#making shit up to keep up their absurd watt pad fantasy

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Shocker

[angstymarshmallow]

An Unexpected Christmas (Drake x MC)

[A little note: An anon requested a really interesting idea of MC spending Christmas with her family and then Drake suddenly arriving. I really liked the idea and wanted to work on it immediately; but I had to change my personal headcanon a little bit to fit it. Hope you all enjoy it!]

[Summary: The moment Robyn (MC) steps foot inside New York again; she is bombarded with how off everything feels. It isn’t until she realizes that family and Drake are more her home than anything else has ever been].

[Word Counted: 3445]

It was different being back in New York. Robyn had anticipated the feelings of nostalgia and she wanted to embrace them wholeheartedly. She wanted to feel the unexpected urge to grab street meat after having fancy finger food for months – but being back had over-stimulated her senses. It hadn’t brought her the overwhelming sense of joy she hoped would grow in expectancy – there was relief, but there was no immediate pleasure in being here. She should be happy; that was what she told herself as she slunk inside Maxwell’s limo ride. She should be happy to be back, but she simply wasn’t.

She felt lonelier than she ever had before as Hana and Maxwell began conversing beside her; pointing and marveling at sights they saw from the safety of their windows. Not even Drake’s lingering presence close-by could lift her spirits. She kept her head low; eyes rooted to staring blankly outside the window during the entire ride towards their five-star hotel.  She made up excuses to her friends on arrival and stopped the bellboy from taking her suitcase. I need to go home, I need to get away.

She hadn’t uttered a single word out-loud until Drake stopped her with a brush of his touch by her arm. She blinked up at him; keeping her tone light before mumbling an apology she didn’t feel. She could hear them calling her back – heard the hurt inside Drake’s voice but she ignored it. She ignored all of it as she scrambled to catch the next taxi across Manhattan.

Her studio apartment felt too small, the air too stale and far too quiet the moment she stepped inside. As her eyes skimmed the room, searching for that distinct feeling of intimacy - her bright sunshine yellows and grey accented walls and décor stared obnoxiously back at her. They felt too much a flat this size, and too over-the-top-happy for her current predicament.

The seconds it took her in spotting the absurd mount of mail she missed since she had been away – her shoulders slumped.

Dropping her boots by the door, she padded across her carpeted floor after grabbing them. Taking a deep breath, she began sifting through the pile.

Junk. Junk. Junk. Bills. More bills. More junk.

Ugh, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how many things left unfinished awaited her. She was supposed to be happy being back inside her home, yet she felt a growing sense of distress the longer she sifted through the pile. Her hands paused. They hovered at the sight of one in particular, an unusually Christmas red and her eyes widened a fraction at the sight of her father’s handwriting scribbled hastily across.

Dad..?

Her brows furrowed.

Was she imagining things? Had her sleep deprived brain from an eight-hour flight driven her finally over that edge? She ran her fingers across the unusual gloss.

She deliberated quietly on tossing it; simply chucking it as far away from herself as possible. Yet the longer she held onto it; the more her curiosity grew and the letter inside her hand began feeling heavy. Slowly, she began unfolding it and held her breath as she read.

He was in New York, with her sister. As her eyes flitted across his crisply typed letter, apprehension grew. A business trip brought him here. He hadn’t felt comfortable enough in leaving her half-sister by her friend’s and had taken her with him instead. He mentioned how she was still adjusting to Berry High, and needed this break to re-cooperate after the half of her first semester she had.

He wanted Robyn to have Christmas dinner with them.

She bit her lip. Read it over and over again. She wasn’t sure what she was looking, yet her eyes kept traveling over his words insistently, as if some unknown was forcing her to re-read. She didn’t stop until vision blurred, and tiny droplets fell from her eyes; ruining the parts of his letter she read the most.

She hastily tried to wipe them clear, and fumbled to dry the letter on her sweater. She thought she wanted to be alone for Christmas; thought the longing for something inside her that had been restless since they landed - was missing home. Now she realized, staring at this stupid letter that she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to be with them. The only family she had left.

She read his address one last time.

Swiping her keys, and grabbing her coat – she closed the door firmly behind and ran quickly down the stairs of her flat. She could make it for a dinner if she was fast enough.

-

Robyn rung the doorbell of the address her father left her an hour later.

She cleared her throat more than a dozen times, rehearsing what she thought was probable the moment he answered.

