CHAPTER 12

Author's note: ok EVERYONE SITS DOWN NICELY WITH YOUR SNACKS, POPCORN, OR ANYTHING YOU HAVE. 👀💞💅 This chapter is gonna be nothing but PURE WHOLESOME😏 I hope you enjoy reading! LOVE YA ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

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The sun had climbed higher, shining warmly, but their chosen spot under a cluster of trees offered plenty of shade. A cool breeze swayed the leaves above, making the perfect setting for their homemade lunch.

Santa and Stacey, who had been passionate about cooking and baking since they were kids, prepared their bento-themed lunch boxes. Each was filled with sheep-shaped onigiri, fluffy tamagoyaki, golden chicken karaage, and tiny sausages cut into heart shapes. Alongside were boxes of fresh fruits, like grapes, papaya, honeydew, etc, and, of course, a box full of delicious chocolate brownies.

"Perth, aren't you gonna praise Tata for today's feast?" Stacey leaned toward her brother, arching her brows with playful mischief.

"You made all this, Ta? By yourself?" Perth's voice carried both surprise and admiration.

"Of course not! Jee helped me too," Santa admitted quickly.

"I literally only helped with the brownies," Stacey said flatly, squinting at him. "Besides... didn't you say you wanted to prepare all these by yourself for someone 'special'?" She tapped her chin dramatically before turning to stare straight at Perth.

"Jee! You don't have to say everything out loud!" Santa's pout deepened, his cheeks turning red as he waved his hands.

"You made these for me?" Perth leaned in, his smirk soft but his eyes sharp, enjoying every second of Santa's fluster.

"I-I made them for us to eat, okay? So shush already!" Santa puffed his cheeks, roughly grabbing one box to shove into Perth's hands and another into Stacey's.

"That's so sweet of you, Kitty," Perth teased, clearly not letting go.

"J-just shut up and eat before I shove an onigiri in your mouth." Santa turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Wow," Stacey said around a mouthful of karaage, her grin wide. "Looks like I got a free drama show to go with my lunch today."

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Perth takes a bite of the sheep-shaped onigiri, chewing slowly as if he's tasting the whole world in that one mouthful. "Wow. This is... actually really good, Ta."

Santa side-eyes him, cheeks still puffed. "Obviously. I don't do half-hearted work."

"Mm, yeah, but this one's special. I can taste the effort," (AND THE LOVE-) Perth teases, leaning closer just enough to make Santa flinch. "Like, someone must've been thinking about me the whole time while cooking."

Santa almost chokes on his tamagoyaki. "Y-you're imagining things! I was thinking about the trip, not you!" His voice cracks slightly, and that only makes Perth smirk.

"Sure, sure. Then explain why the sausages are cut into little heart shapes?" Perth holds one up with his chopsticks, waving it in front of Santa's face.

Santa quickly snatches it away, glaring. "That's for the presentation! Don't read too much into it!"

"Haaah..." Stacey sighs lightly at the background, leans back with her lunchbox. "You two should just stop beating around the bush and get married already. My heart can't take anymore of this sweetness."

Santa groans, covering his face with one hand. "Why did I even agree to come?"

"Because you love me," Stacey says smugly, then points at Perth with her chopsticks. "And so does he."

Perth doesn't deny it. He just keeps staring at Santa with that annoyingly soft gaze that makes Santa's ears turn red.

"...Eat your lunch," Santa mumbles, shoving a piece of brownie into Perth's mouth to shut him up.

"Mmph-" Perth muffles, then swallows. "Sweet. Just like you."

Santa freezes, blushing furiously, while Stacey bursts out laughing, nearly dropping her fruit box. "Oh my god, this is better than any drama I've watched." (same girl 💅)

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After plenty of munching and laughter over lunch, the trio cleaned up a little before relaxing for a bit, enjoying the breeze.

"Alright," Stacey pipes up, brushing her hands together. "How's everyone doing? Still having fun?"

"Yep," Santa leans back on his arms, tilting his head toward the sun with closed eyes. "The beach feels really kind today." He inhales deeply, savoring the salty breeze.

