Author: Evil Day

Title: Precious

Rating: PG-13 for language. The touching thing didn't pan out.

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and all Shin Megami Tensei titles are the property of Atlus. Not me. Wouldn't cha know it?

Summary: AkihikoxMinato Tension and angst abounds, (woot/dance), as Minato realizes how he truly feels after almost losing Akihiko forever.

Author disclaimer: All submissions from Evil Day are works of fiction. All characters mentioned are of legal age of consent in the state of California, regardless of the canon age given in the original work. This includes the work itself and any comments posted afterward.

Spoilers: None, really, I suppose technically, up to July 2009, maybe. Set when the only available party members are Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Yukari. Yeah…pretty much the beginning.

A soft knock on his bedroom door pulled Minato's attention from his studies.

"Come in." It didn't matter who it was. Minato didn't want see them. He was content to keep to himself, even more than he had before. The past few days had been spent mulling over the rose quartz and just what he meant to do with it.

"Hey." Minato's head jerked upright at the familiar raspy sound.

"Akihiko-senpai…" He pushed his textbook out of the way and stood up from his desk, feeling an odd warmth wash over his body and mind. This was all right, just this. Being in his line of sight was enough for Minato.

"Are you busy? I suppose we're not going to explore Tartarus tonight. It's already almost eleven." Akihiko walked further into the room, taking the liberty of a seat on Minato's bed. The younger boy decided to join him.

"No…not tonight. Anyway, I think everyone's already in bed."

"Well," Akihiko crossed his legs and threw Minato a small smile, "I feel like sneaking out. Would you like to come?"

"But…it's way past curfew."

Akihiko laughed aloud at Minato's confused expression, and the depth and frequency of the tone settled deep down inside Minato's skin. Everything Akihiko did was…enchanting.

"I know…but I feel like getting into trouble, even if we really won't. No one will notice. You can't say no to that," he said, matching Minato's gaze with his own.

Minato didn't say so out loud, but there wasn't anything in the world that could make him tell Akihiko no.

They left quietly as soon as the dark hour came to a close, slipping out through the back and catching a late train. It didn't matter about the time, since the train always ran. Getting off at Port Island, Akihiko treated Minato to a late movie. It was an awful, sci-fi B movie that Minato has mentioned wanting see to while talking to Yukari and Junpei in the dorm, and he wondered if Akihiko hadn't overheard. It certainly didn't seem like the sort of thing that would entertain the older boy, although Minato couldn't be sure.

After the theater let out, they sat on the bench near the empty flower shop and just watched the lone stragglers in the night walk by on the sidewalk. Occasionally a few people would catch trains or get off of them, but no one paid them any mind, and for once the feeling of being invisible was a blessing, and less of a burden than it had become so recently.

"Thank you, senpai. How did you know I wanted to see that movie?"

Akihiko leaned back against the wooden back of the bench, watching the tiny sliver of the moon slowly trace its way across the darkness. The sky was as black as any shadow in Tartarus, save the slender crescent and a smattering of stars.

"Hm. I wonder…maybe a lucky guess."

"Still…I'm glad we snuck out tonight. Although it's sort of weird, sneaking out with you."

"Why's that?" Akihiko turned and watched Minato as he fumbled with his words, searching out the right answer.

"Ah…well, I don't mean to assume, but…I just always thought of you as the sort of person that liked to follow the rules."

Akihiko set his lips together, leaning his head to the side in thought. "I suppose," he said, sounding slightly perturbed with the thought.

Minato felt his heart lurch, hoping he hadn't been too forward. "I'm sorry!" He turned on the bench to face his senpai fully, and then cringed as the faint starlight on Akihiko's pale skin accented everything that was already too beautiful on the older boy. Biting the side of his cheek, Minato tried to think of something to say, but Akihiko waved his thoughts away.

"No, actually…you're right. It's something that's been on my mind as of late." He glanced up at the sky for a moment, sorting out his thoughts. "How long has it been since you came to the dorm?"

"Um…" Minato counted the months on his hand, wondering where all that time had gone. "Three…almost four months? Yeah…why?"

Nodding his head, Akihiko clasped his hands together, the dark leather making a smooth sound as his fingers interlaced. "Since you came…things have changed."

"…In what way?"

"Everyone's different. Well, maybe they're not different…"

A cool summer breeze picked up, lifting the ends of Minato's locks and playing them across his eyes. He lifted his hand and pulled the hair behind his ears, watching Akihiko as he spoke.

"No…I know exactly what it is, but I couldn't put my finger on it until just now," Akihiko continued, smiling to himself. "Everyone's just…so much more open now. When it was just Yukari and Mitsuru, we all talked to each other about the Dark Hour. About shadows…that was all. We passed on another in the halls and smiled, but we didn't really talk. Since you came…well, I've actually gotten to know the people I live with. We talk about things besides Tartarus, besides personas…and of course, there's Junpei, now, as well."

Minato couldn't help but return Akihiko's smile. "He's…interesting. But he's a good friend."

"He is…but watching you all together really made me reconsider a lot about myself."

"…Like what?" He thought that perhaps he ought to just leave it alone, but he'd already spoken before he could stop and catch himself.

"I just wonder what it is that I'm doing sometimes. Like you said before…always following the rules. I suppose that I wanted to sneak out tonight because I wouldn't normally do this sort of thing." He laughed then, a kind of bitter trill, and then he looked back to Minato. "Is that strange?" he asked with a sly smile.

"No…well, at least I don't think it is. There's nothing wrong with having fun."

"Fun…it's been awhile. I had fun tonight. Thank you."

Minato's eyes found his feet. "I did, too."

By the time Minato's head hit the pillow, it was nearly 3 o'clock in the morning. He paid for the excursion in full when his alarm clock went off, warning him that it was time to get ready for school.

