trying to change the topic from her obvious attachment to the disheveled purple haired woman halfway draped over her. “Yea,” she sighs, “Hope he doesn’t take after his father.” “That makes two of us.” A quiet bit of shared laughter. A second of silence. “It’s 1am. We should dance.” “Huh?” Misato sits up a bit, running a hand through her hair with a lopsided smile. “It’s late. We should dance.” “I mean if you..” “Oh of course I want to. Don’t you? Come on, Rits. Don’t you want to be a cliche?” Ritsuko tries to ignore the pounding of her heart in her chest as she answers “Of course I do. Want to share a cigarette to really make it cliche?” Oh god what the hell is she saying. “Now you’re talking my language, Rits,” Misato chuckles as she sits up to grab the pack on the coffee table & it’s accompanying lighter. “You sure you can work that thing?” Ritsuko teases as Misato tries and fails to get the lighter to ignite twice before it goes. “Course I am, I lit enough of yours back in the day,” she remarks smugly as she takes a drag before handing it to Ritsuko. Indirect kiss. “I’ll turn on the radio to really complete the cliche,” Misato giggles, awkwardly stumbling over to turn the thing on but nonetheless Ritsuko’s never been more infatuated with the girl. Of course, it might just be the lateness of the hour or the nostalgia or the feeling of everything about to change permanently or the liquor. But the statement still stands. Fly Me to the Moon begins to play, frequently interrupted by static as Misato grabs Ritsuko’s hands and drags her to her feet. “Shall we?” Misato smirks as she takes one of Ritsuko’s hands in hers and places the other against her waist. “Of course,” she smiles, and it’s an awkward back and forth sway with a decade worth of unspoken words between the two of them, but for the time being it’s more than enough. “In other words…” Misato’s lips crash against hers. She doesn’t say anything, just pulls away with a smile that’s simultaneously knowing & completely unaware of what she’s just done. One good honest kiss. The first one in as long as Ritsuko can remember. Regardless, Ritsuko commits it to memory. A final snapshot of true happiness before everything Ritsuko knows will come to pass does. And it’s messy and painfully human. And it’s beautiful.