Author's Note:

Sometimes my P3P replays go really quickly and get kind of boring because Minako and the rest of the party are so overpowered. I don't even really read the dialogue anymore because I've played it so many times, haha. Maybe I should pick up P4 again... (But I still need to finish Assassin's Creed 3 ugh my life.)

Here's Theo because you all love and requested him and because I love him and he's totes adorbs.

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

The Twentieth Hour

Opening Song: "Her Morning Elegance" - Oren Lavie

Minako was really popular with the boys.

Akihiko was oblivious to many things, including his own romantic feelings that halted his relationship with the SEES leader for a solid three months, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He saw the looks she got when she walked down the hallway, when she went to the shrine, when she went shopping around the city, and even when the two of them were together and the idiots thought he couldn't see. He couldn't blame them since most of the residents of Tatsumi Port Island loved Minako, but he could definitely still hate them.

He'd been worried about Junpei at first, since the two were so close and spent so much time together. The rumors got to him even if she adamantly denied them and Junpei said she was just his best friend (his really cute best friend). Akihiko's fears faded slowly though, as he and Minako started spending more time together, and they went away completely when Chidori came into the picture. Besides, there was something completely unromantic with the way they shoved their feet into each other's feet when fighting over the last ramen bowl.

Hidetoshi Odagiri might have thought he had a chance with Minako, but he was dead wrong. He was just some punk with authority, and Akihiko could never understand why Minako would willingly spend time with him. They never hung out outside school grounds, all he talked about was some stupid cigarette butt in the bathroom, and approximately ninety-five percent of the student body hated him. Also, the smug way he'd grin whenever Minako went to Student Council instead of to Hagakure with Akihiko made the boxer want to punch his face in.

The French kid was weird and definitely had a crush on Minako, and Akihiko kind of felt bad for him because he apparently had no friends before she joined his Fashion Club. Bebe didn't have ill intentions (Akihiko doubted he was capable of them), but it was still irritating when Minako started practicing French at the dorm. He wasn't sure if it was because he couldn't understand anything she was saying or if it was because she was spending so much time with the blond.

Ken was ten and basically harmless, and Akihiko was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't actually jealous of an elementary school student. (He was.)

If there was ever a topic he skirted around with Minako, it was Shinjiro. He didn't know what their relationship was, if it was anything beyond friendship, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Shinjiro was (is, he had to remind himself often) his best friend, but Akihiko loved Minako. Akihiko never pushed it and she never brought it up, so he decided to leave it where it was. (It was both embarrassing and hard to admit that his greatest competition could be a man in a coma.)

The green devil bounced around on his shoulders when he saw how close Minako was with these guys, but he tried to not let it get to him. "I love you, Senpai," she'd tell him everytime she saw the look in his eyes. And he believed her because 1) he loved her back and 2) what did those guy have that he didn't?

Akihiko was pretty confident in himself and in his relationship with Minako. So he liked to think anyway.

He was on his way back to the dorm when he saw his girlfriend firmly attached to some strange blond man by the hand. He observed from far away for a moment, trying to decide if that was really Minako or not, and if the guy really was having as hard a time with the escalator as it seemed. Eventually they made it down, with Minako looking a little unsure and amused at the same time. Wearily, Akihiko confronted the duo.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Oh! Hey, Senpai!" she replied, grinning brightly. "This is..." She turned to the man, who Akihiko realized was dressed like an elevator attendant. Seriously, where did she meet all these people...? Akihiko had been living on Tatsumi Port Island for years and he'd never even seen half the people she hung out with. "This is Theo. Theo, this is Akihiko."

Theo released Minako's hand and bowed deeply, which only served to make Akihiko feel more uncomfortable than he already was. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Minako speaks very highly of you, so it's quite the honor to meet someone who is so valued by our guest."

Akihiko turned to Minako and mouthed, "Guest?"

She laughed and patted Theo's arm, like he was telling some kind of joke. "Oh, Theo. He's just very formal." Akihiko found that hard to believe for some reason. "He's new to the area, so I've been showing him around."

Theo nodded affirmatively. "That is correct. I've been learning much on these dates."

Akihiko's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Dates!?"

Why wasn't Minako freaking out? Why did she look so calm? Why was she going on dates with strange blond men in weird clothes? All these thoughts and more raced through Akihiko's mind as she softly said something to Theo and patted his arm. Suddenly, Akihiko grabbed Minako's hand and pulled her towarsd him. "You're going on dates with this guy?" Akihiko asked, his voice hushed. "But we're... I thought we were—"

Minako's eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Oh Senpai, no!" She gave his hand a small squeeze as she smiled. "They're not those kind of dates. Honestly, Theo and I are just friends. He's... Well, he's not from around here, obviously."

Obviously, he thought, eyeing the admittedly handsome individual.

"I mean, we've been calling them dates, but like friend dates, you know?" What the hell was the difference between friend dates and date dates? Akihiko made a mental note to inquire Junpei about this later. "Last time I took him around Paulownia Mall, and he wanted to see the station today."

"Your city is magnificent," chimed in Theo, who didn't look the least bit guilty (and therefore infuriated Akihiko). "There are so many incredible sights to see, and I've been truly grateful to Minako for showing them to me. The fountains and escalators are especially wonderful."

