Chapter 13

Perth woke slowly to the sound of something clinking in the kitchen. For a few disoriented seconds, he stayed buried beneath the blankets, eyes still closed while his tired brain tried to understand where he was.

Then the smell of coffee reached him.

Right.

Santa.

The memory of last night came back all at once, making warmth spread lazily through his chest before he could stop it. Perth opened his eyes with a quiet groan, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. His ankle still ached faintly, but nowhere near as badly as yesterday. The other side of the bed was empty already.

Another sound came from the kitchen followed by a low muttered curse, and Perth immediately smiled despite himself.

Curious, he pushed himself up carefully before limping toward the doorway.

And then he stopped moving entirely.

Santa stood near the counter with his back partially turned, focused on pouring coffee into two mugs. Morning sunlight spilled across the kitchen, catching against his damp hair and the oversized shirt he was still wearing from Perth’s closet.

Perth’s shirt.

The sleeves hung slightly too long on Santa’s arms, the fabric loose around his waist in a way that should not have affected Perth nearly as much as it did.

But it did and badly. Heat rose instantly through his chest, spreading so quickly it almost made him dizzy.

God.

Santa looked way too comfortable here. Like he belonged in Perth’s kitchen wearing Perth’s clothes first thing in the morning. The thought hit Perth harder than expected.

Because suddenly all he could think about was crossing the room, pulling Santa closer by the waist and kissing him until neither of them could breathe properly anymore. He wanted to bury his face against Santa’s neck. Wanted to hold him. Wanted entirely too much for eight in the morning.

Perth let out another groan before he could stop himself.

Santa turned immediately. “You okay?”

Perth’s brain completely short-circuited for a second after making eye contact. This was a disaster.

Santa looked unfairly good half awake, hair messy, expression still soft with sleep despite already being up. There was something dangerously domestic about the scene in front of him that made Perth’s heart beat painfully fast.

Santa frowned slightly when Perth failed to answer. “Did your ankle hurt again?”

“No,” Perth replied too quickly.

Santa narrowed his eyes immediately.”…Then why are you making that face?”

Perth dragged a hand down his face, already regretting waking up. “I just woke up,” he lied weakly.

Santa did not look convinced at all.

Perth avoided his gaze before his thoughts could betray him completely. Because there was absolutely no way he could explain that the real problem was Santa standing in his kitchen looking like this while Perth was one heartbeat away from doing something catastrophically impulsive.

Something was wrong with Perth. Santa noticed it almost immediately. At first he thought Perth was simply tired from the previous day, but as the morning continued, the strange behavior became impossible to ignore.

Perth barely looked at him directly anymore. Every time Santa got too close, Perth either found an excuse to move away or suddenly became very interested in literally anything else around him. His answers were shorter too, distracted in a way Santa had never seen before.

And honestly? It was starting to irritate him.

“You’ve been staring at the wall for five minutes,” Santa pointed out while placing breakfast on the table.

Perth blinked like he had forgotten where he was. “Hm?”

“The wall,” Santa repeated slowly. “Very fascinating conversation partner apparently.”

Perth let out an awkward laugh before rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I’m just tired.”

Santa narrowed his eyes slightly.

Liar.

Still, he let it go for now.

Later, once they were both dressed and Perth had finally taken his medication, Santa crouched down near the couch again to check his ankle one more time. The swelling had gone down overnight.

“That’s better,” Santa murmured while carefully touching the bruised skin.

Perth inhaled sharply. Not because of the ankle. Because Santa’s fingers brushed lightly against his skin again while applying the cream, warm and gentle and entirely too distracting. Perth stared down at him helplessly, heart pounding so loudly he was convinced Santa would hear it.

This was unbearable. Everything about Santa felt unbearable today.

The domestic morning together.

Santa wearing his clothes.

The way he looked focused right now while taking care of him so naturally, as if this meant something.

As if they were something.

Perth’s thoughts spiraled harder with every passing second. He wanted to grab Santa’s face and kiss him until neither of them could think straight anymore. He wanted to shove his fingers through Santa’s hair. He wanted to pin him against the nearest surface and finally do something about the tension slowly destroying him from the inside.

The worst part was that Santa had absolutely no idea.

Still talking calmly while Perth was losing his mind sitting right in front of him.

“Try not to walk too much today,” Santa said absentmindedly while rubbing the cream in carefully. “And keep putting ice on it later too.”

Perth couldn’t breathe properly anymore. “Santa.”

“Hm?”

“You need to leave.”

