oob: Kippei and Shinji

Shinji still wasn't talking. Not talking to him, Kippei realised, just like he'd said. God, he was stubborn. Kippei had no idea how to fix this, because he just didn't know how to give Shinji what he wanted. There was somewhere a sharp, screaming edge of terror that said he couldn't, that if he gave in on this one point then everything was going to fall apart. People were going to get hurt. Shinji would get hurt. He couldn't do it.

It wasn't like Shinji was ignoring him completely, either. He just wasn't talking. Kippei found him curled up on the daybed in the sunroom, and sat down beside him in silence for awhile, holding Shinji's hand and playing with his fingers. Silence, because he'd said hello and Shinji hadn't answered him, and obviously wasn't going to.

"I'm sorry," Kippei told him finally again, frustrated and feeling guilty for making Shinji upset, but not knowing anymore than he had before how to change the way he felt. It was too much a part of him. Kippei sighed, reaching for him, wanting to hold him even if he wouldn't answer.

"I don't know how to do this. I can't. I'm sorry." He wondered grimly if maybe Shinji was just never going to talk to him again.