While Minako shrank away a bit, Akihiko stared blankly at Theo, waiting for the punch line. It took only a moment for Akihiko to accept that he was being absolutely serious. "Where are you from again?" he asked, genuinely curious about the land where escalators and fountains didn't exist.

Before Theo could answer, Minako clapped a hand over his mouth. Akihiko twitched at the contact; he knew his mind wasn't making up the blush Theo was now wearing. "Very far north, near Greenland, you know. It's hard for them to keep fountains 'cause they freeze, and elevators are, uh, expensive." Theo nodded, but Akihiko wasn't convinced. "Which is why he's here, to try something new!"

"Yes, this place is much different than my place of residence," Theo confirmed once she removed her hand.

"Huh," was all Akihiko said.

"Well, time continues to tick in this world, and I believe it might be time for me to return to mine," said Theo. While Minako smiled (it looked a little watery), Akihiko was trying to decide if this guy was for real or not. "Will you be accompanying me, Minako? Or..." He turned his gold eyes to Akihiko, who felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"I'm gonna head back to the dorm with Senpai. Will you be okay on your own?" she asked.

Theo nodded. "Of course. I'm not so foolish as to forget the way back. Until next time, Minako. Have a splendid day, Sir." He bowed one more time to Akihiko, then headed back towards the escalator. (Akihiko noted with some amusement and gratification that he nearly stumbled onto his face while trying to get onto the first step.)

"Well then," said Minako, still holding onto Akihiko's hand, "should we go?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah."

They were halfway back to the dorm when Akihiko finally stopped and yanked her back. "Who was that guy?" he asked.

She blinked. "What? You mean Theo—?"

"Some guy from 'the North, where escalators and fountains don't exist because it's too cold and expensive'? Do you seriously think I buy that?" Minako watched his face, the way his brow furrowed and his lips tilted downwards. He was really upset. "It's not like I don't trust you, but you've never hidden anything from me before. I know you're friends with a lot of guys, and you've never had to lie about them. Who is this guy? Are you—" He cut himself off before he could finish the sentence.

Minako raised an eyebrow challengingly, suddenly looking ready for a fight. She'd always been good at reading people; she knew what he was going to ask before it even formulated in his mind. "Am I what, Senpai?" she demanded. He noticed that she released his hand. "What, huh?"

Shit, I've pissed her off, he thought dismally. Wait, I should be the one pissed off! I'm justified here! "You know what, Minako," he replied as cooly as he could. "What's so special about this guy that you have to make up weird stories for him? What are you doing with him?"

"I'm showing him around the city! He's—"

"Not from around here, yeah, I know. But you're acting like..."

"Like what?" she snapped.

He hesitated. "You were just acting very secretively. I've never seen this guy before, Minako. You've never talked about him before."

Minako planted her hands firmly on her hips. "Just say it, Senpai."

Now he was confused. "What?"

"Just say it," she repeated.

"Say what?"

She exhaled heavily. "You think I'm cheating on you."

For some reason, that struck him. Maybe it should have occured to Akihiko that that was a possibility, that she was cheating on him with this strangely-dressed foreigner with nice hair and exotic eyes. That's what any normal guy would have thought, seeing his girlfriend holding hands with another male. And yet, even if it had been swimming in the back of his mind, it hadn't jumped out at him as being the obvious choice. "No," he said. When she scoffed and made a move to leave, he quickly grabbed her wrist and repeated, this time more firmly, "No, I don't. Minako, I... I trust you."

"You're making it really hard for me to believe that," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm just..." Sighing, he released her and began rubbing his temples. "I've dealt with Odagiri and Junpei and Ken—" ("Ken?" she asked, though he ignored her) "— but never a... a Theo. It just really took me by surprise, I guess."

Her expression softened, but only slightly. "If I didn't do anything with those guys, why would I do anything with Theo? Akihiko, I'm dating you."

"I know," he replied, sounding anguished. "I know. I guess I'm just... Damn, I don't know."

"Jealous?" she offered.

He grunted, refusing to actually use the accursed word.

Minako's shoulders, hunched from anger and irritation, relaxed as she stepped towards him. "Theo knows we're dating, Senpai. I told him. He would never try anything."

"Yeah, that's what you said about Odagiri and Bebe," he grumbled.

"Hey," she said, "you have fangirls following you around everywhere. I have just as much of a right to be suspicious and jealous, okay? But I'm not because I know you wouldn't do anything like that to me. I kind of expected the same."

The disappointment in her tone made his chest hurt. "Minako." Their gazes caught with some difficulty. "I guess... I'm not as confident as I thought I was. I thought I'd gotten over it, how all these guys like you and how everyone wants to hang out with you all the time. But I'm not. There's always gonna be some part of me that's afraid of losing you. I've never really had a constant in my life, Minako, and I just... I get scared."

She sighed softly before leaning in to rest her forehead against the exposed skin of his collarbone. "I'm not gonna leave you, Aki."

The statement was so simple, but the way she said it — soft, but with conviction — lifted the anxiety pounding his chest and the dread sitting in his stomach. They stood like that for a while, silent and barely touching, but the most intimate they've ever been. Finally, he said, "Not even for golden-haired, exotic men from the north?"

She laughed, and the action reverberated through his chest. "Hmm, maybe."

Closing Song: "Fairytale" - Alexander Rybak

This got kind of serious in the end and I didn't really mean it to? Oops.

xx, der kapitan