"What about you, Perth? Are you enjoying yourself?" Stacey turns her attention to the other boy.

"Yeah," Perth answers with a small smile, his posture mirroring Santa's. His gaze, however, drifts toward the younger one beside him. "Today's been really fun."

"Aha, perfect!" Stacey claps once, grinning wickedly. "Since we're all having fun, shall we make this more interesting? Time to make today unforgettable."

Santa cracks open one eye, immediately suspicious. "Unforgettable...? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Stacey only smirks and dramatically pulls out a familiar empty bottle. "Because..." she twirls it between her fingers. "We're playing 'Truth or Dare' again!"

"Huh?!" Santa practically sits up, looking betrayed.

"You're serious about this again?" he asks, clearly unconvinced.

"Of course! But this time..." Stacey wiggles her brows, her grin stretching mischievously. "I'm adding a little spice."

Santa groans, running a hand down his face. "Oh no... this is gonna be a nightmare."

"Relax!" Stacey chirps, placing the bottle in the middle. "Same rules as before. I'll start, then whoever it lands on goes next. Ready? Let's go!"

She gives the bottle a spin, and after wobbling a few seconds, it lands straight to Perth.

"Okay, Perth," Stacey leans forward, eyes glinting. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," he answers without hesitation.

"Oho~? Look who's brave enough to pick 'truth' this time," Stacey teases. "Alright then... When did you start liking Tata?" She raises her brows dramatically, barely holding back her grin as she glances at her brother.

Santa freezes, his cheeks heating. Against his will, he finds himself leaning in just slightly, waiting for the answer.

Perth thinks for only a second before saying calmly, "If we're talking about the first time I realized it... probably during our first video call."

"UHUK-!" Santa chokes on his own saliva, eyes going wide.

"Video call?!" Stacey gasps, immediately latching onto Santa's arm and shaking him. "Why didn't I know about this?! What happened? Tell me everything!"

Perth chuckles at Santa's flustered expression. "It was after our exam results. We made a bet. If Tata passed 'beautifully,' he could ask me for any reward he wanted."

"Ohhh~ interesting!" biting her nail, Stacey's eyes are sparkling. "So, Ta... what did you ask for?"

"U-um... I-" Santa stammers, avoiding both their eyes.

Perth's lips curve into a playful grin. "He asked for something really special. You can't find it anywhere."

"Ohhh, really?" Stacey leans in, clearly entertained. "I wonder what it was..."

Santa's silence makes it even more suspicious.

"Well..." Perth begins smoothly, "he actually asked for m-"

Before he can finish, Santa slaps a palm over his mouth, his entire face crimson. "I-I didn't ask for anything weird, okay?! Let's just continue the game!"

Stacey cackles. "Now I'm even more curious! Perth, you're telling me later, ok?" she whispers loudly enough for her brother to hear.

"JEE!" Santa nearly jumps, glaring at her with puffed cheeks. "Drop it already!"

"Alright, alright." Stacey raises her hands innocently, but her grin gives her away. "Perth, your turn."

She reset the bottle in the center of the mat with a flourish, and the game continued..

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The bottle spins, wobbling a little before coming to a stop, right at Santa."Perfect! Santa, 'truth or dare'?" Stacey teases, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Santa exhales slowly, bracing himself. "...Dare. But! Please just make it something normal this time..."

"No promises," Stacey smirks, deliberately looking away.

Perth tilts his head, a grin tugging at his lips as he locks eyes with Santa. "Then... I dare you..." "...to tell me how you felt when I kissed your cheek back then."

Santa instantly shoots up from his seat. "Nope. That's it, I'm leaving."

But before he can bolt, Stacey grabs his wrist and yanks him back down. "WAIT. Nope. Sit your butt back here!"

*Internally screaming* "This is straight up bullying..." Santa groans inside, wishing he could vanish on the spot instead of being trapped between these two devils.

"Well?~ We're waiting," Stacey hums, blinking at him like the world's most annoying cat.

"...I hate you guys so much." Santa pouts, lips wobbling as if he might cry.

Perth leans on one arm, resting his cheek against his palm, watching Santa with a soft but unrelenting gaze. "...So? Tell me."

