I will always protect you

The taller man stepped inside the narrow space, forcing the shorter one to squeeze himself between the red tiles and his tracksuit-clad counterpart. Jiro was already leaning toward him, when Natsuo whispered words that made him shudder.

"There is something you should know..."

The tattooed man froze and kept his face close to his roommate as he examined the other's fearful and nervous expression.

"The first time we met..."

Natsuo felt so small and powerless against the towering yakuza. He could feel himself shaking and shrinking away from the opposite figure when anxiety coursed through his veins like a violent river.

"My heart was racing ... my hands were sweating..."

Tears pooled in his eyes as his mind raced through old memories. The pain of keeping everything inside him, hidden from everyone. His actual feelings. His true emotions. The pain of not confronting them. The pain of not confronting his parents. The pain of not confronting the person now standing in front of him. It hurt, but it was all he knew.

He sniffled awkwardly as he tried to compose himself before continuing.

"And I just freaked out," he admitted quietly.

Natsuo couldn't bring himself to look at his ex-classmate, so he turned his focus to the black and white floor pattern beneath them. His stomach burned as he uttered such words, but he kept going.

"I was so... scared about people finding out... our classmates or my... adoptive parents... for liking another…"

Jiro cupped his former bully's face in his hands. His jaw trembled under the man's touch and his breathing grew ragged as his lungs struggled to take in air.

"It's all right."

His voice was a comforting whisper that calmed the chaos inside Natsuo's head in an instant.

"You don't have to be scared anymore. How can I make you feel better?" Jiro asked and stroked the other one's face with his thumbs.

Natsuo dared look up at him, his blue eyes still wet with tears that had almost spilled. He wanted to say he had already made it, but the phrase refused to come out of his sore throat.

"I promise I will always protect you. No matter what you feel or think, I'm here for you. Whatever you are going through, I'm here with you," Jiro said, staring at the person opposite him with the utmost compassion.

Natsuo stretched his arms around the man's frame and tucked his face into the crook of his chin. He started feeling safer than ever and certain that he could trust the other man with his heart, soul, and secrets.

Just as they were about to kiss and release all of their emotions and feelings inside them, the salon door's bell chimed, startling them and breaking the spell between them.

"What are you doing there?! Are you guys having sex there?" Ayumi groaned loudly.

Jiro embraced Natsuo tightly and wrapped both arms around him.

"Are we okay?" he asked against his ear, rocking the slender figure slowly back and forth.

"I give you ten seconds to put your pants on!" the salon owner shouted in a stern voice, as if she was scolding her disobedient children.

Natsuo nodded and smiled shyly, feeling like the sun had risen from the horizon and lit up every corner of his world.

Jiro leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his head. He patted the remaining tears from the corner of the man's eyes and stroked him tenderly behind the ears.

"We will continue this later," he said with a smile, before reluctantly releasing him and offering him a hand to hold.

Natsuo gripped it and intertwined his fingers.

"And I will flip out if I find any body fluids in there," Ayumi cautioned, but her face finally softened as she saw her two friends holding hands.

"Calm down, will you? Let's just eat," Jiro suggested amusedly.

The black eyes and blue ones met, making the latter swiftly turn away - despite the friendly warmth in her expression, Natsuo still felt uneasy as the woman gave him a wide grin.

"Aww, look at you guys! You are finally coming out!"

Jiro grabbed two food boxes and sat down in the barber chair. He pulled Natsuo onto his thigh and shifted himself so he could wrap his hand around the slim body and keep him secure.

"You can sit here with me and eat your lunch," he proposed as he offered his roommate the upper container, gesturing to him to take it.

"Thanks…"

Ayumi sat behind her cash register, watching them with the biggest smile as the teal-haired one reacted with a deep blush. She was presumably about to tease him about it, but the man opened his mouth first.

"So... will you contact that woman?"

"What woman?" Jiro asked with a frown and swirled noodles on his chopsticks.

Ayumi began talking and gushing about how in love she was with the customer she had recently met, beaming with excitement.

(Later that night)

Jiro adjusted the black suit he was wearing in front of the entrance mirror. He straightened out the lapels and ran a hand through his hair, a serious expression creeping across his face.

He had hours of tedious work ahead of him that night. Collecting debts, guarding their secret locations, honoring and praising his criminal superiors. Even though his work was mainly done in the darkest hours of the day, he always tried to come back before sunrise, so that he could sleep with his roommate even for a little bit.

The man turned around and saw his fellow resident standing further away, watching him solemnly. Jiro approached him and played with his blue-green hair, twirling it around his fingers before tucking it behind his ears.

"You don't need to worry."

Natsuo nodded with a faint smile on his lips. The yakuza could immediately tell that the other's expression lacked sincerity and his housemate's true concerns were hidden beneath his shallow expression.

"I will always come home to you," Jiro assured as he leaned forward to kiss the young man's forehead.

Both of them knew deep down that the promise was a lie - being a yakuza was dangerous and unpredictable, with no guarantee of returning home.

"How about we do something fun tomorrow? We can do whatever you want," he suggested, thinking they could enjoy their time together before the next night split them up once more.

"Movies, arcades, amusement parks, aquariums... I can take you to a museum if you want that. Anything you like, as long as you are happy," he said with a slight smirk.

Natsuo closed his eyes when Jiro's hands moved from his hair to his waist and he was kissed on the lips. He lifted his palms to the tattooed man's cheeks and caressed his jawline as he lengthened the kiss - it was soft and loving as if it was a sign of something better and brighter in the days ahead.

The younger one eventually broke the kiss, looking still a bit worried and hesitant.

"Okay, let me think of something. Just... be careful," he said softly, almost whispering his last words.

Jiro flashed him another smile. He reached out to give the man a last peck on the lips before turning around and walking out of the door, leaving a rather uneasy silence in his wake.