Santa’s hand stopped immediately.

The words came out so suddenly and harshly that even Perth flinched slightly afterward.

Slowly, Santa looked up at him. “What?”

Perth forced himself to look away first. “You should go.”

The confusion on Santa’s face shifted quickly into hurt. “…Okay,” he said carefully. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why are you suddenly acting like this?”

Perth stayed silent.

Santa stood up fully now, staring at him with visible frustration. “Perth.”

“I said you should go.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Perth’s chest tightened painfully. This was exactly why he had tried to avoid saying anything. Because Santa looked genuinely hurt right now.

“I can’t tell you,” Perth muttered.

“Why not?”

“Because I just can’t.”

Santa crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. “You’ve been weird since you woke up. Now you’re kicking me out for no reason.”

“There is a reason.”

“Then tell me.”

Perth laughed once under his breath, but it sounded miserable more than amused. “Trust me. You really don’t want me to.”

Santa frowned immediately. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

Perth rubbed both hands over his face, trying desperately to calm down. It was useless. Santa was still standing too close, still looking at him with concern and confusion that only made everything worse.

“Please just leave it alone,” Perth whispered.

“No.”

Perth looked up sharply.

Santa’s expression had softened again somehow, despite obviously being hurt. “If something’s wrong, I want to know.”

The sincerity in his voice nearly destroyed Perth on the spot. Because that was the problem, Santa cared too much without realizing what it was doing to him.

Perth swallowed hard before speaking again. “You’re really insisting on this?”

“Yes.”

A long silence followed. Then finally, Perth let out a slow exhausted breath and looked directly at him for the first time all morning.

“You want the truth?”

Santa nodded once.

Perth’s pulse thundered painfully against his ribs. “The truth is,” he said quietly, “I can’t really hold myself back right now, not when you’re near me and touch me like that.”

Santa blinked, confused.

Perth laughed weakly at his expression.

“Seeing you in my apartment wearing my clothes first thing in the morning nearly killed me,” he admitted brutally. “And now you’re touching me like this acting all caring and gentle while I’m trying very hard not to completely lose my mind.”

Santa froze.

Perth forced himself to continue before he lost the nerve.

“I want to kiss you so badly it’s actually making me feel so frustrated,” he confessed, voice rough now. “And honestly? That’s not even the worst part.”

Santa stared at him silently.

Perth’s chest tightened again before he finished quietly, “The worst part is that I can’t stop thinking about laying you down on the nearest surface.”

Santa stopped breathing for a second. The words settled heavily between them, filling the apartment with a silence so dense it almost felt unreal.

Perth wished immediately that the ground would open beneath him and swallow him whole. Santa was still staring at him. Completely motionless.

Perth let out a quiet, humorless laugh before dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. “See? This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

Still nothing. Santa’s expression had gone unreadable in a way Perth hated instantly.

“Forget it,” Perth muttered quickly, looking away. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

But before he could pull back completely, Santa suddenly spoke. “You think about that?”

Perth froze, then he swallowed hard. “Santa.”

“No, wait.” Santa shook his head slightly like he was still trying to process what he had just heard. “You seriously look at me and think about…”

He stopped himself mid sentence, visibly flustered now. Heat crept up Santa’s neck so quickly that Perth almost forgot his own embarrassment for half a second. Santa was blushing.

Then Santa spoke again. “About wanting to kiss me?”

Perth nearly choked. “That’s not exactly all I said.”

The blush across Santa’s face deepened slightly at the reminder. Right. The nearest surface comment.

Perth suddenly wanted to disappear again.

Santa looked away first this time, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly while his thoughts visibly spiraled.

“I just…” Santa exhaled slowly. “I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“Trust me, I wasn’t planning to.”

Silence stretched between them again, softer now but infinitely more dangerous.

Santa’s eyes flickered briefly toward Perth’s mouth before immediately looking away again.

Perth noticed. That tiny movement alone nearly destroyed the last fragments of his self control.

“Santa,” he said carefully, voice lower now, “You should probably stop looking at me like that.”

Santa looked back at him instantly. “Like what?”

Perth laughed softly under his breath, disbelief mixing with frustration. “You really have no idea what you’re doing to me, huh?”

The honesty in his voice made something shift visibly in Santa’s expression. The tension between them thickened all over again, and suddenly the apartment felt much too small.

Perth was the first one to look away again. He suddenly felt exhausted, not physically but emotionally. His feelings had already spiraled completely out of control. If Santa stayed any longer, Perth was genuinely afraid he would stop thinking altogether.

