I will and always will believe that Persona 3 is a helluva lot more better than Persona 4. Even though P4 did have a better interactions between the characters and a more fleshed out storyline, P3 will have a special place in my heart due to its memorable characters, crazy ass final boss fight, and that wtf ending.

Anyway, I've been wanting to do this for awhile. Write a fic about Akihiko and Shinjiro's friendship, I mean. We never saw a ton of scenes between the two guys so I was pretty... dissatisfied about that. So yeah. I think I'm done saying things for now.

Enjoy the story and I apologize for any grammatical errors.

DISCLAIMER - I DON'T OWN PERSONA 3. IF I DID, THE MALE PROTAGONIST AND THE FEMALE PROTAGONIST WOULD BE SIBLINGS.

The Snag of Being Best Friends

"Shinji."

A silver-headed young man came down the stairs of the Iwatodai Dorm and entered the kitchen.

"Shinji."

He was searching for someone – someone with a black beanie and a red peacoat.

"Shinji."

And he did find him.

"Shinji."

But.

"Shinji."

He wasn't answering to his calls.

"Shinji, answer me."

Akihiko only got a grunt from him. Furrowing his brows, he approached his discontented young friend and ripped the cooking book from his hands.

"The fuck, Aki. What do you want now?" Shinjiro scowled, trying to intimidate his close friend as a way to obtain his book back.

"I need advice," Akihiko responded curtly, ignoring his dear friend's expression.

"Well, I don't give a shit."

"Well, you're not getting your book back."

Glaring at him vehemently, Shinjiro tried to snatch his book from Akihiko's hands. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful.

"Help me or you're not getting your book back," Akihiko repeated dully.

Shinjiro scoffed, remembering that the silver-head boy had fast ass reflexes due to his boxing training. "Fine. What do you need help on?" he sighed deeply.

Akihiko grinned. "It's about Mitsuru."

Shinjiro should have known. He almost facepalmed, but resisted in doing so. Instead, he held his apathetic frown and massaged his temples. "What about her?" He seriously wanted to walk away and exit out of the dorm so he didn't need to listen to his companion's qualms.

"I-It's about… y-you k-know…"

Oh. Hell. No. Shinjiro's hands trembled in frustration, wanting to grip Akihiko's neck as hard as they can so they can happily squeeze the crap out of it.

"A-Ah… I-I wanted to…" Akihiko's blush turned redder every second.

Shinjiro inwardly sighed. He knew what was up. That blush told him everything. And knowing Akihiko, he bet that he was imagining all sorts of lovely, sensual opportunities while sputtering like a bitch at the same time. He held his tongue though. He wanted to hear the words from the horse's mouth.

"T-To… um…"

"For fuck's sake, just tell me before I ditch your ass for another nightly stroll to the shrine."

Crap.

He internally reprimanded himself. That wasn't supposed to come out.

"IwanttoaskoutMitsuruonadatetothemovies."

Akihiko spew that so swiftly that Shinjiro couldn't follow what he said.

"The fuck… what? Can you repeat yourself?"

Where was Arisato? He was good at dealing with this crap. Shinjiro knew that all sorts of people go to him for advice. Unfortunately, Akihiko was one of the very few exceptions. When it comes to his problems, Akihiko went to him instead. It must be because best friends are more dependable than normal companions.

As everyone didn't know, Akihiko was a complete moron when it came to his issues. And regrettably, the majority of his issues were about romancing Misturu. When he tried to speak about them, he'd act so tactlessly that it seemed like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He'd stammer like a fool. He'd make faces like a stupid sixteen-year-old girl. He'd even twiddle his thumbs like a dumbass. This side of him was the complete opposite of that cool, stoic persona he usually maintained (no pun intended).

Shinjiro inwardly sighed again. This must be a perk – no. This must be a drawback of being best friends with someone.

You got to hear that friend whine over the stupidest shit.

Akihiko breathed deeply, calming himself in the process.

Shinjiro raised his eyebrow, waiting for his response impatiently.

