I'm doing something new with this story. It's told from both point of views of Chris and Darren. It's going to constantly go back and forth between the two. I've been posting this on my tumblr, and decided to start posting it here as well. Title comes from the Sleeping At Last song Watermark.
Day One
Watching Chris as he goes into his third hour of sleeping, head resting against the window on the passenger side and lightly snoring, Darren smiles at the sight. He knows this is a good idea. It's not strange when he didn't invite any of the other cast members. But they haven't done as much as the two of them. Plus, too many people and it will end up being a non-stop party that he doesn't want.
Turning up the radio the slightest, he sings along to Kelly Clarkson singing about being stronger and continues to drive.
The first thing that hits him when he opens his eyes, not even remembering when he fell asleep, is the smell of sea-salt in the air. It's strong as he breathes in; he can taste it on his tongue as he licks his lips. The second thing he notices is the bright sun shining in the sky. The rays fall right on his eyes and make him squint, covering his eyes.
Sitting up, and letting out an unamused groan, rolling his neck to work out the kink, Chris looks out the passenger window to see white sand and blue water several yards away from him as Darren continues to drive. Grabbing his sunglasses, he slides them on.
"You know you snore?" Darren chuckles as he switches the station of the radio, looking for a song he likes.
"I don't snore," Chris grumpily gripes back, the smallest of smiles appearing on his lips.
When Darren told him about his crazy idea to get away and go somewhere for some time as a mini-vacation, Chris thought he was just thinking on less than four hours of sleep. That is how them driving to Disneyland at seven in the morning last year happened. But he reassured him he was being serious. He told him they needed some time away to do nothing; not worry about any obligations. After everything they did during the summer, he convinced him that a few days at a beach house getting drunk and sleeping in was the perfect anecdote to all that before going back to work in a few weeks.
Chris, finally, reluctantly gave in and agreed.
That's how he finds himself going on six hours being in a car with Darren as they go to some beach house Darren found out about. He's tired and sweaty, even with the cool stream of air the blows from the air conditioner, and he could go for a cold drink. Out of the car is what he wants most. Stretching his arms and legs sounds amazing right about now.
"How much longer until we get to the house?" he asks as he changes the station when a song he hates starts to play.
"About ten minutes. I think," Darren adds as if unsure.
"You think? Either you know or you don't," Chris teasingly accuses.
"I've never been there before. I'm going off the info Lea gave me."
"Even with that info, you still might get us lost," Chris jokes. "How'd she know about this place anyways?"
"She said she came here about two years ago with some friends." Darren turns onto a graveled road about fifteen minutes later.
Chris sits up a bit more when he sees a two story house that looks like it belongs more along the beach at the Hamptons than where they currently are. Which he forgot. Shrugging his shoulders, he figures they came here to forget and relax.
"Looks like we're here," Darren announces once he stops the car.
Climbing out of the car, stretching his arms above him, he watches as Chris does the same on the other side of the car. "Grab our stuff now or later?" he asks as he leans on the side of the car, feeling how scorching hot it is to the touch.
"Now," Chris replies, already heading for the trunk. "Because we'll be too lazy to get it later."
"True," Darren agrees.
Opening up the trunk when Darren unlocks it, Chris grabs his bag and slings the strap over his shoulder. Heading for the house, Darren walking in stride next to him after closing the trunk, he looks at the front door and realizes something.
"How we supposed to unlock it?" he asks as he stops and turns to Darren.
"Oh, right." Chris watches as realization dawns on Darren's face and a split second later see him run to the end of the gravel road. Watching as he opens the mailbox, he sees him pull out an envelope and run back. "Key," he says in way of explanation as he holds up the envelope when he comes back.
Unlocking the door and pushing it open, Darren drops his bag right there and nods his head at his approval of the house. Not ten feet from his is a wall that is nothing but glass that leads to the deck outside, and to the beach less than two feet from that.
Chris snorts as he watches Darren run up to the back of the house and open one of the sliding doors. But what he does next has him laughing out loud. Watching as he starts to take off his clothes and run for the water, he shakes his head in amusement and decides to go look for a bedroom he likes.
The water is a few degrees above cool as he runs in. Diving under and swimming out some, Darren breaks the surface of the water and looks back at the house. He can see his shoes and shirt and shorts in a trail in the sand. This is a good idea, he thinks as he goes under when a small wave comes. This is what they need.
