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Perth had been begging Santa for weeks to come over to his apartment. The excuses always came and ruined whatever he planned for them. Santa would say ’I can’t this weekend, the professor gave us extra work to do’ or ’My mother’s coming to visit and she already booked us a whole spa day, some mother-son bonding’ – all these things Perth couldn’t argue against.
Both of them went to the same university, so meeting wasn’t the problem. Even though they had different schedules, they made the effort to try and have lunch together at the cafateria or get at least coffee between two classes often. On Fridays, it was date night ever since they got together. They took turns planning outings and having something to look forward to, it helped Perth more than once to get through the most tiring, hard weeks.
However, they rarely went over to each other. On Santa’s part, Perth wasn’t super keen on spending too much time at the younger’s living space – Santa still lived back at their university’s dormitory and his roommate was kind of an asshole, in Perth’s opinion. He wasn’t jumping on any opportunities to go over there for more than necessary. And there really wasn’t any need for it since Perth had his own apartment, fully renovated, in the city centre near their school. Without any roommates.
Given the circumstances, they should’ve been spending all their free minutes cozied up there. And yet somehow, getting Santa to come over happened once every blue moon.
The unexpected turn of events came a day ago.
They were sitting at the library, books opened in front of them and never looked at again. Perth was in a middle of doodling an interesting looking flower on Santa’s wrist when Santa spoke up.
„Do you have any plans for tomorrow evening? I was thinking about hanging out at your place, if you’re free.” The words made the pen between Perth’s fingers stop moving. Santa’s statement seemed innocent, as if he was proposing an ordinary picnic date for them – he had no idea what he was doing to Perth with that suggestion.
Perth wasn’t even thinking about anything dirty. They haven’t had sex yet and he didn’t get any sign about Santa wanting to cross that bridge, not yet.
It was just the mental image of having Santa there, in the place he feels most peaceful at and not having to worry about anybody else near them. He could make Santa’s favourite coffee, give him some comfortable clothes – Perth might’ve jumped the gun on that one, but one can wish -, snuggle up on the couch. No polite smiles at waitresses, no accidental meeting with friends, just the two of them.
Not wanting to seem too eager, Perth composed himself the best he could before showing a gentle smile at his boyfriend. It didn’t come up for a second in him to think about any prior engagement. He would cancel them all anyways.
„Sure. My last class end by 5 PM, so… Come over around 6? Does that sound good?” Perth leaned a little closer. He touched Santa’s ear with the tip of his nose, before leaving a small peck under it. He could see goosebumps appear on the younger’s neck and he liked the sight. „I’ll cook us dinner.”
„Mhm. Sounds good.”
Just like that, Perth had managed to fuck himself over. In the midst of happiness about Santa initiating a date in Perth’s apartment, he forgot one big thing; the UEFA Champions League knockout match, Liverpool against Real Madrid.
Perth had said it to anyone willing to listen to football talk, he came out the womb cheering for Liverpool. He hasn’t missed watching one single match for years.
He rarely watched it with anybody else though. Most of his friends didn’t really care about sports this much and if there’s one thing he hated, it was having to try and act interested in other people speaking to him while there was a match on. Staying alone at home, in silence and nobody else disturbing him, it was for the best.
And having Santa by his side would be the biggest distraction ever. Not just because he could never fully focus on anything while he’s boyfriend is near him, but Santa never watched football. At all. He’s always said it was boring and pointless. He never minded when Perth had to delay or cancel a date because of a match – it was much better than the other option which is watching with him.
’It’s okay, P’Perth. I never imagined myself dating a football fan, but I’m willing to take on the challenge. Just don’t make me watch it.’ Santa had said to him before.
Back then, he laughed and said he would never. A promise that had to be broken.
Perth didn’t want to cancel. Santa had seemed excited about their evening at Perth’s apartment and who knows if he suddenly said it can’t happen when would be the next time Santa asks him. That’s why he made a perfect plan; he cooked Santa’s favourite thai food for dinner, bought some wine for romance and he was prepared to do anything Santa liked. Until 8 o’clock, when he would ask to turn on the TV.
Sure, he wouldn’t be able to focus on it properly, but he could at least glace at it while still being present with his boyfriend. Perth thought it would be the perfect compromise.
He wasn’t prepared for his plans to shatter soon after opening the door for Santa on the big day.