Santa sighs harshly, squeezes his eyes shut, words tumbling out before he can stop them.

"W-well... At first it felt weird, but also warm. Like... my stomach was full of butterflies trying to kill each other. My heart wouldn't calm down, and..." his voice drops to a whisper, "...it felt kind of nice. Tingly, even."

The second he finishes, Santa buries his face in his palms. "Ughhh, just kill me already..."

"AAAAAAHHH THAT'S SO CUTE!" Stacey squeals so loud the people around them give them weird stares. She grabs Santa's shoulders and shakes him mercilessly, all while snapping sneaky photos with her phone. (The author's rough presentation, whenever I see PerthSanta.)

Perth, meanwhile, has gone still, his ears turning red. He covers his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress the smile threatening to break through. Just hearing Santa admit that... makes his chest tighten in the best way possible.

"Okay! That's it! I answered! Now it's my turn to spin!" Santa blurts, fumbling to grab the bottle.

But before he can spin, Perth leans closer, his voice brushing against Santa's ear. "...Didn't know I made you feel that way, kitty." (The author crashing out again-)

Santa jolts, whipping his head away, his ears glowing crimson. "Q-quit it, Phi! Let's just keep playing!" His trembling hand spins the bottle unsteadily.

It clinks to a stop, pointing right at Perth.

"Ha! The universe loves me today!" Stacey cheers.

"Not fair! You haven't even gotten a turn yet, Jee!" Santa protests.

"Oh, don't be salty just because fate is on my side." Stacey grins like the devil.

"'Truth or dare', Perth?"

Perth calmly replies, "Dare."

"Great choice." She reaches into her bag, pulling out a small red box with two chocolate sticks peeking from the top.

Santa narrows his eyes. "...Wait. No way."

"Oh yes way." Stacey waves the box in the air like a prize. "I dare you two to play the Pepero Challenge."

Perth chuckles low, already guessing where this is headed. "Knew it."

Santa stares in horror. "You can't be serious! That's not a dare, that's straight-up public execution!"

"Rules are simple," Stacey cuts him off, wagging her finger. "You two have to eat it until it's less than one centimeter. If you chicken out and stop earlier... you'll have to do it all over again."

Santa buries his face in his palms. "This is torture."

Perth just laughs, already tearing open the Pepero box Stacey slides across the mat. He holds one stick between his lips and tilts his head toward Santa, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Come on. Don't make me eat alone."

"Remind me to never talk to you, ever again", Santa glares deathly at Stacey while the girl herself is winking cutely at her brother.

Santa reluctantly leans in, biting the other end. The atmosphere feels charged as they start nibbling closer, the stick shrinking bit by bit. Santa's heart pounds louder with every bite, his eyes looking anywhere but Perth's.

They're nearly at the middle when Santa instinctively slows down, ready to pull away-

-but Perth doesn't.

(OK EVERYONE, CALM DOWN-)

Instead, he closes the distance in one bold move, grabs both of Santa's cheeks, biting through the rest of the Pepero and pressing his lips firmly against Santa's. (That's it, the author is dead.)

Santa's eyes widen in shock, but before he can react, Perth pulls back just slightly, a sly grin tugging at his lips.

"Well," he says smoothly, voice low, "eating it all... still counts as less than one centimeter, right?"

Stacey practically squeals from the side. "OH. MY. GOD. DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!"

"AAAAAJOGIOG!!! I'M DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING."

Santa, face burning red, slaps both of his palms on his lips "I'm never playing games with you two ever again!" He stands up instantly and runs towards the restroom.

Perth only chuckles, still looking straight at Santa and mumbles,

"...Sweet."

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NO ONE ASKS FOR HOW I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW AAAAAAA I'M CRASHING OUT SO BAD HERE o(≧口≦)o I NEED THIS TO REALLY HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE GODDDDD ヽ(*。>Д<)o゜

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter so much like how i enjoyed writing this! I WAS LITERALLY GIGGLING, BITING MY FINGERNAILS, SCREAMING INTERNALLY THE ENTIRE TIME.

As usual, do comment and vote if you enjoy my story! see you on my next update!!! BAIII 😆💖