It started simple enough, just talking between takes, mutual fanboying over each other's work and becoming fast friends. By the end of their first week working together, they had exchanged phone numbers and were text messaging one another a frighteningly large amount, especially when you take into consideration that they work with each other anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours a day. At the end of the second week Chris had invited Darren out to have dinner with the rest of the cast and by the time they have worked together a month they are having movie nights.
Tonight's movie night really is not any different from any other, except there is wine, there is a lot of wine actually and by the end of the movie, they are both feeling warm and fuzzy and lazy. So tonight they decide to just sit and talk for a while afterwards, the conversation comes easy. They start on current projects they are working on outside of Glee, from there they start talking about music, and Chris asks a harmless question about what his girlfriend's band name is. Well, it seemed harmless until Darren says that they broke up two days ago.
This leads them into a discussion about relationships in general and then start with failed relationships they have had, though Chris's list is noticeably shorter than Darren's, and they talk about what went wrong and how they would do things differently if they had it do all over again. That leads them to talking about the present and if they want relationship and if they'd rather have something serious or just something casual and what type of person they're looking for and when Darren mentions something about hair pulling the conversation turns fetish's and kinks.
At first, Chris just blushes faintly, or maybe that just from all the wine, and shakes his head when Darren asks. This of course just makes Darren pry even more and in the end Darren ends up on his knees, bouncing up and down saying "Please, please, please, pretty please with sugar on top?" and Chris is laughing at him, still shaking his head but it's clear that his resolve is shot.
"God, Darren, you hobbit, I'll talk, I'll talk!" Chris says before taking another sip of wine and seriously considers how to answer the question in a way that will get Darren off his case and not completely embarrass him at the same time.
Darren however knows that look all too well, "Uh, uh, no lying to me Christopher!" He says this while waggling a disapproving finger at him.
"I-I'm not really sure, it's not something I really think about a lot." Chris says and really hopes that Darren drops the subject.
Darren looks thoughtful for a moment before declaring, "That's a bullshit answer!" Then downing the rest of his glass, "You have to have something in the back of your mind makes you think 'they'd be perfect if'."
"Oh yeah, single forever if we're going by that." Chris says with a snort.
"Oh come on. It can't be that bad, just tell me, please!" Darren begs, fixing him with his best 'hurt puppy' expression.
Chris sighs and reaches for his wine glass only to realize that it is empty, he frowns at it for a good minute before Darren finally cracks and digs around somewhere behind him for the bottle.
Once his glass is finally refilled he sips and says, "I just-ugh- I want someone who wouldn't mind if I got a little chubby, someone who might actually like me having a belly." Chris sighs and shakes his head, "Someone who's going to bring me pancakes in bed in the morning instead of kicking my ass out of bed and telling me to hit the gym." He finishes with a huff and downs the rest of his wine like it's a shot and looks to Darren for a reaction.
Darren's mouth has gone dry, and he is pretty certain he has lost the ability to speak coherently which is okay because what do you say to something like that? When someone else's fetish's are completely in line with your own? He takes a sip of his wine and rolls his tongue just to make sure it still works before saying, "Hey, you never know there might be someone who would be in to that."
Chris gives him a miserable look and Darren really just wants to scoop him up, tuck him into bed and ply him with food until he has a nice round little belly that he can kiss and nuzzle. However, even through the warm and fuzzy haze the alcohol has put him in he can hear his mind yelling at him that coworkers are off limits.
The conversation dwindles after that, Chris is mortified and Darren is terrified that he might jump Chris's bones if they keep talking. So, they yawn and feign tiredness and Darren most definitely does not go home and jack off to mental images of Chris eating chocolate cake and moaning sinfully while rubbing a plump little belly.
The next day on set is awkward as first, Chris is still mortified at his admission and after a few hours, Darren decides to give him an out by saying he cannot believe how much alcohol they drank! Things go back to semi-normal after that, though for the next several weeks they both suddenly seem to have too many commitments to have movies nights. When they do finally have one again it, turns into a group hang out with most of The Warbler guys hanging around.
