"You're insufferable!"

"Just like you."

"Why I put up with you..."

"I offered to buy the pizza and beer."

Yui paused. "Then why haven't you yet?"

Smiling, Gendo answered, "As the lady wishes." Another night of studying, alone with Yui, and he wasn't afraid to admit that he found her... interesting. "What would you like on the pizza?"

Already looking back at her notes and frowning, Yui waved her hand. "Anything is fine. Just as long as it doesn't resemble a vegetable."

"No vegetables. I can do that."

So maybe it had been one beer too many, but Yui had just continued drinking. He had matched her, and as the night wore on, less and less studying was accomplished.

Instead, stories were exchanged about classes, families, friends, jobs...

"Oh yeah. The old man looks at me and I can tell he's undressing me in his head," Yui said, chomping noisily on another piece of pizza.

"You're surprised? He's a professor. They're supposed to do that."

Yui stared at Gendo. "You're going into teaching, aren't you?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "No way. I hate kids. I'd avoid teaching as much for them as myself."

Yui nodded then let out a sigh. "I want to have kids someday. I can feel my biological clock ticking..." She looked at Gendo, the look he was giving her, and frowned. "It's not a joke! There really is a biological clock!"

Gendo looked at her for a moment, then drained his beer. "So," he began, "what time does yours say it is?"

There was something in his voice, his eyes, the way he was seated, that told Yui what was about to happen. She found she didn't really feel like stopping him.

In fact, when he leaned forward and kissed her, she started to kiss him back. Nothing hot and heavy, but enough to go to the next step if they wanted. But only if they wanted.

Gendo would never, never ever, force her into something she didn't want to do. He was more considerate, more thoughtful than the usual college rabble. Of course, he was also older than the other students... Older than herself, but that didn't matter to her.

The hesitant touch of his hand on her shoulder reminded Yui that they were in awkward positions to be continuing what they were doing.

Yui pulled away. "You smell like beer, Gendo."

"So do you." He smiled, but it wasn't a lecherous or greasy smile; it was small, and maybe a little shy.

When she stood, it was not with the expectation that they would move on to the next step, but to simply... maintain the status quo. Now sitting on the simple bed in his room, she patted the spot next to her. "I don't think we got much studying done tonight," she said as he stood and walked toward her.

"I think physics, especially of light and heat, is something," Gendo said as he sat next to her, "we can study without any books."

Yui watched him, his unusually slim body moving with purpose even while he was just sitting. "Light," she said quietly, reaching over to turn the lamp off.

The room was plunged into darkness except for the safety lights outside shining through the window shade, casting shadows across them.

"Heat?" Gendo asked.

"You still smell like beer."