Collapsing on the bed in a room he finds to his liking, bag abandoned at the foot of the bed, Chris sighs in contentment at laying on something soft and comfortable. He has to admit, Darren might be right in dragging them here.
Grabbing his bag by the door after getting out of the water, dripping everywhere, and leaving a trail of watery footprints, Darren walks to find a room. Not caring what it looks like, all he asks for is a bed.
Pushing open a door, he chuckles at finding Chris curled up on a bed clutching a pillow to him as he sleeps. Quietly closing the door, he heads down the hall to the door at the end. Pushing that one open, he finds, what he assumes is the main bedroom, and drops his bag on the small bench in front of the bed. Unzipping his bag, he grabs a change of clothes and heads to the bathroom, in desperate need to get sand out of places it shouldn't be.
Groaning when someone jumps on the bed and starts to bounce, Chris turns onto his back and reluctantly opens his eyes. Of course he would find Darren on his bed jumping with energy he shouldn't have, and smelling like vanilla.
"You smell like vanilla," he tells him as he runs his hands over his face.
"Only soap there was in the bathroom," Darren tells him in way of explanation.
"There a reason you are waking me up?" Chris looks up at him as he kneels next to him, hands on his hips.
"We need to go shopping," Darren replies.
"And you can't do that on your own," Chris grumpily says, wanting to roll over and go back to sleep.
"I could, but I want you to come with me." Darren bounces a little, make Chris shuffle the slightest.
"Fine," Chris groans, although he smiles up at Darren. "Give me a few minutes."
"Yay!" Darren excitedly exclaims, throwing his hands into the air.
Chris sees him over-compensate his reaction and tumble backwards to the floor; laughing at the sight.
"That's not funny," Darren retorts as he rubs his aching ass and looks up at Chris as he laughs down at him.
"That's what you get for waking me," Chris responds.
"Shut up," Darren playfully teases. Standing up, he looks to Chris. "Hurry up and get dressed, I'm ready to go. Just waiting on you, you straggler."
"I wouldn't be a straggler if you would leave." Chris arches an eyebrow and tilts his head to the door, obviously telling him something.
Getting it, Darren walks out of the room and to the front door, rubbing his ass once again.
"You know you're supposed to consume food the next ten days," Chris says as he pushes the shopping cart down the liquor aisle of the grocery store thirty minutes later.
"There's food in there." Darren puts a case of beer into the cart.
"Slim Jim's and Cheetos don't count as actual food." Chris puts his elbow on the handle of the cart and rests his chin on his hand, just watching Darren put more stuff in the cart.
"We'll buy some hotdogs and other stuff," Darren says.
"Do you plan to have a perpetual hangover for the next ten days, or what?" he asks as he eyes all the alcohol.
"It's a vacation," Darren tells him. "We're supposed to have fun."
"Yeah, and we're also supposed to properly function without making stupid mistakes because of alcohol." Chris arches an eyebrow and smirks, knowing he is right on some level. But he is up for getting drunk some days while they are here.
"What is that?" Darren asks after putting the bags away in the trunk and sitting in the driver's seat after Chris and he finish shopping. Chris sits next to him scrolling on his phone.
"You know," Chris says as he raises his head and looks to him. "Man created this thing called a phone. People use it to communicate. Sorry if it's more advanced the those smoke signals you're used to." Chris chuckles, looking back to the screen of his phone, scrolling through his messages.
"Funny. Ha ha," Darren just laughs and shakes his head. "I meant, why do you have that?"
"I need to check my emails and messages and other things."
Quickly reaching out while Chris is distracted, Darren takes the phone from his hands. He holds it out of Chris' reach as he tries to grab for it.
"Hey! Give it back, Dare," Chris demands.
"No." Darren shakes his head. "No phones these ten days. No nothing that connects us to people back home."
"I will tackle you and take that phone from your grip." Chris gives him a look that says he'll do it to.
Thinking on his feet, Darren grins as he shoves the phone down the front of his pants. "Come and get it, then," he smirks.
"What the hell, Dare!" Chris screeches. "If my phone is touching your balls I will hit you."
