Best gift I have ever received

On one evening, when Natsuo returned to the penthouse, he was greeted by loud laughter from the living room.

He saw his roommate sitting with their mutual friend close to one another, talking and joking as they shared a bottle of sake. His brows wrinkled a bit when he witnessed the black-haired woman brushing her fingers through the other's hair, examining the dark roots showing in his overgrown white locks.

"We need to fix this as soon as possible," the hairdresser sighed as she sipped her drink.

The two ceased their conversation and shifted their gaze upward, seeing the young man who had just entered the space.

"Hey, welcome home," Jiro greeted his housemate. He wore gray gray sweatpants that exposed his colorful tattoos and washboard abs.

"What is going on?" Natsuo questioned hesitantly, looking from one to the other with a slight frown.

Seeing their intimate interactions filled his gut with unease. Ayumi's leg sat in Jiro's lap and played with his hair as she leaned against him. Jiro kept his hand on the woman's knee and gave it a playful squeeze as he smiled at Natsuo.

"We are celebrating his birthday!" the woman in an all-black dress announced with a grin and gestured toward the empty glass on the coffee table.

"Is your birthday today?" Natsuo asked confusedly, feeling embarrassed that he wasn't aware of it.

"It was a couple of weeks ago," Jiro corrected and ruffled his friend's wild black curls before he continued with a slight smile.

"But this one randomly decided to drink today because of that."

She purred contentedly at his touch, closing her eyes as she snuggled even closer to him. Natsuo gulped, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing in his chest as he watched the two interact so fondly.

"I may still have that hair dye left. Do you want me to check it out?" Jiro asked, clearly returning to their earlier discussion.

"Sure, good-looking," Ayumi said and moved away, so the man could stand.

Jiro disappeared from the living room and went upstairs. Ayumi poured sake for Natsuo, who sat down on the large couch and tried to ignore the uncomfortable pressure in his stomach.

"Why are you scowling like that?" the black-haired woman asked and offered him the drink.

Natsuo brought the sake to his lips, acting like nothing was wrong.

"I'm not trying to steal him from you," she chuckled faintly and continued in a lowered tone.

"But if he had a pussy, I would have already snatched him."

Natsuo nearly choked on his drink at the woman's comment. He quickly set down the glass and huffed into his fist as he tried to regain his composure.

"Do you have trouble swallowing? Well, I guess if you are gay, you will get used to it," she said lightheartedly as she watched him struggle to contain his shock.

"If he had what?" Natsuo asked gruffly, completely ignoring her other words.

"The pussy is the female's vagina between her legs. Do you know what that is?"

The young man's face turned red. He had no idea how to respond to the woman's bold revelation.

"Don't worry, you are not the only minority here. We all have our little quirks and secrets," Ayumi grinned.

Jiro returned with two boxes of hair dye, seemingly taking note of the strange atmosphere between the two. He looked at his friends questioningly as his eyes flickered between them.

"Is everything alright?" he inquired, setting the packages on the transparent table.

A big smile stretched across Ayumi's face as she enjoyed her beverage.

"Yeah, we were just talking about how awesome you are," she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she peered at the blushing man sitting across from her.

(Later that night)

After several rounds of drinking, the trio settled down to play video games. Jiro and Ayumi kept up their banter, teaching Natsuo the basics while teasing about his lack of skills - even still, he found himself laughing much more than he normally did.

As the night went on, Ayumi passed out on the couch while Jiro retreated to the balcony, leaving Natsuo alone in the kitchen to clean the empty take-out boxes. He made his way cautiously to the same balcony, finding the man leaning against the wall and watching the sky light up pink.

"Why didn't you tell me about your birthday?" Natsuo asked quietly.

"I didn't want to make a deal about it," Jiro answered with a hollow smile. The rising sun cast a subtle glow on his face, illuminating his fresh silver-white hair and features.

"It's just another day, really," he continued with a shrug. He still had his sweatpants on, but had decided to put on a plain black t-shirt that had seen better days, but it was still enough to show his muscles' soft curves.

"You found my sweater again," he commented as he noticed the other fiddling with his shirt.

Natsuo glanced at himself, ashamed of taking his roommate's clothes without permission. He mumbled an apology as he tried to take it off, but the man interrupted him.

"No, it's fine. Keep it. You look better in it," he said sweetly.

Natsuo turned to glance at floor-to-ceiling window behind them, making sure their friend wasn't spying on them. He could barely see the outline of her body, sprawled out on the couch as she snored.

"A-aren't you cold?"

He stepped forward, his chest pounding as he looked up at the taller man. He was struck by a strong urge to be close to him, so he tentatively reached out and rubbed his inked arm gently to warm him up.

The yakuza pulled him into a tight embrace. He placed his chin on Natsuo's teal hair and let out a small sigh.

"I don't feel cold anymore," Jiro said as his jaw rested on his counterpart's head, caressing it with his breath.

Natsuo gulped, letting some kind of alcohol-induced power control his actions, feeling like he might burst. He wrapped his hands around the other's sturdy frame and smelled the familiar cologne he had sprayed earlier that night.

The pale brown eyes met the blue ones, quickly erasing any doubts Natsuo had at that moment. As if drawn by an invisible force, their lips touched softly and moved slowly, exploring each other's mouths without any hesitation.

Natsuo shut his eyes and trembled from all the emotions coursing through him - all he could focus on was how he wanted to be the only one the other man could think of, the only one he could connect with, the only one his heart would beat for.

It felt like every nerve in his system was on fire. He had suppressed them for so long, but just then, he let them burn and swallow him whole.

He felt how the man's fingers got lost in his hair, running through it and massaging his scalp. Their tongues entwined and their lips moved seamlessly together, before making a gentle smacking sound as they parted.

They looked into each other's eyes, their faces flushed and their lips wet. Natsuo had to grip the other man's shirt tightly to remain upright, when his legs wanted to give up.

"This is the best gift I have ever received," Jiro said softly while tenderly swaying his roommate, as if they were dancing to a silent song only the two of them could hear.