Title: "Pretty Please?"

Rating: PG 13

Genre: Romance, fluff, humor

Pairings:Arisato Minato x Iori Junpei

Warnings:Shounen-ai, spoilers, some lolz

Summary:Junpei is aggravated by his inability to measure up to Minato, but Minato really can't stand having anyone mad at him, and the way Minato goes about solving this brings a new problem upon Junpei...

Pretty Please?


"You got an order for me, boss?" Junpei spat angrily. Minato looked at him, a little surprised.

"Actually, I do," Minato replied softly, leaning over the back of the sofa in order to keep his voice down. "But I'll make it a request rather than an order."

"Tch," Junpei dismissed, not really paying attention. Minato quickly shifted gears. Authority wouldn't work - time to try something else.

"Junpei..." he began, whispering into Junpei's ear. Junpei turned bright pink, looking up at Minato as if the blue hair on his head had turned bright fuchsia. Yes, fuchsia. The most faggoty color ever. Fuchsia. Minato quickly followed up with a subtle lick to Junpei's ear, which Akihiko didn't happen to see.

"What the HELL??" Junpei jumped to his feet, storming off into his upstairs room. Akihiko, from the opposite couch, gave Minato a strange look. Also looking at him as if his hair turned fuchsia.

"...That was..." he started, then stopped before he got ahead of himself, "U-um... what did you say to him?"

"Oh? Just..." Minato used the similar soft, low tone he had before. "...'Please don't hate me, Junpei'. Y'know. He's been kinda snotty lately."

"...And that's how you handle the situation?"

"He'll be thinking before he acts up again," Minato replied with a smile, "The gay-scare works on most men."

"O-oh, I see what you're doing..." Akihiko sighed in relief. "For a minute, I thought you were..."

"Gay? Naw," Minato shrugged. He started to head off before he called over his shoulder, "There is a difference between homosexual and bisexual, y'know." And with that warhead left to detonate in Akihiko's mind, Minato went to bed.


A few days following the... incident... Junpei had seemed to calm down. He still felt outraged, no doubt about that. Every time he thought of Minato, he got mad. But every time he saw him, he got confused. Or pissed, but typically a mix of the two. But Minato started talking to him again, and that started to push things back downhill. Not particularly because Minato acted like nothing happened. That would have made it easy for Junpei to just keep on steadily hating him. But no, he was suddenly so attentive that it made Junpei want to kick puppies. Minato was making sure not to tease him when he wasn't in the mood for it, and made sure to never ask anything of him on a bad note, and to never make Junpei go out of his way for anything. It was driving him insane. And only a day and a half had freaking passed since the love hotel.

Junpei made his decision. He had to confront Minato about this.


Unfortunately, his impatience impeded his reasoning, and Minato was much more prepared. Junpei was at his wit's end as he howled, "What d'ya MEAN, you're SORRY?? That's NOT THE POINT!!"

"But I am," Minato said softly. He had switched to a new tactic after expending the gay hit-on tactic. Now he was using the 'timid and humble' method, that Minato was sure wasn't going to completely work, but would have some effect for sure. "I don't want to be selfish. You've been so upset with me lately, Junpei, that I don't want to make it worse. It's worse than anything else when you're mad."

"A-ah, uh..." Junpei groaned. Now he felt like a jackass. He huffed. "Tch!" Following his outburst, he stormed off. Yukari approached Minato.

"Are... you guys alright?"

"Yup. I'm almost done solving the problem," Minato replied. "So I'll need you not to bug him too much. But do tease him a little so he doesn't think you're doing the same thing as me."

"O-okay..."

"Soon, we'll have our old playful Junpei back," Minato giggled.


Junpei sulked in his room, unable to focus on anything (even his video games) and resorting to staring at the ceiling. Minato was starting to bug him again. Such a goddamned sweet smile the kid had. It pissed him off. It pissed him off because Minato was better than he could ever be. And instead of trying to change it, Junpei instead tried to bring Minato down. Junpei pissed himself off. He sort of understood this, but he couldn't shake the hate he was feeling. Finally, he confronted Minato one more time. The fake kindness was too much.

"Goddamnit, you keep acting all high-and-mighty, and you keep acting like you care, but you don't!!"

"Iori!" Mitsuru yelled threateningly. Junpei ignored her.

"Well, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you!! Always doing better than me, but always saying bullshit like 'it was just luck' or 'it was nothing'! That's even more assholish than bragging about it!! You piss me off!! I'm so sick of this!"

"Is that..." Minato started, his voice at a strange, unfamiliar tone. Everyone fell silent and laid their eyes on him. "Is that... how you really feel?"

"Dude...?" Junpei asked, still irritated but uncertain of how to approach this side of Minato. He jumped and gasped as Minato lifted his head, his face coming into full view. Minato is... no way...

His face was flustered, his eyebrows trembling with the effort of squeezing his eyes shut. His eyes were crammed in the hope of damming the tears that slipped by despite, and once the first tear fell, Minato inhaled with a bit of a labored squeak. Something like a sob. Everyone was shocked - even Junpei was completely unaware of how to handle the situation.

"I--I'm sorry..." he began, the tears jerking themselves free and flowing rapidly. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I... I really... d-didn't mean to make you so mad, Junpei..." he whimpered. Junpei felt a tug of guilt at his heart. Now he reallyfelt like a jackass. "I... I-I was j-just try-ying to d-do my best f-for you... for e-everyone... I-I didn't ever sh-show how nervous I was b-because I didn't want y-you to be upset! I-I-I'm th-the l-l-leader, I... I have to k-keep it together!!" he wailed, making Junpei panic and everyone else glare at Junpei.

"Great going, Stupei," Yukari started, "I can't believe you...!!"

"N-no, Yukari," Minato interrupted, "I... it's not his fault... it's my fault. I'm sorry!!"

"H-hey, man, quit crying," Junpei attempted, and although Minato calmed down a slight bit, he kept sobbing. "Stop that, dude, that's not fair..."

"Not fair, Iori?" Mitsuru hissed through clenched teeth.

"I didn't mean it like that!!" Junpei yelled.

"It's... not his fault..." Minato sobbed. Junpei automatically redirected his attention to Minato.

"C-c'mon, dude, quit crying, I can't handle shit like this," Junpei said nervously, "You're crying like a girl, I swear!"

"I... I c-can't help it..." Minato bawled. "I can't help it... not when you hate me...! I don't want you to hate me...!!"

"H-hey, man, I don't hate ya, okay?" Junpei attempted, trying his best to be kind. In truth, he felt his jealousy and frustrations fading away... "C'mon, tell me what I gotta do to make it better."

"..." Minato reduced himself to whimpering, and moved his gaze to the floor. Junpei sighed, attempting the words Minato had used before.

"...pretty please?" he said, almost painfully. Minato looked up at Junpei, and smiled softly. "Y-yeah, that's better. U-um... you need me to do anything? I'll do it to make up for yelling at ya a minute ago..."

"...Not especially..." Minato said softly.

"Any little thing. I know, uh, dessert, maybe? Some ice cream? Or maybe I'll go get coffee for tomorrow... um, is that good?" Junpei asked, trying his best. Minato giggled softly, smiling gently at his classmate.

"I guess... ice cream is good."

"All right! Hope ya like chocolate! I'll go get some for everyone!!" Junpei said hastily, excusing himself with humiliation. Mitsuru shifted her attention to Minato, who was calmly wiping the tears off of his face.

"...That was probably the best display of crocodile tears I have ever seen," Mitsuru said, impressed slightly.

"I don't usually have to go that far," Minato laughed, grinning deviously. "Most fall victim at step one."