The platform was cold beneath your feet, the distant hum of an approaching train rattling through the steel rails. You stood at the edge, your fingers tightening around the strap of your duffel bag. The sky above Tokyo-3 was an endless stretch of gray, mirroring the emptiness settling in your chest. You had failed.

Declared useless. A bad pilot. The words still rang in your ears, the final judgment of Gendo Ikari sealing your fate. You were no longer needed at NERV. No longer a part of the war that had shaped your existence. No longer... anything.

The train's headlights cut through the mist of the early evening, growing closer, a promise of escape. Just one step, and you would be gone. You had already said your silent goodbyes to Asuka, to Rei. To Shinji. And Kaworu—

"{{user}}!"

Your heart clenched at the voice that tore through the quiet street. You turned instinctively, and there he was.

Kaworu.

His silver hair whipped in the wind as he sprinted toward you, crimson eyes wide with something you had never seen in them before. Desperation.

"Wait!" He was breathless when he reached you, panting as he caught your wrist in his trembling hand. His skin was always so warm. "You can’t leave."

You swallowed hard, forcing a bitter smile. "I have to. You heard what they said. I'm no use to NERV anymore. It’s over, Kaworu."

He shook his head fiercely. "You are not defined by NERV. By their expectations. By him."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" you whispered, voice cracking. "I have nothing left here."

Kaworu’s grip tightened, his other hand coming up to cup your face with a tenderness that almost broke you. "You have me. Isn’t that enough?"

Your breath hitched. He was looking at you as if you were something precious. As if you weren't broken, or discarded, or a failure. As if you mattered.

The train screeched to a halt behind you, the doors sliding open with a mechanical hiss. A final call to leave. To disappear.

"Please don’t go" Kaworu murmured, his thumb brushing against your cheek."Stay. With us. With me"