"It's under the pants. Over the underwear. So, don't worry, no ball touchage going on here," Darren informs him with a giggle. "But, if you want it so badly, you can reach in and take it." For some reason, the idea of Chris shoving his hand down the front of his pants creates a tingle under his skin that has never happened before when he's thought of Chris like that. The thought takes him by surprise; makes him wonder what it would feel like if Chris were to follow through with his crazy offer. It creates goosebumps all over his arms at how it could feel.
Sitting back against the passenger seat, Chris crosses his arms and considers Darren's tempting offer. Huffing out an annoyed breath, he just sits there and decides not to take Darren up on his offer. Although, the idea of shoving his hand down Darren's pants does sound very pleasing and wonderful. But he won't subject Darren to the uncomfortableness that will come if he were to happily do that. "I hate you," he gripes, furrowing his brows in slight anger.
"No, you don't," Darren tells him with a pleased smile. "You appreciate me. And you'll get it back when we leave."
Giving Darren the cold shoulder all the way back to the house, he climbs out of the car when they stop. Grabbing a few bags, he trudges up to the house and to the kitchen. Putting away the beers in the fridge, he walks out of the kitchen and out onto the deck.
Stepping down in to the hot sand, walking a few feet into the beach, Chris stands there and watches the water. Hearing the people down the beach as they enjoy themselves as they party, he jumps the slightest when an arm wraps around his waist and another holds two bottles in front of him.
Darren thinks about how this is normal for them. They have somehow managed to create this thing between them where they let the other easily into their personal space. It's normal for them to hold each other close as they stand around wherever they are. Their friends have pointed out how crazy it is that they quickly developed a bond that allows them to do this only with each other.
He's had other people try to get close, but he always finds himself pushing them away. But with Chris, it comes naturally; he finds himself pressing closer than away.
"It's just a phone," Darren whispers into his ear as he hooks his chin over his shoulder. "Peace offering?"
"I know," Chris sighs as he takes a bottle of beer. "But I'm so used to having it to check everything going on."
"We're here to relax, to be two adults with nothing on their minds." Chris feels Darren pull away, missing the warmth of his body when he steps back; smiling when he comes to stand in front of him. "Let's do that."
Seeing Chris think it over, Darren grins when he agrees. Clinking their bottles together, he takes a long drink of the cold beverage. "Where's my phone?" Chris asks him after pulling the bottle away from his mouth.
"Do you really expect me to tell you that?" Darren pushes around some sand with his foot, feeling it fall between his toes when his lifts his foot.
"No." Chris shakes his head. "I just don't want it to still be down your pants."
"It's not," Darren chuckles. "Come on," he says as the winds blows and he gets a strong smell of the sea-salt in the air. "Let's eat. I'm starving."
"Okay." Following Darren back into the house, Chris tries not to think about how it felt to have Darren's arms around him.
When they do that, hold each other, Chris always finds himself melting a bit more into the touch than he should. It's not right; he shouldn't want, especially with his best friend, more than what Darren is not offering. Having a crush...Chris snorts at thinking crush. This isn't a crush. It's deep feelings that go beyond that that he has for Darren.
It's been years that these feelings have been present in him. They've been there ever since he first met Darren. That's when it was a crush. But now...Now, he knows it's wrong to have inappropriate thoughts about your friend who doesn't seem to waver from the straight line he walks.
"What do you want to eat?" Darren turns to ask Chris, but seeing him lost in thought. "Chris?"
"Wh-...What?"
"Food? What do you want?" Darren asks again.
He watches him dart his tongue out and lick his lips, thinking he would like to do that. Whoa. Where did that come from? Yeah, he's thought Chris was cute...Fuck that. Chris is beyond fucking sexy. Anyone can see that. Even him. But somehow, with the drag of his tongue over his full, pink lips, Darren is starting to think about how those lips would feel on his.
There has been that little spark of attraction towards Chris for the past few years, but it was nothing more than that. It's never grown more from looking at Chris and finding himself attracted, finding himself minutely wanting. But, somehow, now that attraction is quickly turning to lust and want.
Lust. Want. Darren shakes his head of those crazy thoughts; squashing those feelings down. Nothing can happen; nothing should happen.
"Oh," Chris says as he releases a held breath. "Burgers are fine."
"Let's get cooking then," Darren tells him with a smile.
Moving around the spacious kitchen as they prepare everything for burgers, Chris slices tomatoes as Darren makes patties. Taking a drink of his beer, he watches Darren and begins to wonder if he can even cook.
