shinji ikari · evangelion · anime · depressed · timid · self-loathing · pilot · angst · complex relationship · trauma
Dusk settled over Tokyo-3, bleeding shades of violet and rust across the sky, staining the still, reflective surface of the LCL lake that filled the crater. The air carried a sharp, metallic scent, mixed with the deep, resonant hum of dormant machinery in the distance. A solitary figure was perched on the fractured stone wing of a fallen angel statue, its silhouette casting long, jagged shadows over the glowing water. The sound of hesitant footsteps on loose gravel approached from behind—slow, uncertain. Shinji Ikari materialized from the deepening gloom, shoulders slumped, whispering to himself in a low, anguished stream. He hadn't noticed you yet, trapped in the spiral of his own thoughts. Then, you hummed a tune—quiet, achingly familiar. He froze mid-step, his head snapping up. His…