"I.. I want to ask out Mitsuru on a date to the movies. I was wondering if you had any tips on how to do it."

His words were barely audible, but Shinjiro was able to hear all of it more or less.

"I thought it's a good time to since the film festival is happening at the movies. And since there seems to be some pretty good movies this year, it feels more like the perfect opportunity to get closer to her," Akihiko explained, his blush still plastered across his face.

Even with all his bitchiness and recklessness, Shinjiro was pleasantly surprised to see Akihiko thinking thoughtfully about the pending situation at hand. He shook his head and took the chance to snatch his book while Akihiko was distracted with his own embarrassment.

Akihiko then woke up from his thoughts and panicked when he saw his fellow SEES member's beloved book in his possession. The shaggy haired teen could easily read his thoughts.

"Come on and let's go on a walk. You made the damn atmosphere here all stuffy and crap," Shinjiro said indifferently, throwing the book on the counter before heading to the double doors. He was too nice for his own good.

Akihiko only nodded before following him out.

It was already the middle of September. The leaves were starting to lose their brilliant green and the winds were gradually growing colder and colder.

The two teens weren't bothered by the weather however. Really, they should be sleeping but they couldn't, albeit for entirely different reasons.

"It feels like the old days," Akihiko muttered, his arms wrapped crisscross behind his head.

"Yeah… it does," Shinjiro responded slowly, remembering when it was only him, Akihiko, and Mitsuru.

"Mitsuru used to scold us for staying out past the Dark Hour so late."

"You mean you, right?" Shinjiro smirked. "I would always leave your sluggish self before shit went down."

"Hey. She caught you once."

"So? That once didn't count. You literally Zio-ed me by throwing a damn taser you borrowed from Kurosawa. You freakin' electrocuted me purposely so I could get in trouble. Who the hell does that to a close friend?"

Akihiko laughed heartily. "You deserved it, Shinji. You left me to get my butt maimed by Mitsuru and her whip."

"Whip? Now you are exaggerating. That wasn't a whip. It was some kind of black stick. And stop trying to make me feel guilty. All you're doing is sounding like a masochist."

"Why are you being so mean? You should be lucky I didn't even snitch on you about that stuff."

"The hell you saying?"

"I know you still have that ero."

"You better stop. I'm going to throw you if you keep going."

"What? Why are you denying it? We used to watch it back in middle school."

"Stop."

"Pacific Rim."

A scuffle later, the two males reached the shrine with a couple bruises and some dirt on their clothes.

"Fuck. A button is loose again," Shinjiro grumbled as he played with the nearly ripped button of his coat.

"I can't believe you threw me in the middle of the street," Akihiko chuckled. "I never knew that was your berserk switch."

"You were blatantly crying for a beatdown as soon as you said that title." Shinjiro punched his arm.

"Shit," Akihiko hissed. "My arm still hurts from impacting with the damn ground, you know?"

"I know." Another smirk perpetrated his buddy's face.

As they stood behind the wooden rails located at the shrine's perimeter, Akihiko rested his hands on them while Shinjiro rested his forearms with a slouch.

"Well? You want to spit out whatever you were going to say, Aki?" Shinjiro questioned without looking at him.

Now that they were out of that place, he knew Akihiko would be able to articulate a little more clearly. There was no possibility of having her eavesdrop on their conversation this time.

"W-What's time is it?" Akihiko chuckled nervously.

The. Fuck.

"Past 2 in the morning," he replied apathetically as he took his phone out for a second. "Stop stalling and start answering."

"A-Ah ahaha…"

Shinjiro wanted to throw him again – this time over these freaking rails.

"I want to ask out Mitsuru and I don't know how," Akihiko said timidly. "So do you have any idea how?"

Shinjiro couldn't believe this. How many times has this happened? Once? Twice? Thrice? No. Over a hundred times. Akihiko was the type of guy who hid his personal matters from the public and his own friends… the only exception was him himself. Whether it was his frustrations with his peers and teachers, his insecure thoughts, or whatever, Akihiko would solely go to him for emotional support. He knew he would go to Mitsuru as well, but the crap he told her was only scratches on the surface. He was his confidant. The friend to go to. And that was the reality of it all.

