"You were passed out. I thought you'd prefer not to sleep in your clothes."

"And you?"

"I was... mostly dressed, but you were unstoppable and wouldn't keep your hands off me." He noted the angry look on her face. "And maybe I was a little weak, but it was only because..."

Yui rubbed her forehead. "I bet I can guess."

Gendo waited for her to say something more, but she didn't, and he didn't think it was a good time to tease her about it. "That's okay. I don't really think any less of you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Yeah, but here I am in my underwear, sitting on your bed, and I've got the hangover from hell... Never again. No more bars." Disgust. That was what she felt.

Gendo was on the phone; it was the sound of him that made Yui look up. "Professor Fuyutsuki? Yes, I will."

Yui's eyes widened. "No, don't! I don't want you to..."

"Yes, Professor. I'm afraid Yui Ikari won't be able to make her appointment today. She's under the weather."

Yui just stared at him, her hand over her mouth.

"Reschedule? I'll have her call you back when she's feeling up to it. Oh, I'm sure it'll pass quickly. Thank you, Professor." Gendo smiled as he looked back at Yui. "There, you can just reschedule and everything's fine."

"Are you crazy?" Yui nearly yelled.

"I think you've referred to me as such before."

"Do you know how far back that could have set me?"

Gendo blinked. "A day?"

"A _year_!" Yui shook her head, pulling on her shirt. "So much work wasted... You wouldn't believe..."

"Why do you say that? You called me the smartest man in class, and here you treat me like a little boy." His eyes narrowed momentarily as he frowned. "I _do_ understand the concept of research work, you know. But I also understand when someone is in no shape to be doing that work."

"But I needed..."

"What you need now is to get yourself cleaned up; it might not help your hangover, but it will make you feel better. Some clean clothes, call your professor..." He took her hands and looked in her eyes. "I have done work in my life."

"I'm sorry. It's just that... we've worked for so long on this. A single day really _can_ set us back that far, and I owe it to the others to pull my fair share." A weak smile graced her lips. "I take my work very seriously."

Gendo nodded, looking at Yui with sincerity. "That's fine, but if you're not in shape to work or study, or even have fun, you just won't be able to accomplish what you want to. Wait, let me guess. You went to class, even the bullshit lecture classes, when you were sick enough that you should have stayed home."

Yui flushed and nodded. "It's a hard habit to break, and now with this project... I just don't want to disappoint Fuyutsuki."

That name again. Gendo was beginning to not like it, especially with the way Yui's voice softened when she spoke it. Maybe he would have to accompany her to one of these appointments some day.

The next words he had to force from his mouth. "I'm sure you won't disappoint him. And if he is, that's his problem. You shouldn't go do important work in the shape you're in."

"Thank you, Gendo," Yui said softly, looking down at the floor.

"Everyone needs someone to take care of them sometimes," he replied in the same manner. He kneeled on the floor in front of her and looked at her face. "You know... to make the hurts go away."

It was getting to Yui in a bad way. Even in their compromising states on undress, she was getting choked up. "Even you?"

"Even me. Especially me... by you."