Author's Note:

My ultimate goal is to finish this story by the end of this school year, but we'll see how that goes because I'm really bad at upholding my promises (especially when it comes to fanfiction). Thank you to everyone who reviewed, by the way! I always get really excited when new readers read the entire thing in one go ha ha. (Also a lot of you asked for smut…. I'm still thinking about it. Ahahaha, we'll see because I'm not too into writing it.)

Twenty-Five Hours
a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

The Fourteenth Hour

Opening Song: "Her Morning Elegance" - Oren Lavie

Minako was sick.

She'd been caught in the storm and soaked from head to toe, so it was inevitable she supposed. Still, it was embarrassing to have the whole dorm fretting about her condition, especially since she was supposed to be the leader. "C'mon, Mina-tan, what kinda example are you giving when you get sick 'cause you forgot your rain coat?" Junpei asked, teasingly of course, before Fuuka promptly kicked him out. Even if it was a joke, Minako had to admit that he had a point.

Akihiko was the one assigned as her caretaker today. He treaded around her room carefully with a mask strapped to the lower half of his face, medical gloves on his hands, and a pair of prongs in his grasp. "Don't you think you're overdoing it?" she asked through a stuffed nose.

He carefully placed each used tissue in a trash bag with the prongs. "I just recovered from breaking my ribs," he answered. "I can't risk getting sick! I'm in the middle of training."

Minako deadpanned.

He cleaned her room a little more, making sure to use disinfectant on all of her belongings, fluff her pillow, and pick up her empty bowl of soup. "Do you need anything else?"

She sniffled a little as she shook her head. "No…" She trailed off and looked longingly into her large pink cup, which was currently empty. Akihiko, following her gaze, sighed as he picked that up as well with the promise to refill it with hot chocolate. "Thanks, Senpai!"

"Yeah, but are you sure you don't want tea or something?" He frowned when she adamantly shook her head. "C'mon, tea's good for you. Shinji gave me this herbal stuff that's supposed to clear up your sinuses or something." He half thought her head was gonna screw off with the way she was shaking it. "I'm pretty sure hot chocolate doesn't have any remedial benefits. I know it doesn't taste sweet or anything, but tea might help you get better faster."

This time Minako actually stuck out her tongue. "Bleack. No."

He gave in with a sigh; what the leader wanted, the leader got. "Alright, I'll be right back."

She waited patiently for him to return by keeping herself entertained with the newest episode of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R. She always watched it with Ken, but Mitsuru advised against letting him in; since he was younger, he was more susceptible to illness. Minako knew it was for the best, but it still bummed her out a little. Being stuck in her room all day was suffocating and lonely, save for when her caretaker was in.

Akihiko returned in the middle of a climactic battle with a steaming cup of hot cocoa in hand. "Here." Minako blinked up at him helplessly from her cocoon of blankets, which had her arms tucked securely to her sides. "… I'll just put it here." He placed the cup on her nightstand, making sure it was within reaching distance. "Do you need anything else?"

Minako had been bedridden for over two days now. Honestly, she had wanted a break from all the trips they were taking to Tartarus, but it was getting to the point where she'd prefer fighting off hordes of Shadows than lay in bed. She missed being in the lounge area and eating Shinjiro's food and playing catch with Koromaru; she felt like she was drifting on some island of isolation away from the others. "Some company?" she pleaded in a weak voice.

The way he reeled back so quickly brought a pout to her face. "Y-you want me to stay here with you?"

"You're my mom today."

It was playful jesting, but being called "mom" by her made him uncomfortable and thoroughly weirded him out. "Yeah, I guess," he replied, trying to play it cool (and failing), "but you're sick and probably contagious."

"And you're wearing an anti-sick costume," she said, insistent. "Pleaaase, Senpai? Just for an hour?" She crinkled her nose, which both irritated him and made him think she looked too cute for someone so physically ill. "You can sit on the chair on the other side of the room and I won't touch you or anything! You guys spray down everything whenever you come in, so it's not like the air's contagious or anything."

"I don't think that's how that works."

She narrowed her eyes, apparently not humored. "Senpai."

Akihiko was determined to fight. Mitsuru warned him that, as SEES leader, Minako was an excellent strategist and topnotch manipulator. She needed to recover quickly, but the others also had to make sure that they didn't catch what she had. She'd already goaded Junpei into playing video games with her for five hours and the capped teen definitely had a cough to show for it. Akihiko didn't like to think of himself as a germaphobe, but he just got back on track with his training!

But then Minako started pouting and sniffling and looking at him with those eyes, and he'd be an absolute devil to say no to her.

"Okay," he said, giving in. "Just an hour."

They spent four hours watching reruns of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R.

He slipped out after Minako fell asleep, making sure to tuck her in snugly before closing the door behind him. "What the hell were you doing?" Akihiko actually yelped at the sound of Shinjiro's voice. He tried to look as innocent as possible, but the look in his best friend's face told him he'd been caught in the act. "You've been gone for hours."

Akihiko cleared his throat. "I, uh, was making sure she was comfortable and…"

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "And?"

He hung his head in defeat, unable to come up with any excuse.

The brunet merely shook his head. "You're lucky it was me who caught you and not Mitsuru." As he headed back down the hall towards the stairs, Akihiko swore he heard Shinjiro mutter, "You're weak, Aki."

Closing Song: "Fairytale" - Alexander Rybak

There was a request for sick!Minako and mom!Akihiko a couple months ago, so I finally did it! If you have any more requests/theme ideas, just shoot them my way and I'll do my best to fulfill them. :)

xx, der kapitan