"Darren? What's wrong?" Chris whispered nervously into his phone. He'd been curled up on his couch, finishing up a chapter for his book when Darren called, practically in tears.
"I—I—can you just…come over? Please? I need you," Darren whimpered.
Chris frowned and said, "Yeah, of course, I'll be right there," as he hung up and gathered what he needed to set off for Darren's apartment.
-;;-;;-
"Chris?" Darren said softly, sitting up on his couch as the door swung open. Chris bounded into the flat, looking everywhere at once.
"Is everything okay? Darren?"
"Yeah, uhm…yeah. Just. D-do you want anything? Coffee?" Darren offered lamely.
"No, uh, come on, let's sit down," Chris said, guiding Darren back to the couch. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I'm not good enough," Darren sighed. Chris quirked an eyebrow and immediately opened his mouth to protest, but Darren stopped him. "No…no. Lemme, uh…" Darren swallowed. "I've got all this support. From you, from my family, from everyone. My entire life is just…it's going right right now. And I'm eternally grateful for that, especially considering how much attention I've been getting from the public these days. A-and we both know that I'll be on Broadway in a few weeks"—Darren grimaced, at which Chris frowned—"and…I'm not good enough. I feel like I'm just getting by with my mediocre acting and singing and I don't know what they're doing, hiring me to play the lead in such a beloved and prestigious musical whereas, I mean, they could just pluck some tested old hand from the pool of seasoned actors and they'd have a guaranteed hit all around. Picking me is like this huge risk and there's all this pressure on the whole production, and I can't—!" Darren choked up, curling in on himself. Chris took him in his arms and stroked his hair.
"Darren. Of course you can. You're the strongest man I know. You…you can do anything. You're an amazing actor and a fantastic singer, and I know you'll only get better from this point. You have all this support and more, from all those people out there who love you, because we know you'll do great. You don't have to worry about…about making the public hate you or anything like that because, well, they're already infatuated with your devastating good looks and impeccable charm," Chris joked, patting Darren's back. The other man looked up at him, teary-eyed but grinning all the same. Chris smiled wryly at that sweet little face and started singing softly.
"You have those cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth," Chris sang, Darren going wide-eyed, immediately recognising the lyrics. Chris smiled at his expression.
"Yet there's that upturned chin and that grin of impetuous youth." Chris tapped Darren's cheek lightly, affectionately. Darren just grinned wider.
"Oh, I believe in you." Darren looked down. Chris took his hands in his own. "I believe in you."
"Don't," Darren murmured. Chris sighed, enveloping him in his embrace.
"But I do. I believe in you, Darren," Chris caressed Darren's cheek and stared into his eyes, doing everything he could to convey the meaning in his words.
"I love you, Chris," Darren said, tearing up again, overwhelmed with simple joy.
"I love you, too."