“You should leave,” Perth said again quietly.

Santa frowned immediately. “Perth.”

“I’m serious.”

Then he continued, “We literally just started talking normally again,” he admitted quietly. “Things finally stopped being awkward between us.”

The words hit Santa harder than expected because Perth was right. After everything that had happened between them before, getting back to this point had not been simple.

Perth rubbed a hand over his face again before continuing.

“And now I’m sitting here telling you I want to throw you onto the nearest surface every time you stand too close to me.” He let out another quiet laugh. “Great timing honestly.”

“Perth…”

“I mean it, Santa.” Perth finally looked back at him, expression softer now but painfully serious. “I don’t want to ruin this by acting without thinking.”

The honesty in his voice made Santa’s chest tighten because suddenly he understood. This was not Perth rejecting him. If anything, it was the opposite. Perth was scared of wanting too much. Scared of crossing a line they could not uncross afterward.

Santa swallowed slowly.

The tension in the apartment shifted then, becoming quieter, heavier in a completely different way.

Perth watched him carefully. “So please,” he murmured, “Just go for today.”

For a second Santa looked like he wanted to argue again, then his shoulders lowered slightly in resignation. “…Okay.”

Santa grabbed his bag quietly, avoiding Perth’s eyes now as he slipped his shoes back on near the entrance. Before opening the door, Santa finally looked back at him one last time.

“Put ice on your ankle later,” he said softly. “And don’t walk around too much.”

“Yeah,” Perth answered quietly. “I will.”

Santa nodded once. Then after a brief hesitation, he added, “And Perth?”

“Hm?”

A strange expression crossed Santa’s face briefly, something nervous and uncertain all at once.

“Thanks for being considerate. You didn’t ruin anything.”

Perth’s breath caught slightly, but before he could answer, Santa had already opened the door and stepped outside.

*

Santa spent the entire drive back to his dorm feeling completely disconnected from reality. One moment kept replaying in his head over and over again.

The worst part is that I can’t stop thinking about laying you down on the nearest surface.

Santa groaned quietly while dragging both hands through his hair before pulling out his phone.

He needed help. Immediately. Without even thinking twice, he opened their group chat.

Santa: Emergency meeting.
Phuwin: Did you commit a crime?
Santa: Worse
Bonnie: You finally realized you’re in love with Perth?

Santa stared at the screen in horror, then he replied.

Santa: Coffee shop. Now.

Twenty minutes later, Santa was sitting at their usual table in the corner of their favorite coffee shop looking like a man actively going through psychological warfare. The smell of coffee filled the air while quiet music played overhead, yet none of it helped calm him down even slightly.

Bonnie arrived first. One look at Santa’s face made her stop mid step.

“Oh, this is bad.”

Santa pointed at her immediately. “You are not allowed to say ‘I told you so.'”

“That means I definitely will.”

A few minutes later Phuwin dropped into the chair across from Santa holding an iced drink.

“Okay,” he said calmly, “Who died?”

Santa looked at both of them in silence for a long moment. Then he said, “Perth told me he thinks about throwing me onto surfaces.”

Phuwin inhaled his drink wrong and started choking violently.

Bonnie slapped both hands over her mouth.

The entire table exploded into chaos instantly.

“What?” Phuwin wheezed.

“What?” Bonnie repeated at exactly the same time.

Santa immediately regretted speaking.

Phuwin leaned forward aggressively. “No, absolutely not. Start from the beginning right now.”

So Santa did.

He told them everything. Perth waking up weird that morning. The tension. Checking his ankle. Perth suddenly asking him to leave. Then finally the confession.

Every single detail.

By the end of it, Bonnie looked seconds away from screaming into the ceiling while Phuwin stared at Santa like he was witnessing the slowest emotional realization in human history.

Santa rubbed his face tiredly. “And then he said he didn’t want to ruin things between us by acting without thinking.”

Silence. Bonnie blinked once. Twice.

Then she leaned back in her chair dramatically. “I need everyone here to understand that this is the most hottest situation I have ever heard in my entire life.”

Phuwin nodded immediately. “Seriously. You two are actually ridiculous.”

Santa frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Both of them looked at him with identical disbelief.

“Santa,” Bonnie said carefully, “That man basically confessed he wants you so badly he had to kick you out of his apartment for self preservation.”

Phuwin pointed at him. “And instead of kissing him, you came here.”

“I panicked!”