„Hi, P’Perth! I’ll give you a kiss in a minute!” His boyfriend threw his shoes on the side and went inside the living room without at least a hug.
Perth stood there looking out in the hallway utterly dumbfounded – he wasn’t expecting this much enthusiasm from Santa. It did feel flattering, however Perth was around 75% sure there had to be something else. He wouldn’t have to ask daily for Santa to come over if he was this excited about it.
After shutting the door and locking it back, he joined Santa who was already sitting at the corner of the couch, the same place he chose the last time he was conviced to watch a movie here. He had is eyes glued to Perth’s newest, a bit foolish purchase; the gigantic, flat screen TV.
„Uh… Hi.” Perth sat down beside Santa. His boyfriend immediately pulled him closer by his arms and landed a soft, greeting kiss on his lips. It had the usual effect on Perth, a smile surfacing and his heart picked up its pace. But, the confusion stayed. „What are you watching?”
„It’s the MAMA Awards. It’s a korean award ceremony. Once they finish with the red carpet event, the main show will start.” Santa began explaining, the genuine eagerness visible in his whole demeanor. Perth found it incredibly cute and devastating at the same time. He had a guess about where the conversation was headed. „I watch it live every year. The performances are very cool! Do you mind if we keep the TV on?”
Perth was a weak, weak man. Looking right at those puppy eyes and hearing the hope in Santa’s voice, he could feel the defeat coming before the fight ever began. „Ah, yeah? How long is it?”
Perth tried to sound casual and he knew he failed when he saw Santa’s expression change.
„They’ve been getting longer, so maybe around 4 hours.” The way Santa’s voice lost it’s higher sound and he looked embarrassed, seeing it made Perth’s stomach drop. „Well, uh, that’s kinda lot, right? Yeah… Nevermind, then. I know you don’t listen to K-pop. It’s nothing, we don’t have to watch it. I’ll find a recording later.”
It could seem like such a small problem to some people. Was it really a big deal? Both the football match and the award ceremony would be uploaded to the internet, it would be a simple task to rewatch both of those later. Still, it’s never like that for fans. Perth knew the disappointed feeling that was brewing inside Santa, he was going through the exact same thing except it was about sports.
And he didn’t want to Santa to feel that. Not in his apartment, the place he had every intention of turning into Santa’s safe zone. Somewhere he would feel completely comfortable and only make happy memories. It was most likely the young, fresh love that made him think not letting him watch a live broadcast would be a horrible start.
„No, no!” Perth snatched the remote controll from Santa’s hand as the younger was going to turn off the TV. „I was just curious. If you want to watch it, we can.”
The happiness came back to Santa instantly. He was smiling big, all his pearl white teeth on full display. He gave Perth another kiss.
Perth served the dinner in the living room, placing the plates full of food and side dishes, drinks in front of them on the coffee table. He was worried about his cooking skills, but Santa kept giving him compliments and ate almost everything without leftovers. It made him feel fuzzy inside, something only Santa was capable of doing to him.
It all went amazing until 8 o’clock. He wrapped an arm around Santa’s shoulder while they were watching the MAMA Awards – the show itself wasn’t really his thing, but having his boyfriend snuggled up to him definitely was. Perth played with Santa’s longish hair covering his nape, strands curled around his fingers. Santa told him about all the groups that were performing and they put on a good show. Then, the event he put into his calendar lit his phone screen up and he was reminded of the match that was just starting.
Half of him somehow hoped the award ceremony would end earlier than expected and of course, it didn’t happen. He forced himself to place his phone face down and tried to ignore the ache in his heart. For the sake of his oblivious boyfriend sitting next to him who didn’t have a clue about the inner torment Perth was going through.
He managed to control himself for about 15 minutes. It was true torture; he didn’t know anything about the score, the starting lineup of players or if any quick attack had already happened. It was making him crazy.
First, he excused himself to get a glass of water. He slid his phone back into his pocket as he was standing up and walked over to the kitchen. Perth stood hidden next to the fridge and searched up the online life streaming of the game. He started watching it on silent mode and it took him well over 5 minutes to get that water. Santa didn’t notice anything strange, he was way too engrossed in a performance that was happening in the TV. Perth opened his arm and he was back in there again.
