[AN: This takes place in Persona Q universe, right after the first dungeon. You don't have to have played the game to understand this. Minor spoilers, maybe?

This was written for 'protagshippingweek' on tumblr. As such, this ends in (clean) Minato/Souji.

A version with the anime names is available at Dreamwidth at the following address:
angevon dot dreamwidth dot org/7300 dot html
Every 'dot' should be a '.'

Please enjoy!]

The collective members of both the Gekkoukan and Yasogami teams were gathered outside of Classroom 2-2. Garish pink and white heart-print banners decorated the hall, and two oversized vases filled with red roses stood on either side of the classroom's door. Flower petals rained from the ceiling and no one could discern the source. Despite the blithe appearance, it was apparently the next dungeon: the Group Date Cafe.

But before taking their first steps into the new dungeon and braving its challenge, something important had to be established.

"The best candidate for leader," Mitsuru said, "would be either your team's leader or our team's leader. What do you think, Arisato?"

Minato stared hard at the Yasogami leader, appraising him. The gray-haired bowl-cut kid... With that overly-serious expression on his face, he looked... kind of dorky.

Souji stared back, appraising the Gekkoukan leader in turn. The blue-haired boy could only see through one eye due to his too-long hair. With his slouched posture, he looked... kind of lazy.

"I'll be the leader," Minato announced.

"I don't think so," Souji replied.

Minato tilted his head back almost imperceptibly. Some of the hair covering his right eye fell away. "...You gonna fight me for it?"

"Sure."

Minato smiled thinly and drew his short sword. Souji blinked and then brought out his katana.

Since the weapons were mismatched, Ken pointed out that it wouldn't be a fair fight.

"I would prefer a test of wits to brute strength," Mitsuru murmured, "but if this is how you wish to settle it... Since Arisato is trained in several weapons, I suggest he use a katana as well."

"You can use a katana?" Souji asked, one of his eyebrows disappearing under the bowl cut.

Minato ignored him and tossed his short sword aside. "Junpei," he said. "Gimme your sword."

"Uh..." Junpei began, but then he shook his head and handed his Iai Katana over. "Are you really going to do this, man?"

"Wouldn't you?" Minato countered.

The school's hallways were too small for a duel and the ghostly students walking around were distracting. All of the classrooms they tried were cluttered with Culture Festival exhibits, so the group relocated to the first floor of the You in Wonderland dungeon. There was a spacious chamber not far from the initial hallway, the perfect arena for a duel.

Soon the two candidates for leader were squaring off, brandishing their katanas. Their friends were stationed just outside the room so that they were safe and out of the way. Their job was to take care of any Shadows that might appear and try to interrupt.

Mitsuru stepped forward. "If you really must do this," she said with a sigh. "Ready... and begin."

At her mark, the two boys began to circle each other, sizing each other up.

Souji noted how expertly Minato carried his katana and assumed he really did know how to use it. The boy was trained in multiple weapons... That was rather impressive. The only other weapon Souji had used had been a golf club that one time.

Minato noted mostly that his enemy was a few inches taller than he was, but he'd single-handedly gone toe-to-toe with larger Shadows and emerged victorious. He wasn't concerned.

It was the Yasogami leader who swung first, bringing his katana down towards the other boy's left side. Minato parried neatly. Souji followed up with another blow from a different angle, attempting to test the other boy's strength, but Minato countered and launched into a series of quick blows that weren't overly strong but nevertheless forced Souji onto the defensive.

Minato couldn't keep up his rapid offense, however, because he was still winded from the recent Queen of Hearts battle. He and his team hadn't been allowed much of a break. He was already breathing heavily from exertion.

Spying an opening, Souji swung with all his might, bringing the heavy sword down on Minato's with the sharp ring of steel on steel. The boy grunted, sweating as he pushed back with all the strength he could muster. If he broke now, he'd lose. As the moment went on, Minato felt the strength in his arms beginning to give out.

So he kicked the other boy in the shin.

The unexpected pain made Souji break the hold. His sword clattered to the ground. "That w-wasn't fair!" he cried indignantly.

"Life isn't fair," Minato informed him with a thin grin. He hefted his sword and stepped towards the now-defenseless boy, determined to make him yield the victory.