“Yeah you absolutely panicked,” Bonnie agreed.

Santa dropped his forehead against the table with a groan. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

Phuwin and Bonnie exchanged one look. Then both of them burst out laughing.

Santa lifted his head slowly. “I hate both of you.”

“No you don’t,” Bonnie replied cheerfully. “You’re just emotionally overwhelmed.”

“That’s worse.”

Phuwin took another sip of his drink before speaking again. “So let me summarize this properly. Perth wants you. You want Perth. He doesn’t know that and instead of kissing him, you left.”

Santa stared at him quietly. “…When you say it like that, it sounds stupid.”

“Because it is stupid,” Bonnie answered immediately.

Santa groaned again, louder this time, while both of them continued looking far too entertained by his suffering.

*

Perth lasted exactly twelve minutes alone before completely losing his mind.

The condo felt painfully empty after Santa left, too quiet.

Perth had tried distracting himself at first. He attempted watching TV again for approximately three minutes before realizing he had absolutely no idea what was happening on screen because his brain kept replaying Santa’s face instead.

Perth groaned loudly before dropping backward onto the couch cushions. His phone sat beside him for another full minute before he finally grabbed it and called the only person chaotic enough to deal with this situation.

Pond answered almost immediately.

“Well, well,” Pond said smugly. “Look who remembered he has friends.”

“I fucked up.”

The dramatic silence on the other side lasted exactly two seconds.

“Again?!,” Pond breathed excitedly. “What happened?”

Perth closed his eyes in suffering. “Why do you sound happy about this?”

“Because your life is entertaining. Now speak.”

Perth debated hanging up, instead he sighed heavily and told him everything. By the time Perth finished talking, Pond had gone completely silent.

“…Pond?”

“YOU SAID WHAT?”

Perth pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. “Please lower your voice.”

“No, absolutely not!” Pond sounded personally offended now. “You looked that man in the eyes and basically told him you wanted to destroy him physically?”

Perth groaned into his hands. “When you phrase it like that, it sounds insane.”

“Because it is insane!”

Perth hated that he was probably right.

Pond let out a dramatic gasp. “Wait, hold on. Hold on. Santa knows you want him?”

“Yes, it’s clearly obvious now.”

“And then instead of kissing him, you kicked him out?”

Perth stared blankly at the ceiling. “…I panicked.”

Pond burst into loud laughter immediately.

Perth felt his soul leave his body a little. “This isn’t funny.”

“It’s extremely funny.”

“I think I ruined everything again.”

That finally quieted Pond down slightly.

Perth rubbed his face tiredly while speaking again, softer this time. “We only just started fixing things between us.” His chest tightened painfully. “And now I probably made everything weird again.”

“I genuinely didn’t mean to tell him,” Perth admitted quietly. “But he kept insisting and I was already losing my mind being around him.”

Pond hummed thoughtfully this time. “And what exactly did Santa do after your very dramatic confession?”

Perth blinked slowly. “…Nothing?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“He just looked shocked.”

“Okay, understandable.”

“And then he asked if I really thought about that.”

Pond immediately made a noise somewhere between disbelief and delight. “Oh, he’s gone.”

“What?”

“Santa is gone,” Pond repeated confidently. “Mentally. Spiritually. Emotionally. Completely gone for you.”

Perth frowned despite himself. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Yes it does.” Pond sounded unbearably smug now. “If Santa was uncomfortable, he would’ve left immediately after your confession. Instead he stayed there discussing it with you.”

Perth fell silent. Because unfortunately… Pond had a point.

“He also told you that you didn’t ruin anything,” Pond continued. “You conveniently forgot that part.”

Perth’s chest tightened again at the memory. Yeah. Santa had said that. Still, anxiety curled heavily in his stomach.

“What if he was only saying that to make me feel better?”

Pond snorted immediately. “Perth. Be serious for one second.”

“I am serious.”

“No, you’re overreacting.” Pond sighed dramatically. “You know what I think?”

Perth already regretted asking. “What?”

“I think both of you are stupid.”

Perth stared at the ceiling again. “…Fair.”

“And honestly,” Pond added, voice softer now, “I think Santa likes you a lot more than you think.”

That thought alone nearly stopped Perth’s heart.

*

Santa was still suffering.

Bonnie had already ordered another drink purely because, according to her, “This conversation deserves refreshments,” while Phuwin continued staring at Santa with endless disappointment.

Santa dropped his head against the table again. “Please let me die peacefully.”

“No,” Phuwin replied immediately. “You need psychological intervention first.”