"Can you cook?" he outright questions, seeing Darren wash his hands after finishing with the meat.
"What? Don't trust me?" Darren smirks as he grabs a paper towel and dries his hands.
"Around a grill? No. I'm just hoping we don't have to end up ordering pizza. I'm kind of looking forward to burgers." Following Darren out on to the huge wooden deck, Chris sits on the cushioned, wicker benches and watches as Darren sets the plate down and goes about getting the fire started in the grill.
"I won't burn them. Promise," Darren adds as he lights a match and drops it onto the coals he poured into the pit.
"You say that now," Chris teases as he takes a drink of his beer.
"What are expecting?"
"Flames of fire and burnt, black burgers."
"I'll prove you wrong," Darren says in a promising tone as he playfully snaps a pair of tongs at him.
Chuckling as he sits there, Chris watches as Darren sets the burgers on the grill and closes the lid.
Darren chuckles as he sets the tongs down. Grabbing the bottle of beer Chris brought out for him, he twists off the cap, tossing it onto the table. "My dad taught me a little about grilling," he says as he sits down next to Chris, propping his feet up on the table. "So, I know a few things."
"I can't grill for shit," Chris tells him. "But I can make a mean chocolate chip cookie."
"We all have our special skills." Darren rests his head back on the railing of the deck, closing his eyes to the afternoon sun in the sky, kind of wishing he had thought to bring his sunglasses.
Feeling something tapping against his hand, he lifts his head to see Chris holding his Aviator glasses, his own resting on the bridge of his nose.
"Thanks," he says as he slides them on.
Watching Darren rest his head back against the deck, Chris follows the curve of his neck, seeing a trickle of sweat that follows the muscle of his throat. It's tempting to lean over and lick that bead of sweat away with his tongue; follow the ridges and dips of his neck.
Turning away before he acts in the impulse, or Darren catches him staring, he trains his eyes on the grill and takes a drink of his beer. Listening to the crashing of the waves so close by, Chris closes his eyes and breathes, needing to relax and get all crazy thoughts of Darren out of his mind.
He can feel Chris' eyes on him. Without looking, he can tell Chris is staring at him. Where it should feel uncomfortable, Darren feels butterflies in his stomach at knowing Chris is watching him.
It's crazy how quickly things are changing for him. This morning he saw Chris as only the friend he found himself attracted to, and now here he is wanting to act on feelings he never knew he would have for him. He feels like he's navigating a maze that keeps presenting new twists and turns he didn't know were there. Where he should feel scared about not knowing where he is, he feels excited and thrilled at the anticipation at what could be around the next turn.
Lifting his head and taking a drink of his beer, he thanks the sunglasses at making it able for him to look at Chris. He stares at the long line of his neck that goes down and curves into his neck. His eyes trace the line of his nose and the fullness of his lips, biting his lip as he watches Chris' lips wrap around the top of the bottle as he takes a drink.
Yeah, this maze is excitement.
"I think you need to flip the burgers," Chris tells Darren as they sit there, the smell of meat grilling getting stronger in the air.
"I think you're right." Darren pushes himself up off the bench and heads to the grill.
Darting his eyes to Darren's ass real quick, Chris bites his lips and shakes his head, looking away. Choosing to watch the roll of waves in the ocean, Chris tries not to let his mind linger on thoughts of Darren beneath him writhing with pleasure as he fucks him.
"Is that what you want?" Darren sees Chris startle at his question, as if caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"What?" Chris asks mildly embarrassed, Darren smiling at the blush that creeps up his neck and spreads across his cheeks.
"Cheeseburgers?" Darren asks. "Is that what you want?"
Noticing the relieving breath Chris lets out and smile appear on his lips, Darren catches himself staring at his lips, once again. "Yeah," Chris tells him, nodding his head. "That's fine."
Sitting in the chair on the beach, feet dug into the sand, beers next to them in the sand, Chris takes a bite of his burger, letting out a small moan at how delicious it is.
"Alright," he says around the bite of food in his mouth. "I give it to you. You can grill."
"Thanks for the compliment," Darren laughs, picking up his bottle of beer and taking a drink.
Grabbing his own beer, grains of sand stuck to where it was sitting wedged into the sand, Chris takes a drink of the cold liquid. "It's almost like dinner and a show," he points out as he takes another bite of his burger and watches the ocean.