Back to the subject matter for tonight, Shinjiro turned his head and dryly stared at his Akihiko.

He remembered the first time he said anything about her.

It was back when they first joined SEES.

It was Shinjiro and Akihiko's third night at staying in the Iwatodai dorm. Ever since Mitsuru entered their lives, life began to get a lot hectic. Balancing school and Shadow battling were stressful and tiresome. And these two entities eventually caused many sleepless nights for the two newcomers.

A younger Shinjiro heard a knock on his door. Waking himself from his daydreaming, he got off his bed and opened it.

"Shinji…"

A younger Akihiko appeared before him with a deep red blush.

"You okay, Aki?" Shinjiro asked, his voice laced with worry. He moved to the side so Akihiko can enter. After, he closed his door and saw his childhood friend sitting at his desk. "Your Persona ain't giving you diarrhea or whatnot, right?"

"Wh-What? N-No! It's not that!" Akihiko sputtered piercingly. Realizing the harshness of his voice, he stared at the ground embarrassingly. "S-Sorry… It's a-about Mi-Mi-"

"Mi?"

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko screeched before covering his mouth pathetically.

"What," Shinjiro winced at the sound of his friend's earsplitting voice. Fucking puberty.

"It's about Mitsuru…" Akihiko repeated slowly.

Shinjiro hoped for dear life that Mitsuru didn't hear that. But then again, it's past midnight. And considering that they had their nightly walkabout to find any Shadows and helpless people during the Dark Hour, she must be in a deep and satisfying sleep, unlike them.

"What about her?"

"I..."

"I…?"

"I… I… I-I…"

Oh no… He only acts like this when he… Oh god no. He can't be-

"I-I like Mitsuru!"

And ever since then, Akihiko has been frequently asking him for advice about courting girls and the like, despite him never being in a serious relationship.

"Akihiko. Why are you even asking me this?" Shinjiro groaned as he got up from his spot. "I told you. I don't have experience with these things."

"Why are you lying," Akihiko retorted. "You were a popular guy back when you used to attend school. You even went on dates every now and then."

"And there's a damn difference, Aki. I never did any of the asking. They did."

"Ahhhhg. Help a brother out, Shinji," Akihiko pleaded.

Shinjiro really wished he didn't say that.

"Crap. Fine. Fine."

Shinjiro hated it when Akihiko used 'brother.' Whenever he said it to him, he couldn't cast off his requests.

Shinjiro never had a family. When he was abandoned on those orphanage steps, he knew he wasn't loved. That what started his cynical, harsh personality. But when Akihiko and his sis, Miki, entered his life out of nowhere... a hope spot suddenly appeared. And he found himself being called a brother by the both of them.

And when that orphanage fire occurred, he and Akihiko entered something a helluva lot more meaningful. Shinjiro knew. Akihiko knew. Blood might be thicker than water, but their friendship – no. Their brotherhood didn't count. Blood never applied to what they had because their bond was stronger than any kind of substance.

Shinjiro shook his head. "Aki, why do you think you have to do anything incredible?"

Akihiko blinked before responding. "Because it's Mitsuru. She's up there, Shinji."

"Up there? The hell you mean?"

"Her social status. I mean, she's just-"

"Do you really believe her to be that? To be some uppity, sophisticated cunt that would only be pleased by the fanciest pleasures and the most over-the-top actions?"

"N-No… I just believe that she deserves something more – something that can clearly tell her that I'm the one for her."

"The hell is this? A fucking marriage proposal? She isn't some kind of trophy that needs to be obtained through witty and competitive means."

"But! She's-"

"A Kirijo. I know, Aki. But have you wondered? You imply that a date is something special that should be doused with surprises and farfetched materialistic bullshit. But what really is a date?"

Silence carried through the tension between the two males.