Santa groaned dramatically into his arms.

Right at that moment, Phuwin’s phone buzzed beside his drink. He glanced down at the message and immediately smiled.

“Oh,” he said casually. “Pond’s coming.”

Santa lifted his head so quickly he nearly got dizzy. “Why?”

Phuwin looked suspiciously innocent. “I may have texted my boyfriend that there was breaking news.”

“You betrayed me.”

“Yes.”

Bonnie snorted loudly into her coffee.

Ten minutes later, Pond walked into the café looking far too entertained already. The second he spotted Santa at the table, his grin widened immediately.

“Oh,” he breathed dramatically while taking the empty seat beside Phuwin. “This is perfect.”

Santa narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like your face right now.”

“That’s unfortunate because I have very interesting information.”

Phuwin perked up instantly. “You talked to Perth?”

Pond leaned back smugly in his chair. “About one hour ago.”

Santa suddenly sat up straighter without meaning to.

Bonnie noticed immediately and looked delighted.

“Well?” she demanded.

Pond looked directly at Santa while speaking. “Apparently Perth thinks he completely ruined everything.”

Santa blinked in surprise. “What?”

Pond nodded seriously. “He called me sounding like his entire life was collapsing.”

A painful mixture of relief and guilt twisted inside Santa’s chest instantly.

“He thought I was uncomfortable right?” Santa asked quietly.

“Oh, absolutely,” Pond confirmed. “That man has been emotionally spiraling for the past hour.”

Bonnie immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

Phuwin looked equally entertained. “Interesting. Because Santa has been doing the exact same thing here.”

Santa looked horrified. “Phuwin.”

“What?” Phuwin replied innocently. “We’re sharing information.”

Pond turned toward Santa slowly, eyes narrowing with realization. “Wait,” he said carefully. “You panicked too?”

Santa looked away immediately.

Bonnie pointed at him aggressively. “He’s been blushing for the last thirty minutes.”

“I hate all of you.”

“That’s not denial,” Phuwin noted calmly.

Pond suddenly started laughing, like genuinely laughing. “…You two are actually the same person.”

Santa felt heat crawl violently back into his face. “Can everyone stop saying things like that?”

“No,” Bonnie answered immediately.

Pond leaned forward onto the table. “For the record, Perth also sounded deeply offended that he confessed all that and somehow you still didn’t kiss him.”

Pond was grinning knowing that this information wasn’t entirely true, he just wanted to a reaction from Santa, and that’s worked.

Santa nearly choked on air. He covered his face with both hands instantly while Bonnie collapsed laughing beside him.

“This is humiliating,” Santa muttered weakly.

“No,” Pond corrected happily. “This is romantic.”

Santa groaned loudly. Unfortunately for him, the blush spreading across his face only made the others laugh even harder.

*

By evening, Santa still could not focus on anything, not his assignments, not the conversation Phuwin and Bonnie kept having in their group chat. Every thought kept circling back to Perth.

Santa groaned quietly before dropping backward onto his bed, phone resting against his chest.

This was ridiculous.

He had spent the entire afternoon pretending he was calm about everything when in reality his brain had been spiraling nonstop since leaving Perth’s condo.

Because now he knew, that he wanted to move forward with Perth, he wanted to be with him. And every time Santa remembered that, heat rushed straight into his chest all over again.

His thumb hovered over their chat without thinking, and before he could overthink it further, his finger pressed the call button.

The ringing started immediately.

Santa froze, and panic hit him a full second too late.

Why had he called?

What was his plan exactly?

He sat up abruptly on the bed while staring at the screen in horror as it continued ringing.

Then suddenly,

“Santa?”

Santa’s heartbeat nearly stopped. Perth’s voice sounded softer than usual over the phone, roughened slightly by exhaustion and maybe sleepiness. For one terrible second, Santa forgot how to speak.

“…Hi.”

A small pause followed before Perth spoke again, sounding confused now. “Is everything okay?”

Santa could practically hear Perth trying to figure out why he was calling at night after the emotional disaster from this morning. Honestly, Santa was wondering the same thing himself.

Santa exhaled slowly before answering. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Perth stopped responding completely. Santa immediately wanted to throw his phone across the room.

“Forget I said that,” he muttered quickly. “Actually no, forget I called entirely.”

“You called me just because you wanted to hear my voice?” Perth asked, sounding dangerously pleased now.

Santa covered his face with one hand. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

“A little.”

The honesty in his tone made heat crawl back up Santa’s neck.

