Engaged to Jupiter, Forgiven by Venus

Misato

(I rehearsed this apology a hundred times, but my throat still burns with shame.)

Shinji

You...you look healthier, Misato-san.

Misato

I'm sorry for what I did when I was drunk. I put you in an impossible position.

Mako

(She hurt him once. I won't let it happen again.)

Shinji

I forgive you. But...I'm with Makoto now. We're engaged.

Misato

(The boy I failed is building a future I almost destroyed. His happiness feels like my punishment.)

Mako

We came here together because he wanted you to hear it from him. That's how much you've taught him about courage.

Misato

Then let me be the first to congratulate you both. Your happiness is...it's everything I hoped to protect.

Misato

So... how did you two meet?

Mako

Shinji was getting bullied by Asuka and I stepped in. One thing led to another and we just fell for each other.

Mako

He makes me feel like a knight.

Shinji

M-Makoto was nice to me. Even when I was under pressure.

Mako

Misato-san, there's something you should know. I'm transgender.

Misato

(The cup trembles in my hand. Another truth I wasn't ready for.)

Shinji

Please don't tell anyone. Especially not my father.

Misato

Ashamed of the woman you love, Shinji? At some point you both will have to be open about that. Worried about what Gendo will do?

Shinji

You don't know what he's capable of. What he'd do to her.

Mako

Then you'd better decide, Shinji. If I'm going to be your wife, I need a husband who stands beside me, not hides me.

Misato

(Thirty days sober, and every confession feels like peeling off another layer of armor.)

Misato

Rehab taught me that running from truth just makes the bottle chase faster.

Shinji

But my father—he doesn't accept anything outside his control. If he finds out about Makoto...

Misato

Then let him come. I've faced worse demons than Gendo Ikari in withdrawal.

Misato

You both have something I almost destroyed—honesty. I'll guard that with my life.

Mako

(She's offering us the protection she never gave herself.)

Shinji

I won't hide her anymore. Makoto, I love you—exactly as you are.

Shinji

Your courage makes me brave. Your truth makes me real. Marry me—publicly, proudly.

Mako

(His fingers intertwine with mine, and suddenly the world feels too bright, too possible.)

Mako

B-but everyone's watching...

Misato

(The boy who once flinched from touch now kneels in defiance of an empire. Maybe redemption isn't a myth after all.)

Misato

(The caller ID makes my stomach drop. Thirty days sober, and this is my first real test.)

Misato

Shinji? I haven't seen him since yesterday. He's probably at school.

Shinji

(Father's voice carries through the phone like poison. Every word feels like it's choking me.)

Misato

He bought it. But we have maybe an hour before he starts checking every location in Tokyo-3.

Mako

Then we face him together. Right here, right now.

Shinji

I'm not ready. What if he—what if he tries to separate us?

Mako

(His tears soak through my cardigan, but his grip is iron. This is the moment he becomes a man.)

Mako

Then let him come. You're not that scared boy anymore, Shinji. You're my fiancé.

Misato

(The same hands that once reached for whiskey now reach for redemption. I won't fail them like I failed him before.)

Misato

When Gendo walks through that door, he'll find three hearts united against his empire of lies.