The second time came a little later, the excuse was going to the toilet. It wasn’t Perth’s proudest moment in life, sitting on the edge of the tub in hiding, but he saw some pretty amazing moves from Liverpool and it didn’t matter then. A while after, he rejoined Santa who did look up at him with a slightly confused face. Perth acted nonchalant and Santa didn’t mention it if he found it strange.
The third time was a poor attempt. He decided it was a bit cold in the living room – it wasn’t – and they needed some blankets – they didn’t – which he went to retrieve from his bedroom. He was sitting on his bed, completely sucked into the match when Liverpool suddenly made a goal.
All the fans went crazy who were in the stadium, the team celebrated together and Perth jumped up from his seat. He wanted to celebrate, to scream and start hitting the couch cushions as he usually did while watching football. With Santa sitting just right out there, he wanted to take him into his arms, lift him up into the air and kiss him. Liverpool scored! If that’s not the ’kiss-worthiest’ moment, Perth doesn’t know what is.
In the midst of glory, his eyes were glued to the screen and he didn’t notice the bedroom door opening. He just heard a small gasp and that’s when he looked up.
„What are you doing? You’ve been gone for so long.” Santa’s eyes were all over him, trying to understand the scene unfolding in front of him. Perth could see it as he put the pieces together, one by one; the random disappearings, the guilty look on Perth’s face and finally, the phone in his hand with the match still playing. Santa didn’t bother masking his disappointment or his anger. „Oh. Alright. I think I’ll get going.”
An alarm sound started blaring inside Perth’s head. Santa turned around and left him in the bedroom, but Perth followed him with long strides.
„No, Ta, stop! Please, wait!” Perth had no trouble catching up to Santa, luckily his apartment wasn’t that big. They were back at the living room and Perth had put a hand on Santa’s shoulder to stop him. „Don’t go, let me explain.”
Santa stopped walking away from Perth. He pushed his hand off off himself, but turned around and listened with crossed arms. „I asked if you were okay with watching my show. You could’ve just said no instead of… hiding from me to watch football instead.”
Santa said the last part with such an offended tone, Perth felt heat crawling up the back of his neck. Hearing out loud what he did was truly embarrassing. He felt like a kid scolded by his mother, and that’s a very wrong thing to feel while in the company of one’s lover.
„I’m sorry, I really am.” He said the words, head hanging low. „I completely forgot Liverpool was playing tonight. By the time I realised, we had already made plans for you to come over and I didn’t want to cancel. When you got here, I wanted to ask you if it would be okay if I turned on the game, but you asked me first about the awards ceremony…” When Perth was stressed he tended to start speaking much more than usual, that’s why he started to pour all on Santa. Also, he would hate for them to fight because of his silly mistake. „You were excited and happy and adorable… I couldn’t say no. I wanted you to enjoy being in my apartment, to want to come back. I thought it would be okay if I missed one game… cleary, I overestimated my willpower.”
They stared at each other for what felt like a long time. Perth’s brain didn’t stop spinning; he kept thinking about the flowershop that sells Santa’s favourites, the snacks he could buy to earn some good points and anything that could help with getting back to his boyfriend’s good side.
„You thought I wouldn’t want to come back to your apartment if you said no?” It’s the first thing Santa asked. Perth was surprised by that, he wouldn’t say that was the most important part of his apology.
„Yes.” He nodded. And before his head could catch up to his mouth, he continued. „You usually refuse when I ask you. I wanted to make this a good experience, so you’ll come more.”
Perth confession made them both blush. Perth was never really good at expressing his feelings in such an open way and Santa’s cheeks got red too, because Perth had said it out loud how he wants him to spend more time there, with him.
What Perth didn’t know then, however soon would find out, was another reason the anger seemed to vanish out of Santa.
„Uhm… To be honest, I don’t have much ground to stand on to be mad at you. I’m way worse than you…” Santa started to fidget with his rings and his tone made Perth worried. „You told me about your new TV like a week ago and I usually watch the award ceremony from my laptop… and you know how I spilled milk on it? It’s still in the repair shop… I didn’t want to miss the live showing and your TV sounded super high quality…”
Santa didn’t finish the sentence and Perth didn’t need him to. It hurt enough without a proper ending. The ache in his heart felt much stronger than when he thought he would miss the whole Liverpool match. The question lingered in the air around him: was this the only reason Santa had asked him to come over? For his TV? He didn’t expect to hear this.
Here he was, thinking they’ve made progress in their relationship.