"P-Persona!"

A huge figure in a red and black trenchcoat appeared above the gray-haired boy. "Now that's not fair," Minato remarked dryly while he dodged Izanagi's great sword. It drove heavily in the space he'd occupied just a second before, electricity sparking where it cleaved the ground.

If he was going to play that way, it was time to fight fire with literal fire. Minato brought out his Evoker. "Orpheus," he called.

The white robotic Persona strummed its harp and Souji yelped as fire appeared at his feet. He danced backward as the flames licked at him until he was out of their reach.

With a growl, Souji imagined his Persona card in the palm of his hand, but before he could crush it, Minato had already summoned his Persona again. Orpheus brought its harp down right onto the gray-haired boy's head.

Souji rubbed his temple, dazed for a moment. He took too long to recover—Orpheus was out yet again! He realized in that moment that the key to his victory was Minato's Evoker. He dodged the fireball Orpheus sent at him, and as the Gekkoukan leader brought the Evoker to his head again, Souji summoned Izanagi. His Persona's electricity grounded itself in the metal of the gun and Minato hissed and dropped it. His katana, too, fell to the ground from his numb hands.

Souji dived for the gun at the same time Minato did, and in their tussle it was kicked far across the room and effectively out of the battle.

Now Souji was the only one who could summon a Persona. Feeling victorious, he imagined the card, and it appeared in his hand, but then Minato punched him in the face.

The card disappeared.

"Ow," said Souji. He clutched his nose with both hands. "Dat hurt!"

"What, more than the fire?" Minato asked. His fist was raised to punch again, but the other boy wasn't trying to summon his Persona anymore, so he lowered it. "More than getting hit in the head by a giant harp?"

"Yeah, actually," Souji muttered, still rubbing his hurt nose. "Prob'ly 'cause it wasn't from a Persona, so it's lasting."

Minato watched him for a moment. Then he asked softly, "Are you all right?"

"Not bleeding. Still hurts, though." The Yasogami leader shrugged as nonchalantly as he could with his fingers still held to his stinging nose.

"Let me see," Minato requested. He stepped forward and took Souji's hands and moved them away with care. In fact, he continued to hold them lightly while he inspected the damage. "I think you'll be okay. Wish I had my Leanan Sidhe with me."

"Mm," said Souji. He was going to add a 'me too' but his voice eluded him as he was caught by the other boy's single visible eye. It was a very pale shade of blue, almost gray, and focused entirely on him.

Personal space, Minato thought with an inward sigh, but then decided he didn't care for once.

The two boys leaned forward at the same time and kissed.

It was soft at first, but deepened mostly from the adrenaline lingering from their battle. Minato's lips were thin, but he made up for it with skill. Souji's lips were chapped, but he made up for it with the pleasant sounds he made.

Souji tried to move his hands up to steady the other boy's head, but found them trapped in Minato's pants pockets. He blushed at the realization and broke the kiss, though it was about time they caught their breaths.

"H-hey," he murmured against Minato's cheek. He'd noticed the boy's earphones. "Maybe you could play some nice music?"

He felt Minato's thin smile. "I would... but I think the others are going to wonder what we're doing soon."

"Rain check?" Souji whispered. He reluctantly tugged his hands out of Minato's pockets, because he could see a certain red-headed woman striding towards them.

Minato didn't reply, but his visible eye danced in a way that seemed to say, 'Yes.'

"Ahem," Mitsuru called from several feet away. "Have you reached an understanding?"

"I'll say." Minato smirked at Souji, who glanced away.

"Then who is to lead us?" she asked.

"Let him have it—"

"I think he should—"

The two boys looked at each other in surprise. Neither spoke for a long time. Eventually Souji said, "We need some time to discuss this. Alone."

Minato nodded. "In an empty classroom."

"With the door locked."

"And no interruptions."

Mitsuru folded her arms and gave the two a pointed look. "...I'm sure that can be arranged."

They followed her back to the others. On the way out, Souji picked up Minato's Evoker from the ground. Before handing it back, Souji kissed the barrel of the gun.

The other boy rolled his eyes before accepting it. So it turned out the Yasogami leader really was a dork...