It stays that way for a while; it actually stays that way right up until they are wrapping up season three. It is never the same group of people but the message is clear: Chris, Darren, and alcohol are not to be alone together. Darren hasn't forgotten though, he even has dreams occasionally and then finds himself slightly upset on set the next morning when he see's Chris, still skinny as ever and reading the label on something at the craft services table.
It is at the wrap party, when Darren knows for sure that he will not be back for another season, that he has a burst of courage. He sees it as a now or never moment and yeah maybe has he had a few too many drinks but at the end of the night, Darren manages to corner Chris, if only for a minute, and mumbles into his ear, "I would be that guy for you, you know. Bring you breakfast in bed and cuddle your belly." His hands have landed at Chris's waist at some point so he goes with it and gives them a squeeze for emphasis. "You'd be sexy as hell," And with that he nuzzles Chris's neck and slips into oblivion.
The next thing Darren is aware of is light, way too much light shining on his face. Then he slowly becomes aware of the pounding in his head and that he is back in his apartment but has no idea how he got there and he wonders if Chris punched him or something last night. He gives up on thinking a moment later and pulls the sheets over his head, effectively blocking out the light.
Sometime later, he comes back to consciousness at the sound of dishes clinking in the kitchen and realizes with a shock that there is someone in his apartment. He wonders briefly, why someone would be stealing dishes when there are tons of guitar amps sitting around but dismisses the thought as he creeps towards his bedroom door. The door's cracked open so he peaks around trying to find a good angle to actually see who is out there and oh, it is Chris. So Chris didn't punch him last night, or he punched him and then brought him home to take care of him? On the other hand, maybe Chris did not want to punch him while he was drunk and is waiting to do it now.
While he is pondering all the possible scenarios that would explain Chris's presence in his apartment the bedroom door suddenly flings open and suddenly Chris is standing right in front of him. Darren gives him a weak smile and Chris raises an eyebrow at him before turning and walking over to Darren's couch and taking a seat.
"There's a fresh pot of coffee," Chris says, nodding his head towards the kitchen, "And I cleaned your dishes so you actually have something to drink it out of."
It takes a moment for his words to actually sink into Darren's muddled brain but finally he manages to nod and move his feet towards his kitchen with a whispered, "Thanks."
Twenty minutes later the fog in Darren's mind has started to clear as he sips his second cup of coffee but neither him nor Chris has said a word yet. Darren really does not know what he should say, he is not sorry for what he said last night so he is clueless as to where to begin a conversation. Finally, just as he is finishing his second cup he hears Chris sigh quietly, he looks up and Chris is rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Did you mean it?" Chris looks up and catches Darren's eye, "Did you mean what you said last night, or I guess do you even remember what you said last night?" He trails off with a small, humorless chuckle.
Darren can suddenly feel his heart pounding in his ears and a tiny bit of hope blossom in his chest, he makes sure he is looking Chris in the eye when he finally answers.
"Yeah," He says, "Yeah, I remember saying it, and yeah, I really did mean it."
Chris just stares at him for what seems like forever and Darren can see a hundred different emotions flashing across his face as he processes this information.
"I need to know, what exactly would this be to you Darren?" Chris asks honestly, "Would this be an actual relationship or do you just want some kinky thing of the side?"
Darren smiles slightly at the question, "If we did this, then I'd very much like to date you Chris." He pauses for a second and then adds, "I can't exactly bring you breakfast in bed if it's just something on the side."
Chris snorts at that and then shakes his head lightly, "Okay then, when's our first date?"
For the first time in what feels like forever, Chris and Darren share a real smile.
Darren honestly cannot believe his luck, they are only three week into their relationship and yet he feels happier than he ever has in any of his past relationships and it feels more solid than any of them did. Granted, they did get to skip the awkward 'getting to know you' phase but it all really just feels so natural to him. They have technically only gone on eight or nine official dates but with Glee being over for both of them and Chris focusing on his writing for the time being while Darren is focusing on writing music both for himself and Starkid, there has been a lot of free time and they usually end up spending most of it together.