On the other end of the line, Perth shifted slightly, the rustle of fabric audible through the phone.

“That’s…” Perth paused briefly like he was searching for the right word. “Really cute actually.”

Santa nearly died.

“No,” he answered immediately. “Don’t say things like that.”

Perth laughed again, quieter this time. “Too late.”

For a moment neither of them spoke. Then, Santa laid back down slowly against his pillow, staring at the ceiling while speaking again.

“I saw Phuwin and Bonnie earlier.”

“Oh?”

“And then Pond showed up too.”

Perth groaned immediately on the other side. “That sounds… chaotic.”

“It was horrible.”

Perth laughed under his breath. “What happened?”

By the time Santa finished, Perth sounded deeply offended.

“Pond told you everything?”

“He was very enthusiastic about it too.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

Santa smiled automatically hearing that.

“They made a good point though.”

Perth hummed softly. “About what?”

Santa swallowed once before answering.

“…Maybe I should’ve just stayed with you.”

The line went silent again. Santa could almost picture Perth sitting somewhere in his living room right now processing those words carefully.

Finally, Perth spoke. “I thought about that too.”

Santa’s chest tightened immediately.

“But,” Perth continued gently, “I still think leaving was probably the right decision.”

Santa frowned slightly. “Why?”

Perth exhaled slowly. “Because I know myself.”

The honesty in his voice made Santa stay quiet.

“If you had stayed,” Perth admitted softly, “I genuinely don’t think I would’ve been able to act normal around you.”

Heat rushed through Santa instantly.

Oh.

“Oh,” he repeated aloud accidentally.

Perth laughed weakly. “Yeah. Exactly.”

Santa pressed his phone closer against his ear, heart beating harder now.

Then Perth’s voice softened again.

“I think maybe we should take things slowly.”

Santa listened quietly, not because he disagreed, but because Perth sounded serious in a way that mattered.

“I already hurt you once before,” Perth continued carefully. “And we only just started fixing things between us.”

The words settled heavily inside Santa’s chest because Perth was right. No matter how badly Santa wanted him now, there was still this matter between them.

“I don’t want us to rush into something,” Perth admitted quietly. “Especially not when emotions are this intense.”

Santa closed his eyes briefly. God. How was Perth somehow making him fall even harder right now?

“And Santa?”

“Hm?”

Perth hesitated for the first time since starting this conversation. Then softly, almost nervously, he said, “If we start something again… I need you to be sure you trust me first.”

Santa’s breath caught slightly. The vulnerability in Perth’s voice hit him immediately. Because beneath all the teasing and tension and attraction, Perth was genuinely afraid too. Afraid of hurting him again.

Santa stared quietly at the ceiling for a long moment before answering honestly.

“…I think I’m trying to.”

Silence followed. Then Perth laughed softly again, gentler this time. “I think that’s enough for now.”

The conversation quieted after that. For the first time in a long while, talking to Perth felt easy again. No tension pulling painfully between them, no awkwardness forcing either of them to overthink every sentence.

Eventually Perth sighed softly into the phone. “It’s already late.”

Santa glanced at the clock near his bed and winced slightly. It really was.

“You should sleep,” Perth continued quietly. “You have early class tomorrow.”

Santa smiled faintly hearing that Perth still knew his classes schedule.

“Before you sleep…” Perth hesitated briefly. “Can I ask you something?”

Santa’s chest tightened slightly. “Yeah.”

Perth cleared his throat awkwardly. “Would it be okay if we had dinner together tomorrow?”

“We don’t have to,” Perth added quickly. “I just thought maybe we could go to that restaurant we used to like near campus or something. Nothing complicated.”

The nervousness hidden beneath his casual tone made something warm spread through Santa instantly. As if Perth was genuinely unsure about asking.

Santa answered without even thinking. “Yes.”

The response came so fast that Perth laughed quietly. “That was immediate.”

“I didn’t even need a second to think.”

Silence.

Perth finally spoke again, voice quieter with exhaustion. “You should really sleep now.”

“You too.”

“I’m serious, Santa.”

Santa laughed softly. “Fine.”

Neither of them hung up. Five more seconds passed. Then ten.

Perth sighed dramatically. “Why are you still here?”

“You first.”

“That’s not how this works.”

Santa smiled against his pillow.

On the other side of the line, Perth laughed quietly again before finally murmuring,

“Goodnight, Santa.”

The warmth in his voice nearly killed him.

“Goodnight, Perth.”

——
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