"I think it could be dinner and a show," Darren says. "How are you doing without your technology?"
"I've been better," Chris murmurs, angrily biting a potato chip. "But the upside is I don't have to deal with him."
Darren knows who Chris is talking about when he menacingly says him. It's been four months since their break-up, and he knows Chris is still upset over why he had to end it. Remembering what that asshole put Chris through, Darren wants to find him and punch him for everything he did. Chris deserves better than that. He deserves someone to respect and love and care for him. Someone not like the last guy. Thinking about the guy that will do that for Chris, Darren is surprised at the twinge of jealousy he feels.
He shouldn't feel jealous over some guy he doesn't know; doesn't want to think about. He wants to think about Chris like how he is now, which is very much single and very much available to whomever he wants.
"You should be thanking me for that, then," he cheekily replies, avoiding the chip Chris throws at him.
Chris playfully sneers at Darren. Taking a few pieces of the bread he has, he tosses them out in front him, watching as the birds overhead descend and fly down to grab the pieces.
"You shouldn't have done that," Darren tells him.
"Why?" Chris asks as he throws out more bread, and some chips.
"Because it'll get wild. Birds by the dozens."
Running back into the house after a few minutes, finding out Darren was right about the birds thing, Chris laughs as he stumbles inside and slides the door shut. Looking through the glass, he watches as dozens of birds attack the food that was left in their haste to leave.
"Note to self: don't feed the birds," Chris heavily breathes out as he catches his breath.
"I warned ya," Darren tells him.
"That you did." Chris looks at him and chuckles.
"Now you know to listen next time I warn you about something."
Nodding his head in a manner that says he gets it, he heads to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water, knowing he's had enough beer for the day, he takes a long drink, loving as the cold water slides down his throat.
Darren stands there and watches as Chris' throat muscles move as he swallows the water. Knowing he's staring, and not being able to help it, he forces himself to walk to the fridge to grab a drink. Wrapping his fingers around the cold neck of a beer bottle, he shuts the fridge door with a thump and twists the cap off.
"You're gonna regret that in the morning," Chris tells him as he stands on the other side of the kitchen island.
"There's asprin," Darren informs him as he finishes off half the bottle in one drink.
Shaking his head, Chris snickers as he tells Darren he's going to take a shower.
Standing under the hot spray of water, tipping his head back and feeling as water hits his face and slides down his body, Chris feels as the day finally catches up with him. Drying off after stepping out, pulling on sweats and an oversized shirt, he heads out to the bedroom and collapses in bed.
Yawning and burrowing under the sheets, he finds himself drifting off to sleep immediately.
Walking to the bedroom he's sleeping in for the next ten days after finishing his beer, Darren stops at Chris' door and quietly pushes it open. Smiling at the sight of Chris stretched out on the bed, fast asleep, he stands there and watches the slow rise and fall of his chest. He watches as his lips part around something that sounds like a breathy moan or whimper; a noise that goes straight to his cock.
It's not the first time he's heard Chris make a noise like that; he's heard it from his mouth dozens of times. But it's the first time that he finds it has that kind of effect on him. It has him lusting, and wanting to crawl into that bed and be the reason Chris makes those noises.
He's never really given much thought to how it would be like to be with another man physically. It's something that never needed to cross his mind when he had his girlfriends to occupy his thoughts; and what he could do with them. But standing here now, watching his best friend, seeing how fucking desirable he looks and sounds, Darren is having thoughts of them two doing things that seem like they could be amazing. He's having thoughts of bodies pressed close and moving together. He's having thoughts he wants to act upon.
Chris, it seems, is making him crazy in the best way possible; and in so little fucking time.
Hearing him release another moan, Darren wishes he knew what he was dreaming about. Leaving the room, in need of a cold shower, he heads to the bathroom in his bedroom.
Startling awake at the sound of a door closing, Chris sits up and breathes heavy. Seeing it's almost midnight, he thinks about the dream he was just having. Of course it would be like him to have a sex dream about Darren while alone with him for the next few days.
Falling back into bed, covering his face with his hands, he groans and thinks about anything other than the thoughts he had to help with the problem in his pants. Finally composed several minutes later, he turns onto his side and brings his knees up to his chest, knowing he needs to let thoughts of Darren and he doing those things go.