A lot had happened in the span of a year.

She changed more than she had thought possible. Yet; she wasn’t sure when the question came - how could she explain showing up unannounced without contacting him for a over a year? - Hey dad, sorry I’ve just been so busy in lately. Busy doing what you ask? Well giving up my dreams and working as a waitress – then running off for some fairytale fantasy in a foreign land at a chance of falling hopelessly in love. Then falling in love with the prince’s best friend instead of him. Yeah, the snarky ass captured my heart alright -  yes, very normal – so how are you doing?

No matter how many times she wracked her brain for a plausible explanation – everything sounded too far-fetched, too crazy to be true. Even for her. Sighing, she decided the best course of action was relied on being completely honest the moment he opened that door. To just blurt the first thought she had and regret it later.

She was ready with her thousand-watt smile and her bundle of heavily packaged excuses until the door swung wide open. Her smile faltered when she saw her standing there. Her sister. The girl she had never gotten the chance to meet or grow up with since her parents divorce. “Shit.”

Wearing a simple turtle-neck dress and multi-coloured socks, she was pretty – really pretty. Soft cheeks, mocha skin; the telltale signs of curly hair too unruly to tame easily - Robyn saw resemblances they both shared with their dad reflected back in front of her.  

“Uh hi,” The girl in front of her cleared her throat nervously. She couldn’t be more than sixteen.  “You must be Robyn.”

“Yeah….hi.” Robyn shifted on her feet before she held out a hand towards the younger woman. “Uh sorry about that,” she added lamely. “You must be Celine.”

The girl broke out into a smile so bright that Robyn felt compelled to return it. Instead of taking her outstretched hand, the younger girl pulled her into a tight hug. “We’re a hugging kind of family here,” she mumbled. “There’s no need for handshakes.”

Robyn froze for a moment; unable to understand how someone that was meeting her for the first time could be so open, so happy at the chance of seeing her. Slowly, she relaxed and hugged her back. Fighting back sudden tears, she spoke in a soft rush. “It’s so nice to finally meet you Celine.”

“You too,” Celine pulled back to beam up at her.

At the sound of something breaking inside, they both glanced warily behind them.

“What’s…going on?”

Celine heaved a sigh, “Dang it, dad.” She turned back to give her sister a sheepish shrug. “There’s probably something very scary waiting for us inside.”

“Ah.” Robyn suppressed the urge to laugh. “I take it dad’s cooking hasn’t gotten any better then.”

Celine laughed,; a hand flying over her mouth before shaking her head. “No, I’m afraid not. A lot of the time. I’m the one that cooks – if take-out isn’t an option.” Suddenly as if remembering something, she quickly stepped aside and motioned for Robyn to enter. “Excuse me - where are my manners? Come in. You must be seriously cold out there.”

Muttering thanks, Robyn stepped inside. Her stomach grumbled almost instantaneously the moment the scent of food wafted towards her nose. Yum, turkey and ham. “Is that dad –”

“Regrettably breaking something earlier? Probably.” Celine responded without missing a beat. “Something important inside a glass?” Celine rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her. “Yes, probably.”

Robyn hid a smile. “He sounds like he might need our help.”

“Yes, let me just grab your coat.”

As Celine reached for her jacket, Robyn shook her head. “No, I’ve got it – thanks.” Instead of accepting the hanger, she tucked her jacket under her arm.

As they walked across the hall towards the kitchen’s light glow and festive music, they fell into silence.

“Dad! Robyn’s here!” Celine called. In a much softer voice, she said. “He was really nervous when he sent that letter out to you. But I knew you’d show up.”

Before Robyn could respond, they both heard him shuffling. “Robyn’s here?!” There was a brief pause until they stepped inside.

Mr. Tinsley nearly bumped into them, and the bowl of fruits he was holding threatened to slip out of his arms.

“Ah!” Celine reached forward in time to steady it from wobbling. “I’ve got it dad,” she took the bowl from him, shooting him a tentative smile before he nodded enthusiastically at her.

“Yes, sorry! Thank you, Celine-bear – just on the table for me, okay?” He told her quickly, “we’ll be right out behind you!”

Seconds passed between them and stretched into minutes as Celine disappeared into the hall.

He was older. A lot older than she remembered. There was grey in his hair, and slight wrinkles across his forehead. She couldn’t look at him for long without having the urge to avert her stare elsewhere.

