CASUAL || Shinez

Chapter 5

"Santa's Village?" Yunjin breathes out, eyes growing wide, staring at the lights strung up around them, covering the peaks of the little tents that had cropped up in the middle of a large expanse of land. She turns to Kazuha, hands balled up in her pockets, smile curling the corners of her mouth. "You brought me to Santa's Village?"

Kazuha's smile is as nervous as can be. "Yeah. Do you like it?"

"Do I– Kazuha," Yunjin breathes out, reaching over to wrap her hands in the lapels of Kazuha's jacket and pulling her in closer. "Holy shit, I love it."

"Yeah?"

Kazuha brings their faces closer together and fuck, this is really not good for Yunjin's heart. No strings attached, and yet Yunjin is being tangled further and further in a web of her own making. Kazuha wraps her arms around Yunjin's waist, bringing her in until their mouths meet. And yeah. Yunjin is kinda done for. They kiss without urgency, without pressure, without the expectation for more. Yunjin wonders if she's slipping up— if Kazuha can taste the desperation dripping through the cracks of her facade when she kisses her deep enough. It's not like they haven't kissed just for the sake of kissing before, but this one tastes different. Yunjin can't tell if it's because they're standing in the middle of a million Santa's or if it's because Kazuha's trying to tell her something.

It's probably the former.

Yunjin pulls away with a smile and lets her eyes flutter open groggily. "It's kinda weird to kiss when ol' Saint Nick is glaring at me over your shoulder."

Kazuha glances at him, and yes there is a full grown man there peeping at them, before tucking Yunjin under her arm and walking deeper into the village. "Well, fuck him. Let's go celebrate an early Christmas, hm?"

And then that's exactly what they do. Kazuha splurges, they dip from stall to stall, grabbing food from some of them (Kazuha smears chocolate over her chin and Yunjin barely keeps herself from leaning over and licking it off. They're in public after all). It's atrocious, heart-stopping, artery-clogging food and Kazuha mumbles something about how she's going to have to spend extra time at the gym after every single one, but they giggle and shove it down their gullets anywho. It's not Christmas without presents, however, which means anything Yunjin looks at, Kazuha buys for her. It's how she ends up with an armful of tiny santas and with a random assortment of kitchen items in various christmas colors.

(I really don't need this, Yunjin laughs in protest as Kazuha shoves multiple whisks into her arms and says, well you never know, what if the world is ending and the only way to save yourself is by having exactly four green whisks? It's silly and stupid and Yunjin thinks she might just be a little in love.)

Kazuha insists that she carry all of it, which ends up making her look like a fool and Yunjin can't stop laughing because you'd think a girl standing at five foot ten inches would be able to hold a heavy plastic bag without toppling over. Weight lifting isn't your forte baby, Yunjin has to say as she gingerly takes the bags back and Kazuha walks next to her with a pout and crossed arms for the next five minutes. It's very cute, honestly, and it's making Yunjin feel a little off-kilter because, well, this is a date, isn't it? Spending your money on someone, trying to hold their bags for them, walking around under pretty lights and kissing in front of ogling Santa's... it's a Hallmark movie, for crying out loud.

They end up stashing their bags on a bench next to a woman with a baby stroller (she looks trustworthy enough to not run off with Yunjin's precious whisks and other kitchen goods) and Kazuha shells out another hundred-something dollars to get them skates for the annual ice rink that's been set up in the middle of the village.