He spent the day in a daze, but he dozed off in his afternoon class and on his way home was glad that he did. He didn't feel great, but he did feel better.

The only person who greeted him at the dorm was Junpei.

"S'up? You look like shit. What happened?"

Minato flopped down on the couch beside Junpei, rubbing at his face. "I stayed up way too late last night."

"Oh. Had a secret date, huh?" Junpei gave him the thumbs up and a wide grin.

"Wh-…what?" Every cell in Minato's body was frozen in place, waiting for whatever came next. It wasn't possible that Junpei knew…was it?

"Ha! Just messin' with ya." Junpei laughed out loud and punched Minato playfully on the shoulder. "I bet you were up all night studying, huh?"

"Ah…yeah. We have a math test next week." Flooded with relief, Minato sunk further into the rough fabric of the couch, wishing that it would just swallow him whole and let him rest. "You ought to study for it, you know." He turned to give Junpei a stern look.

"Whatever." Junpei waved his hand at Minato and picked at a stray piece of threading on his uniform pants. "You know I ain't got time for that stuff. Hey, I'm going to the mall later…you wanna come? There's gonna be lots of babes!"

Minato cringed. Watching Junpei unsuccessfully come on to strange women was depressing enough, but he was exhausted on top of that. "Um…no thanks."

"Aw, come on…you've been acting kind of down lately. Maybe it'll cheer you up."

Down…? Minato sat upright and looked Junpei square in the eyes, searching out an answer. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know…you've been kind of mopey, you know? Like you've got a lot on your mind."

He decided to say nothing. It was true, although he knew he couldn't disclose the reason for his behavior to Junpei. Absentmindedly his fingers touched the side of his leg, feeling the rough outline of the two stones in his pocket. Maybe…

"Junpei? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure…what's up?"

"…Why do you keep going to the mall to hit on girls? I mean…I'm not trying to be mean, but…it never works."

Minato was surprised to see Junpei smile honestly for a change, and the sight brought a small smile to his own lips.

"Why do you wanna know about something like that? The way you were talking, I thought you were gonna ask me about something big."

"I just…want to know why you keep doing things…even though there's no reason to."

"Ah." Junpei nodded, picking at a fold of fabric on his knee. "Honestly…it's probably because of you."

"Me?" Minato blinked, unsure of what he ought to say to that.

"Yeah…" Taking off his hat momentarily to run a hand through his short hair, Junpei stared at the coffee table uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't like you…you're my friend. But you just seem really…perfect. You know?"

"Junpei…I'm far from perfect, trust me." Minato smiled awkwardly, catching Junpei's eye as he sat forward, forgetting his weariness for the moment. "Why would you even think that?"

"Okay, maybe not perfect, but you're a lot better at pretty much everything than me or anyone else around here. And for awhile, I was kinda pissed off about it." He sighed defeated, but another smile emerged slowly from his darkened expression and lifted the gloom from his face. "But you know…it just makes me want to try harder."

"Junpei…" Minato couldn't think of the right thing to say. He was shocked, but his shock was turning slowly over into a new sense of understanding concerning Junpei.

"And then the whole thing with Akihiko happened. Remember?"

Minato nodded. There wasn't anything in the world that could shake him of his memory.

"I just thought that…this is it, you know? This might be all we have. I mean, we're good at fighting shadows and all, but what if we hadn't come at that moment for Akihiko? Would he be…?" He didn't say it out loud, and he didn't have to. Minato knew, all to well. "So I decided then that it wasn't worth it to sit back anymore. If I die the next time we go to Tartarus, I don't want to leave anything undone."

"I…oh." The truth was alarmingly real, and it opened up a sharp pit in Minato's heart. He didn't want to leave anything undone, either. He sat up on the edge of the couch and nodded at Junpei with a smile. "Right. Thank you, Junpei."

Junpei stood and gave Minato the thumbs up. "No problem. Now, I think I can hear the ladies calling me already…"

Junpei left the dorm, and Minato sat on the couch for a very long time. He held in his right hand a piece of garnet and a piece of amethyst, rolling the two of them around and listening to the dull clacking of the stones as they danced in the center of his palm.

He thought that it was a good idea to go to Tartarus tomorrow. There was something he'd left undone, and it couldn't wait any longer.

11:37 pm

Minato left his room, noticing the quiet darkness that had settled into the dorm since he'd gone into his room to study a few hours earlier. It seemed that everyone had retired for the night, but underneath the particular door he was standing in front of the light from inside the room snuck out across the floor at his feet. He was still awake.

His left hand was occupied, so his lifted his right to tap gently on the door, just loud enough so that the older boy would hear and no one else.

It only took a few moments for the door to open, and Akihiko leaned against the doorframe with a friendly smile.

"Hey."

Minato swallowed. He didn't trust his voice.

Akihiko must have noticed the tension in the younger boy's stance, and after a few silent moments had passed his expression changed from one of casual conversation to curiosity.

"Is everything okay?"

Wordlessly Minato lifted his left arm with his palm face up and slowly uncurled his fingers. The tumbled pink stone gleamed in the uneven bedroom light that outlined Akihiko's frame.

Minato's eyes never left Akihiko's face. He could feel the anxiety in his own features, but he held still, resisting all urges and setting himself to the task of never regretting anything ever again.

Akihiko's eyes moved from Minato's hand to his face, and then back to this hand again, and he took the rose quartz from Minato with his left hand. With his right hand, he took Minato's outstretched hand, the dark leather glove gripping Minato tightly.

He pulled Minato gently into the room and stepped backwards, shutting the bedroom door behind them.

The End.

Sigh. This is the sort of ending that I'm a big fan of. I hope you liked it! Let me know if you did, thank you very much! It's hard to read your minds :)

Thanks to my lovely reviewers:

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