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

For two people that usually had no trouble conversing, Robyn was finding it difficult to speak. What was there for her to say anyway? All the missed dance and ballet recitals were gone. All the dinners by herself had faded away too. She didn’t want to be bitter over something that happened years ago anymore.

“You look so much like her,” he abruptly said; voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. “You have her eyes, her smile –” he seemed to be talking to himself more than her. “I see her when I look at you.”

She changed the subject. “I brought wine.” She wasn’t ready to talk about her mother with him. Clearing her throat, she slid the bottle from her coat and waved it awkwardly until he took it from her. “It’s white.”

He read the inscriptions on it’s label, “and one of my favourites.” He smiled down at her, “you remembered.”

“Of course, I did,”

She wasn’t prepared for the hug, nor was she prepared for the tears that wanted to follow. Instead of allowing them to, she blinked back fiercely. “Merry Christmas Dad.”

“Merry Christmas Robyn.”

They hugged a few seconds longer, before they heard Celine calling them from the hall/ “Not to interrupt or anything – but we’ve been cooking all day and I’m going to pass out if I don’t get some food me.”

Laughing, Robyn pulled away first and followed quietly behind him.

The table was already set – decorated completely in red and blue napkins; with plates as pale as snow and dessert treats beside the ham and turkey, Robyn had anticipated scarfing down. She took a seat across from them, and rubbed her hands together at the sight of pasta and eggnog. “Geez, this whole table is a Christmas miracle for me.”

Celine laughed, “what do you mean? Don’t you usually have something like this around this time of the year?”

Robyn’s smile faltered. “No, it’s just kinda been me on my own for awhile.” She reached for the eggnog, “sometimes there’s friends and late night-shifts to keep me busy but, mostly Christmas gets kind of lonely for me.” She paused to make a face, “maybe I should get a cat.”

“I hear cats make great pets sometimes, my friend Maria has one.” Celine took a sip of her drink after pouring herself a cup of juice. “But don’t rule out hamsters. They can make for surprisingly snuggly pets.”

Robyn smiled. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“Besides,” Celine exchanged a look with their dad. “You don’t have to spend Christmas alone anymore, we’re here.”

He nodded, “and you can always visit us next year,” he kept his tone cautiously optimistic. She had a feeling he was worried about pushing her too hard. “If you wanted to of course.”

A year ago, Robyn would have flat-out declined his request; but a year she was a different person. She hadn’t wanted to get to know this newer version of her dad. A lot changed this year – Cordonia changed her. Her friend changed her. Drake changed her. She relaxed and raised her glass up for them to make a toast. “I’d like that.”

Their glasses clinked together unanimously, before an abrupt flurry of cautious knock erupted. It caused their dad to drop his handkerchief inside his lap. “Who on Earth would be here at this hour?” He squinted at the time and frown. “It’s dinner time.” It was nearly eight thirty in the evening.

“No, no.” Robyn stopped him from getting to his feet. “I’ll get it”

“But you’re our guest.” Celine protested.

“You two worked so hard on this meal, it’s the least I could really.” She was already moving faster than either of them to grab the door.  “I’ll tell whoever it is to bug off for another time.”

“Unless it’s the owners.” He hesitated. “Then I should probably get it.”

Robyn shook her head ruefully, before she stalked down the hall. She was finally getting somewhere – a place she hadn’t been with the family she had turned her back on the moment her mother needed her. She didn’t want anyone or anything to ruin this night.

She pulled the door open, “look whoever you are –” And stopped at the sight of Drake Walker outside their front porch.

-

His hair was a familiar mess. Deshelled as if he had jogged in order to arrive here. His hands were buried inside the folds of his dark jacket, and his eyes had been trained on his feet until he heard the door opened. His eyes – the darkest she had ever seen them, gazed up at her unflinchingly the second he heard the sound of her voice.

“Drake?!” She blinked in disbelief. Her heart had immediately made her feel several degrees warming at simply the sight of him. “What’re you doing here?”

His eyes were unmistakeably warm when they met her surprised stare. Whatever she had hoped to tell him was tossed out the window, the moment she saw him.

“Tinsley,” He greeted as if it was completely normal for him to be standing there.

“How did you –” She tried to find the right words, but fumbled to make any sense of this. “Why are you –” She took a deep breath. “How –”

“One at a time Tinsley.” He teased, eyes flashing in amusement. “But do you mind inviting me in? I’m freezing my ass out here.”