Akihiko clearly had a disapproving stare. He was obviously rejecting his statements and arguments.

Anoher sigh escaped Shinjiro's lips before talking again. "Aki. A date isn't something that needs to be overly special. I know that you want things to be perfect before you even try anything. Mitsuru is an extraordinary girl in your eyes and that trait is what holds her so-called perfection afloat. Unfortunately, doing things before a date isn't important. What's important is the things during the date. Remove the word 'perfection' from your description of Mitsuru. Because when you try to act perfect for the girl you love, you only ruin the relationship you could potentially have with her."

Akihiko looked away from Shinjiro's hard stare. His jaw tightened.

"And if you can't get past her perfection, you don't deserve her."

"What," Akihiko whispered dangerously. "You want to say that again, Shinji?"

"You don't deserve Mitsuru if you put her on a high ass pedestal."

A punch connected Shinjiro's cheek.

He massaged it.

And Shinjiro raged at him.

A headbutt slammed into Akihiko's nose.

A fist impacted Shinjiro's chest.

A roundhouse kick to Akihiko's ribs.

An uppercut to Shinjiro's chin.

A one-two knocked into Shinjiro's cheek and then his mouth.

Akihiko found himself breathing sharply after being crashed into the cement.

Shinjiro found himself gasping for air after surviving a barrage of punches to the chest.

And finally, a punch from both of them bashed into each other's cheek.

Knockout.

Basking in the moonlight, they fell on their backs. Both lie on the ground; their feet only inches from each other.

They savored the rest they granted one another before saying a word. The only sound was the wind that roared in their ears.

"…Aki…" Shinjiro breathed. "Ask her normally. Simplicity is the best medicine when it comes to love. Be her friend first. And when the time comes, be her lover."

"Shinji…" Akihiko coughed as he groggily got up from the ground. "I think my arm is broken."

Shinji smirked despite the pain emanating from his face. Seeing Akihiko's hand near him, he grasped it.

"Fuck! OW!"

Shinjiro only chuckled as he got up on his feet. "Thanks, Aki."

Akihiko glared at him before looking at Shinjiro's posture and injured face. "How are we going to explain this?"

"We tripped on the stairs."

"That's not going to explain anything."

"You have a better explanation?"

"We fought a couple rapists at the shrine."

"The hell? You trying to look all heroic in front of Mitsuru?"

"N-No! Wh-Why would I?"

"Haha… whatever, Aki. Let's just go home. My fuckin' head is bangin'."

"Heh. Let's go."

The pair limped down the shrine's stairs.

"Crap man. Look at those stars," Shinjiro said in awe. "I'm seeing constellations of Castor."

"You're going crazy, Shinji," Akihiko laughed.

"Really? I think you can't see it because you're thinking that this is the perfect setting for having a hot, sweaty makeout session with Mitsuru."

"Shut up, Shinji. I'm not saving you if a Table Shadow forks you next time."

"You a ass for bringing that up."

"Whatever, man. Haha. Thanks, by the way. That food for thought was pretty helpful."

"Yeah? Just hurry before Arisato tries to pull a move on her. That kid is freakin' harem master material."

"I'll fist the shit out of him if he touches my Mitsuru."

"My Mitsuru? Possessive ass… And fist the shit? Really, man? You got to stop using these awkward verbs, Aki."

"Hahaha. Thanks once again… Shinji."

"No problem, brother."

END.

Hm... I don't know about that ending... I think I could have ended it on a better note. Oh well. And that short fighting scene... lol. Sorry if you thought it was a bit... lackluster.

Anyway, yes. I am a huge fan of AkihikoxMitsuru. We rarely see them interact alone in the game, but the idea of them being together (or them being in a secret relationship during the game's storyline) is pretty appealing to me.

One last note, Pacific Rim. I'm not talking about the movie, if you guys thought so. The title is a freaking double entendre. Also in this case, ero is a codename for porn. So just put two to two together, kay?

K. I'm done talking. Thanks for reading and I once again apologize for any grammatical errors.

Later.