Work Text:
CHRISTMAS DRABBLE
It’s Christmas Eve and you’ve just finished the first part of your Christmas movie marathon with Dad. The clock reads 11.50. You stretch your arms as the credits of Love Actually roll on the screen. Dad announces that he’s going to bed and you just nod sleepily in response. You grab your mug and make your way slowly to the kitchen to make another mug of cocoa. As the kettle boils, your gaze settles on the floor. Your mind wonders to Carmilla, and you think about texting her when your phone buzzes.
Carm: Merry Christmas cutie ;) x
You smile and open the conversation.
Sent to Carm:
Merry Christmas Carm x
You put your phone down and start pouring water in your mug and stirring, when your phone starts to buzz again. You squint at the screen and your met with a picture of Carmilla you took at lunch a week ago without her noticing. You smile again and slide the green button.
“Hey you”
“Hey cupcake, I didn’t know if you were going to be up so that’s why I texted first”
“Yeah I just finished the first half of the movie marathon with Dad”
“Ah yes, the infamous Christmas movie bonanza” The sarcasm is practically leaking through the phone.
“You’re just jealous”
“Yeah probably”
“What are you doing up?”
“Well, you know I can’t always sleep at night.” You start to hear movement.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Laf and Perry’s. They both feel asleep after the tenth round of Scrabble so I’ve managed to sneak out onto the balcony”
“Carm, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot”
“Why do you spend Christmas with them if you don’t even care about the holidays at all?”
“That’s a fair question cutie, but it’s a long story.” You’ve made it up to your room and you’re trying to find another blanket.
“I’ve got time. I mean if you want to tell me. Don’t feel like you have to” You hear her sigh.
“No, it’s fine Laura. I want to tell you, I just didn’t want to tell you this soon as all”
“How come”
“Well 4 weeks is a bit soon for a backstory”
“I LOVE A GOOD BACKSTORY” You whisper loudly.
“Alright, cupcake. Calm down, it’s not that excited. A little sad, but definitely not exciting…” She trails off as if she’s already getting lost in her memories.
“Not too sad I hope”
She lets out a small, sad kind of laugh. “I’ll let you be the judge of that cutie. So, you sitting comfortably? You’re in for a long night.”
“Yep. Let’s flashback this shit”
“Ok, well first before get into my back story, we need to go into someone else’s”
“Ok…”
“Laura, have you ever wondered how Perry’s parents could retire so early after owning a very small business?”
“Well yeah, of course”
“And do you remember roughly, 7 years ago an unnamed couple won the lottery? Record breaking $60 million?”
“Yeah! I asked every couple I knew just in case it was they had won” You both laugh.
“Well you had no luck, because Perry’s parents won”
“WHAT?!”
“Yep. So anyway that’s for reference later on. Back to my tragic backstory. For the last two years of high school, I was dating a girl named Ell. We hid our relationship from our parents, somehow we never got caught doing anything friends wouldn’t do. But before we went to college, Ell told her parents she was gay and surprisingly they were nothing but supportive. Ell encouraged me to tell my mother. I told her it wasn’t a good idea, but Ell had a way of convincing me to do things I didn’t think were good ideas, so there we go. The night before I left for college I told my mother. She went crazy. She was yelling and throwing things, and threw me out of the house. Shouting that I could come back when I’d, and I’m quoting here, “straightened out”.”
“Carm. That’s horrible”
“Yeah it is cupcake. Yeah it is.” Carmilla takes a minute or two, just breathing steadily. You wait patiently until she’s ready to continue, not wanting to pressure her in any way.
“So I went to Ell’s that night and her parents let me stay the night. Ell and I were going to separate states for college, I was coming here and she was heading to LA. We tried long distance for a month and things just fell apart. I’m pretty sure she was cheating on me, because once or twice a random girl would pick up the phone and then hang it up. But whatever. It was over. So it was the Christmas holidays and I had nowhere to go. Banished from my own home and broken up with my girlfriend of 2 and a half years.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, I had managed to stay in the college dorm for a week or two without anyone spotting me, when I met Laf and Perry. They had come back to the dorm because Laf had left a telescope or something.”
“Of course” You mutter and Carmilla laughs in agreement.
“They caught me and I begged them not to tell anyone. When they asked why I wasn’t at home for the holidays, I reluctantly told them why, and they forced me to pack a bag and come home with them. And that is when I met the Perry’s. They changed my life, saved my life even.” Carmilla pauses again and you hear a flicker of a lighter. You know Carm likes to smoke now and then, especially when she’s stressed. She never smokes around you in person, normally when you’re on the phone. You’d tell her off, but you decide to let it slide considering the circumstances.
You hear her inhale deeply and it sends a shiver down your spine. You hear her exhale and you can almost picture her sitting on the balcony staring out onto the city. You would give anything to be with her right now. Carmilla starts to speak again, bringing you out of your thoughts.
“When I finished first year and needed a place to stay Perry’s parents told me they had bought a flat in town they wanted me have. I refused of course but they insisted. They said they’d bought the flat as an investment and were planning to rent it out anyway, but I could stay in it as long as I needed. They charge me next to nothing in rent, and I said I would help out at the Coffee Hut too. But to be honest, I don’t think I can ever fully repay them for what they’ve done for me. They saved me.”
Carmilla inhales the smoke again and you let the information wash over you.
“So when Christmas rolls around I spend it with the only family I know; the Perry’s and Laf. And I think you know the rest cutie. When Laf and Perry graduated, Perry got access to her funds that her parents set up for her. Perry’s parents retired and are on a round the world cruise for 2 years. They’ll be back in time for the wedding.”
“Wow, I had no idea. That must have been really tough on you Carm. I’m glad you found people to turn to”
“Thanks cupcake”
You sit in silence for a few minutes, just listening to Carmilla smoke. You find it therapeutic almost. Your eye lids start to get heavier and heavier with every passing second.
You hear Carmilla say something, but in your tired state you don’t quite catch it. You manage to mumble a “Wha?”
She laughs a little, “Go to sleep, cupcake. I’ll phone you later.”
“Mmmhmm. Later, speak.” Carmilla chuckles again. God, you love her laugh.
“You love it huh?” Shit, did you say that out loud? Ah, there’s no use in fighting it now.
The last thing you remember is mumbling “Yeah, love” before falling into a deep sleep.