I’ll Be Home for Christmas: A Driam Fic

Drake leaned his forehead against the cold glass pane as he stared into the swirling snow storm raging outside.

“Yeah.” He said into his phone, “No I get it.  It’s really bad. Most of the main roads have already been closed. There’s no way you’d be able to get up here. It’s not worth the risk.”

He pushed away from the window and started pacing across the scarred wooden floor of the remote mountainside chalet he’d rented for their first Christmas as an official couple. “Just stay put.  When it blows over I’ll come home and we can celebrate then.”

He stopped pacing as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.  His shoulders slumped and he raked his fingers through his hair with a sigh, “Yeah.” He said softly, “I know.  I miss you too. We’ll make up for this though, okay?” He let out a sheepish laugh, “I guess this is what we get for planning a trip to Lythikos in the middle of winter, huh?”

He nodded, a sad smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.  “I love you too. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He paused for a moment, as a wave of melancholy washed over him. “Merry Christmas.”

Drake ended the call and tossed his phone onto the couch with a frustrated sigh before making his way into the kitchen.  He turned off the stove and pulled out the dinner he’d prepared for the evening, tossing it into the sink with a clatter before grabbing the bottle of wine that was chilling in an ice bucket on the table and returning it to the refrigerator.

Back in the main room, the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree that he’d cut down and decorated this afternoon seemed to be mocking him.  As he reached down to unplug them he heard the strains of a classic Christmas tune emanating from the central sound system.

“I’ll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents on the tree

Christmas Eve will find me

Where the lovelight gleams

I’ll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams”

Drake yanked on the cord a little more savagely than necessary, plunging the room into semi- darkness before heading straight to the bar to pour himself a glass of whiskey.

Collapsing onto the couch in front of the roaring fireplace, Drake sipped his drink as he watched the dancing flames.

He must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew he was lying on the couch shivering, the fire now little more than a smoldering pile of embers.  With a groan he sat up and stretched before pushing himself to his feet to head upstairs to the lonely king-sized bed he’d be sleeping in by himself for the next few days.

He was halfway up the stairs when he heard a strange noise and loud voices coming from the side of the cabin

“What the fuck?” He muttered to himself as he peered out the window and saw what looked like tail lights disappearing into the woods. Frowning he rubbed at his tired eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to make sense of what he’d just seen.

A loud pounding at the front door startled him

“Drake?” A voice called, “Drake let me in, It’s fucking freezing out here!”

Drake raced to the door and flung it wide to find Liam with a big smile on his handsome face.

His cheeks were pink, his dark hair covered in snow and he looked nearly frozen to death as he stood there, his arms wrapped around himself to ward off the cold.  

“Li.” Drake said his brow furrowed in confusion, “But…the storm. You said…how did…”

Liam laughed. “Can I come inside first or do we need to play 20 questions out here in the sub zero temperatures?”

“Oh shit. Sorry!” Drake stood aside and motioned Liam in.

Liam stepped inside and shook his head showering Drake and the floor with water droplets.

“Jesus Li. You look frozen to the bone.”

Liam nodded  “I just spent the last hour on the back of a snowmobile. I think I might have frostbite.”

Drake grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch as Liam shrugged off his coat off and hung it on the hook on the back of the door.   Drake wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and pulled Liam into the warmth of his arms, rubbing his back briskly to get the circulation flowing again.

“What the hell were you doing on the back of a snowmobile?” Drake said against his ear, “That’s insane.”

Liam pulled his head back and gazed into Drake’s eyes, “I promised you we’d spend Christmas together, did I not?”

The corner of Drakes mouth twitched as he tried not to smile, “You did.”

“Well, I’m a man of my word.  When the jet was grounded I had Bastien call around to try to find another way to get me to Lythikos. He found a plowing company that was happy to help out their King in an emergency situation.”

“Oh…” Drake said, smirking, “So you played the King card.”

“If you have a winning hand, it would be foolhardy not to play it, no?”

Drake laughed and Liam continued, “The plow could only get me through the main roads though.  It couldn’t fit down the dirt road through the trees to get here.”