„You came just because you can watch TV here?” Once said out loud, it hurt more. It embarrassed him more. It felt more humiliating than he’s ever felt before.
„No! No, no, no!” With a sudden move, Santa got right front of Perth and grabbed his face between his palms. „Maybe the initial motivation came from there, yes, but that’s not all! I love spending time with you. I love being with you, I wanted to come here because you’re here too.”
Perth looked at Santa. Really looked at him. He always knew when his boyfriend was lying to him and he could tell he was telling the truth. It gave him comfort and he felt a little lighter. In spite of that, he could tell that they needed to have a serious conversation and there wasn’t going to be any better time.
With that in mind, he clasped his hands behind Santa’s waist and he gently moved them towards the couch. He sat down onto the cushion with a soft thud and he wasn’t about to let Santa go, so the younger came too. Perth positioned Santa to sit in his lap while his hands settled on the Santa’s hips.
„Let’s start again. All cards on the table. I’m sorry about sneaking away from you. I should’ve been upfront with you about wanting to watch the match today. Do you forgive me?”
Santa hummed softly. „I do. I know how much you love Liverpool, watching those games is important to you. I didn’t know they had one today.”
„That’s because you know nothing about football.” Perth said, and the sadness was overturned by an endearing smile.
„True. Next time, tell me if they are playing and even if we have plans, I won’t get mad. Maybe. Depends on the plans.” Santa said with a sly expression. Perth deemed that deal acceptable and he chuckled with a nod. „I’m sorry about using you for your TV. Do you forgive me?”
„I do. It got you here with me, it’s not the worst thing.” Perth’s hold on Santa got stronger. Not enought to hurt in any way, just more noticable.
„So we’re good?” Santa leaned down. He was about to press their lips together when Perth gently stopped him.
„Wait. Yes, we’re good. But I do have another question.”
„What is it?” Santa stayed mid-motion, face dangerously close to Perth’s. It made concentrating much harder for Perth and somehow he still stayed on topic.
„Why do you always turn it down when I ask you to come over?” With the question that has been bugging him for a long time out, Perth already felt a lot lighter.
Santa didn’t answer fast. Perth watched his face while he was thinking – like Santa considered multiple possible answer until he settled for one.
„It’s, uh… it’s a friend of mine.” He started and Perth listened with open ears. „He told me every time someone who lives at the dormitory gets in a relationship with someone who lives alone… They’ll start to spend all their time at the apartment, it’s basically moving in together way too quickly and how it killed multiple relationships. I didn’t want that to happen to us.”
Perth eyes darkened upon hearing the reason his own boyfriend had been avoiding his place. He didn’t have to think about who could’ve talked this nonsense into Santa’s head – he knew it was his roommate. The one who has been treating Perth as the number one enemy since day one.
It was maddening to hear. And he was sure right then and there, that he needed to get those false informations disproved, the sooner the better.
„Baby, listen to me.” His voice dropped into a lower register and his palms slipped down to Santa’s tighs. He knew how to get full attention to himself. „One day, we’ll move in together and we’ll continue to be in love. It’ll strengthen our relationship, not damage it. But we won’t jump forward into the future, okay? You can come over any time you want before that, it won’t kill our spark.”
Santa was still uncertain.
„Are you sure? We’ll still go on dates outside, we won’t become a boring, homebody couple?”
„Of course I’m sure. I love discovering new places with you and doing fun activites, we’ll continue to do that just the same.” Perth’s fingertips drew long lines along Santa’s tighs, slowly caressing. „It would be for the better. If I can have you here like this often enough, only to myself, I won’t have to resort to doing the same stuff I would when we’re alone out in public. I’m guessing we’d get a few weird looks. Maybe get banned from cafés.”
With that, his hands reached their final destination, on the curve of Santa’s ass. A strong grip there was merely for presenting an example and pulling Santa as close as physically possible. „What do you say?”
„Well… The one way to find out if you’re right is by testing.” The answer was immediate. „Maybe… I should sleep over tonight and we’ll go from there?”
They didn’t talk much in the hour after. They have spent majority of it in a hot and heavy makeout session on the couch – the MAMA Awards completely forgotten in the background along with the football match playing on Perth’s tossed aside phone -, before falling asleep a few more hours later.
Perth never had to beg again, Santa came willingly.
And Liverpool had won that night.
Making Perth one very, very lucky man.