Taken by the Mafia ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 14

Barcode was already dressed up, while Santa in his own room. He had just finished changing into the shirt Perth had given him. As he stood there, trying to calm the pounding of his heart from the earlier exchange with Perth, there was a knock on his door.

"Come out," Jeff's voice called from the other side. Santa blinked, straightening himself up before heading towards the door.

At the same time, Jeff knocked on Barcode’s door again. "Come out, we're going out."

Santa opened his door and stepped into the hallway, meeting Barcode, who had also just come out of his room. They exchanged glances, both curious and slightly confused.

"Where are we going?" Barcode asked.

Jeff, now standing between the two. "We’re going to the mall. Gotta buy you guys some new clothes."

Barcode raised an eyebrow while Santa crossed his arms, a little wary of the sudden outing. Jeff waved a hand, dismissing their uncertainty. "Just go downstairs and wait for us. I’ll grab Perth."

Santa and Barcode nodded before heading down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, they were greeted by Auntie Mai, who was setting out some freshly made toast on the table.

"Here, boys," Auntie Mai said warmly. "Have some toast before you go. You’ll need the energy."

Santa and Barcode exchanged grateful smiles as they sat at the kitchen table and started eating the toast, enjoying the warm, buttery flavor.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Jeff knocked on Perth's door. "Perth! Come on, we need to go. What are you doing in there?"

A few seconds later, Perth opened the door, stepping out of his room. He looked a little disoriented, like his mind was elsewhere. Jeff noticed this and frowned. "You okay?"

Perth nodded, but the truth was, he wasn't okay at all. His mind kept flashing back to Santa—Santa in his room, shirtless, the towel wrapped low around his hips. That image of Santa’s bare chest, smooth and pale, stuck with him, making him swallow hard. He kept thinking how that skin would look with a few hickeys on it. His thoughts spun out of control, and he caught himself just in time, mentally shaking his head.

"What the hell am I thinking?" he scolded himself, "I have Pond. Why am I thinking about that brat?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Perth gave Jeff a small nod, pretending like everything was fine. "Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go."

Once they headed downstairs, they found Santa and Barcode still at the kitchen table, finishing their toast. Jeff gave them a curious glance. "What are you two doing?"

"Auntie Mai gave us some toast," Santa explained, pointing to the plate on the table.

Jeff smiled at Auntie Mai. "Thanks, Auntie."

She waved them off with a smile. "Just make sure they eat well, Jeff."

Jeff nodded, then turned back to the group. "Alright, let’s go. Into the car."

Barcode got up first, heading toward the car and sitting in the back seat. Jeff took the driver’s seat, while Santa slid into the back seat beside Barcode. Perth, after a moment of hesitation, climbed into the passenger seat next to Jeff, his mind still replaying those images of Santa.

The car ride to the mall was filled with light chatter. Barcode, sitting next to Santa, telling him how excited he was to go to the mall, and Santa smile looking at his younger brother. Perth remained mostly quiet, occasionally glancing back at Santa from the corner of his eye.

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Once they arrived at the mall, they got out of the car, and Jeff immediately took charge. "Santa, you go with Perth. Barcode, you’re with me."