“Oh! Of course, yes,” Stepping aside, she waited for him to pass before shutting the door firmly behind him. She had a quick whiff of him as he passed – just before he could notice. He must have just taken a shower because she could still smell the scent of his aftershave. It was enough to crumble whatever willpower she had left.

“I’m actually spending Christmas with my family,” She bit her lower lip, “so this really isn’t a good time –”

He kissed her. Kissed her so hard that all she could do for a moment was grip the back of his neck as his lips ravaged hers. They were possessive; and she could feel how much he missed her – pouring from his lips. She kissed him back; knowing the second his arms enveloped her that she missed him too. When he pulled away, he was staring down at her intently. “Sorry, I was thinking about you all day” the corners of his lips rose. “I was worried about you when you left so suddenly earlier.”

She blinked up at him. “I should leave without warning more often –  especially if you’re going to keep greeting me like that.” She kept her fingers inside his hair, running her fingers through it before she smiled. “Kiss me again,” she mumbled softly. “Kiss me again so I know that this is real.”

His face softened. All the hard lines she had grown accustomed to, smoothed at the note of pleading inside her voice. He arched her chin upwards. The kiss was slow, thorough. He took his time exploring the softness of her lips, as if he was trying to convince them both that this was entirely their reality. When he pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. “I know you were spending it with your family, Hana told me and I was hoping –”

The loud clearing of her father’s throat from somewhere behind them, made them spring apart guiltily. The man folded his arms, eying Drake as if he were prey. “Who’re you, and why’re you kissing my daughter?”

Cheeks mottled red, Drake tried to stumble out an apology, “Sorry sir – I didn’t mean to intrude during your Christmas dinner.”

“And yet you are.” The man responded tersely.

“Dad, this is my – Drake,” Robyn bit her lower lip before swiftly backpedaling, “This is Drake, my friend.” She finished lamely. No dad, what I really mean is he’s the guy I’ve fallen in love with – the snarky ass that I can’t get enough of.

Drake scratched the side of his neck awkwardly as the man in front of them narrowed his eyes at their close proximity. “Well you see Mr. Tinsley, I couldn’t forgive myself if I just I didn’t do anything after seeing Robyn leave I knew she was hurting, and I’m a fool when it comes to people I care about. I care deeply about your daughter, sir.” His gaze slide to hers’ “in fact, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.”

“Drake!” Robyn gasped. 

Her heart sped up several beats at his sudden confession. A confession, she had spent weeks daydreaming of – somewhere else, completely alone. She couldn’t properly kiss him the way she wanted to by his admission, but she did slid her hand in his. She was flabbergasted, happy – almost bursting with the urge to suddenly jump his bones. She was feeling so many things at once; but most importantly as she met his stare – she felt love, radiating between them. His. Hers’.

From behind Robyn’s father, she could hear Celine’s excited squeal before the younger woman gave her sister a thumbs-up of approval.

“So, I guess you could say that makes me a pretty big fool,” Drake’s arm sagged around Robyn’s waist and she leaned into him; barely able to contain her grin.

“I guess that makes us both fools.” She corrected, dropping her hands to her side. She slid one inside his firm grip, entwining their fingers. “Because I’m in love with you too.”

“- Does that mean I’m getting a brother-in-law and my sister?” Celine spoke up, poking her head and peeking at them.

Their father scowled.

An uncharacteristic blush made Drake hastily clear his throat and avert his eyes. Robyn’s own cheeks flushed at the abrupt strain inside the air. It fizzled as Drake broke the silence. “Do you mind if I stay for a little while, sir?” Drake half-smiled in his direction. “I would love getting the chance to know you.” His eyes swept to Celine, “both of you.”

The clock overhead, ticked loudly. It was the only constant sound that had filled the current empty void, and the silence continued stretching until all eyes glanced at him. The rest of them were waiting for his answer. Slowly, Robyn watched her father’s expression lightened with a smile, and she released the breath she had been holding at the sight. “Alright. Pull up a chair Drake, dinner’s getting cold.”  

The three of them returned to their seats. Drake slid in the empty seat beside Robyn. Soft Christmas carols floated behind them, as they exchanged dinner conversations and food. 

Both Robyn and Drake chatted animatedly about Cordonia, the friendships she made and the ones he reluctantly accepted. They spoke briefly about King Liam and life at court before they finally brushed by the most important part of their story. Falling in love with each other.

-