Which is what they are doing right now, cuddled up on Chris's couch watching a movie. It really isn't that much different from before except there is kissing now and it is no longer 'fat free, no butter popcorn' that is being passed between them. It is a tub of Ben and Jerry's and they are not really passing it, no Darren has the tub and the spoon and in between cuddles and kisses, he is spoon-feeding it to Chris. The first couple of dates Chris had been hesitant, twitching to read packets when they were at one another's apartments and automatically flipping to the salad section on the menu at restaurants.
Now though, he is curled into Darren's side happily accepting spoonfuls of ice cream while Darren's non spoon-feeding arm is wrapped tightly around Chris, hand resting on his hip while his finger kneads softly at his tummy. Chris hasn't said anything and Darren doesn't know if it would be impolite to ask but he can't help but be curious as to how much weight he's gained, not a whole lot he'd guess. Chris is still tiny, three weeks was not going to change that but he could not wait until it did.
A little over a month after they started dating Darren was picking Chris up for another 'official date' when Chris met him at the door smiling brightly and dragging him into the apartment and into a sweet kiss, after a few moments Chris pulled back, smile never leaving his face.
"I've gained five pounds." He said softly and suddenly Darren was smiling just as bright, wrapping his arms around Chris's waist and squeezing gently.
That night they celebrated, ordering drinks and dessert with dinner and during the main course Chris had cleaned his plate and then happily accepted pieces of Darren's steak that he cut and fed to him throughout. When they returned to Chris's apartment, slightly tipsy and very full, they had made their way towards the couch, sitting long ways with Chris between Darren's legs. They had stayed there cuddling for a while, Darren's hands slipping underneath Chris's shirt to rub his overly full belly, loving the feel of the soft flesh pushed out against his fingers. Later Chris stood and tugged Darren towards the bedroom, Chris pulled the shirt he was wearing off along the way and climbed onto his bed, sighing happily, as he settled against the sheets. Darren wasted no time following and ditching his own shirt as well, smiling to himself as Chris positioned himself in Darren's arms the second he laid down and curling his arm around so he could rub and stroke Chris's food swollen belly again.
They lay like that for a moment, just enjoying being close, before Darren pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then moved up slightly to kiss his arm. Darren slowly repositioned them so that Chris was on his back and he was straddling his hips, Darren then pressed a kiss to Chris's collarbone and began working his way down slowly until he pressed a kiss into the dip of Chris's belly button. He felt Chris's hands sifting through his curls as his continued pressing kisses to every inch of his belly and nuzzled his nose into the soft skin. They eventually fell asleep that way and the next morning Darren made Chris breakfast in bed for the first time.
Darren staying the night quickly became a routine and three month and fourteen pounds into their relationship when Darren's lease came up they moved his things to Chris's. His first morning as an official occupant there Darren woke alone; he blearily made his way towards the kitchen where he found Chris scrambling eggs. He slipped up behind the younger man and snaked his arms around Chris's shirtless form, pressing a kiss to his shoulder gently squeezing at the slight padding that had formed on his boyfriends hips.
"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be making breakfast around here," Darren murmured against Chris's shoulder before nuzzling his stubbly jaw against it.
Chris smiled and swiveled his head to give Darren an over the shoulder kiss, "Every other morning but today, I wanted to give you a break since it is your first official morning." Chris sighed and leaned back into Darren's embrace.
Six month and twenty-five pounds into their relationship Darren decided that this is what heaven must feel like; he never thought that relationships could be this effortless. It was as if they were made for one another. He peered over at their bedside clock and cringed, it was late and he knew he should be sleeping but he had been woken up by Chris kicking the covers off himself and Darren just had to pause for a moment and take in the picture the sleeping man before him made. Disheveled hair, face scrunched up in the most adorable way, one arm tucked beneath his pillow and the other thrown haphazardly out in front of him, feet curled up into his pajama bottoms, legs tangled with Darren's, his chest rising and falling softly with each breath, and soft belly curving out gently.
Chris shifted in his sleep the arm not tucked under his pillow reaching back in search of Darren. He allowed him to take hold of his arm and drag it over to rest on his middle and Darren watched as Chris's face smoothed out in his sleep and heard a small sigh escape his lips. He settled back down and felt sleep begin to wash over him, yeah; this is what heaven feels like.