“Um hmn…”

“But as luck would have it, the tow truck driver had a friend who lived nearby who was in possession of a snowmobile.”

Drake laughed out loud.  “I can just imagine the look on his face when the King showed up on his doorstep asking for a ride on his snowmobile.”

Liam grinned, “He was quite gobsmacked.”

“So you did all this…for me?”

Liam reached up to cup Drake’s face with his icy hands, sending a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.  

“Don’t you know by now.” Liam said softly, “ I would move heaven and earth for the man I love.” He drew Drake forward, burying his fingers in the shaggy hair at the nape of his neck as he pressed their mouths together.  After a moment he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Drakes before pushing lightly against his chest.

“Now the least you can do is get me a drink and throw some logs on the bloody fire before I freeze to death.”

Some time later they lay together on the couch wrapped up in a warm blanket, sipping their whiskey in front of a blazing fire as they watched the sun come up over the horizon.

“It’s Christmas.” Drake murmured against Liam’s temple.  

“Merry Christmas, my love.” Liam tilted his head up, smiling as Drake pressed a soft kiss to his lips.  “Can I give you your present now?”

Drake frowned. “I thought we agreed, no presents.”

Liam chuckled, “We say that every year, and every year we do anyway.”

Drake grinned. “True.”

Liam sat up and turned to face Drake, “Besides this year is special.  It’s our first Christmas as an official couple.”

Drake nodded. “It’s been a crazy year, huh?”

“Indeed.” Liam agreed softly, his eyes shining with tenderness as he thought about everything they’d faced together in the last few months.  There had been rumors swirling around them for years, but after Liam’s social season, and his refusal to choose a bride before his coronation, he and Drake agreed it was time to once and for all confirm that they were involved in a romantic relationship.  There had naturally been an initial public outcry. There were fears that an openly gay King signalled the end of the monarchy as Cordonia had always known it. The press had a field day with them. But that had been expected. What they hadn’t expected was the subsequent outpouring of love and support that they’d received not only from the members of court, but from the country as a whole.  Cordonia was much more progressive than they’d given her credit for.

Liam stood and crossed to where his coat was hanging on the door, and returned to Drake.  He gazed at him for a moment before dropping to one knee in front of him.

Drake went rigid as he stared at Liam, a small frown pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“Liam, what are you doing?” He asked in a low voice.

Liam stretched out his hand, presenting a small black box.

“Drake, I’ve loved you nearly all my life.  I can’t remember a time I wasn’t in love with you.  I want to spend every day for the rest of our lives with you by my side. I want to start our forever today.”  Liam opened the box and presented Drake with a simple brushed platinum band. “Marry me?” He whispered.

Drake stared down at the ring for a very long time before scrubbing his hand over his face and standing up.

Still one one knee, Liam looked up, confusion and hurt etched on his face as he watched Drake walk away from him.

“Drake?”

Liam closed the box and stood slowly, his heart hammering in his chest.  Of the million scenarios he’d envisioned when he played out this proposal in his mind, not once did Drake say no. How could he have misread things so badly?

Drake crossed to the fireplace and reached out to brace himself on the mantle for a moment before finally turning to face Liam.  He took a deep breath and walked back, stopping when he was only inches from him, as Liam watched, bewildered.

Suddenly, Drake thrust his hand out and Liam looked down to find a small box in his outstretched palm.  He looked up to see Drake giving him a sheepish grin.

“You beat me to it.”

Liam took the box from Drake and opened it, relief washing over him like a tidal wave as he gazed down at the band with gold braiding snaking through it.

Liam smiled and looked up at Drake. “You nearly gave me a heart attack just now you know.”

Drake laughed.  “Good. You deserved it.  You ruined my moment.”

His arm snaked around Liam’s waist, pulling him close, “So I guess we’re really doing this, huh?”

Liam nodded and reached up to stroke his hand down the front of Drakes flannel shirt. “It appears so.”

Drake leaned down to brush his lips across Liam’s mouth, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, biting it gently. “Merry Christmas, Li.”

“Merry Christmas, my love.”