Ok, so I've been having some serious writers block on my main fic, Various Shades of Grey. Usually I rid myself of the block by writing smut but instead, I've written a snip-it from a fic I'm planning on writing (The Show Must Go On).

This one-shot (and the new fic to come) is set in the VSG 'verse, but it's an AU. Darren and Chris are really the only two in this one-shot, but there are references to Naya and Katie. You don't really need to read VSG to follow this one.

The main difference between the new fic and VSG is that there is no Glee and I'm not following any 'real life' cannon. Their common bond is a theatre company that they are struggling to make successful. Naya's family is extremely wealthy and her parents own the apartment building they all live in. Sort of a Melrose Place atmosphere.

Anyway, let me know what you think and if you like the concept. I have a whole fic fleshed out for The Show Must Go On and it will include a lot of characters from VSG. The chapters leading up to and after this point will be sexy and definitely flirty and sometimes a little angsty. Not to mention smut – we all know how much I love writing a good smut scene. And of course full character development and a thorough understanding of what's going on in DC and CC's heads, as well as the inevitable CrissColfer union. We aren't kidding anyone; of course they end up together. In the fic that is… ;-)

Out of Character

"Remind me again why I have to rehearse this scene with you?" Chris stared at the lines his best friend Katie should have been running with Darren.

"Because Katie is off getting her hair done or something and she cancelled on me. Apparently she has this scene down pat, but I'm not so fortunate. And tonight potential investors are watching our workshop and if it isn't perfect, we won't be moving forward with this one." Darren let out a long hard sigh.

Yes, Darren was stressing out. The scene he needed to work on had been causing him some problems for a variety of reasons and he was struggling with it.

However, right now he was struggling for a whole other reason.

Darren was playing a character named Cole who in this particular scene was having a discussion with his sister Sammi, played by Katie. In about two minutes he'd have his arms wrapped around Sammi, who thanks to Katie beauty needs, was temporarily being played by Chris.

Why hadn't anyone else been available to run lines with him? And why for the love of God did Chris have to smell so fucking good? Oh, god, Darren was beginning to sweat and his curls were forming wet little ringlets.

"Earth to Darren." Chris waved his hand back and forth in front of the shorter man's face.

He had been trying to talk to him for the past few minutes, but Darren had completely zoned out. Although it was adorable, it was also slightly annoying.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Darren tried to stop inhaling the scent of Chris' intoxicating cologne.

"I was saying, isn't Naya's dad like a billionaire who has funded everything the company has done thus far?" Chris didn't know what the problem was. If Naya wanted this play on stage, she'd just ask her daddy and it would happen.

"Well, that's our last resort. When he funds our projects, we lose some of our creative control. Besides, we want to do it on our own this time; prove we are actually more than just the result of Naya's temper tantrums." Darren could speak of Naya like this only because they had been best friends since they were in diapers. If anyone else ever spoke ill of her, Darren would be the first to defend her.

"Ok, well let's get started then," Chris said rattling the paper in the air. He was beginning to get distracted by Darren's curls and he really needed to stay on track.

Darren removed his glasses, exhaled sharply and got into character.

"Sammi, you can't drop out of school," Darren said staring at the flesh covering Chris' Adams apple.

Darren was trying desperately to be Cole, he really was, but he was standing so close to Chris that his focus was shaky at best.

"I have no choice Cole." Chris made his voice go even higher as he portrayed Sammi. It took everything he had not to laugh at himself.

"Of course you have a choice. Mom and Dad will never let you drop out of school and leave with him."

"Well, I'm not going to tell them and you can't either Cole. Please don't tell them!" Chris voice was still up a few octaves, but he was easily containing his amusement now.

"Please don't leave." Darren's wasn't really paying attention to the script anymore.

He moved closer to Chris and the heat of their bodies felt soothing. Darren wasn't thinking like Cole and he most certainly wasn't thinking about this fictional character 'Sammi' running off. In that moment, all Darren could think about was how it would feel to be kissing the very non-fictional Chris Colfer.

Darren's eyes found the scar on Chris' neck and without much warning; his lips were kissing softly over the small mark.

"Dar, this isn't exactly in the script. Unless you did a warped re-write, I'm pretty sure Cole wouldn't kiss his sister's neck." Chris tried to make light of the heated situation, but he was having trouble breathing. Darren's lips felt like fire against his neck.

Darren pulled back slightly and with a shy smirk he said, "Yeah, I guess I'm out of character."

If you asked Darren what came over him, he'd have no good answer for you. He wouldn't be able to tell you what possessed him to wrap his arms around Chris and pull his body tight against his own.

Their faces began to inch closer together at a snail's pace and nothing else seemed to matter. Fuck, more than anything he wanted to taste Chris lips to find out if they tasted like the piña colada lip balm he had put on not twenty minutes ago.

Chris wanted it to happen as much as he needed it to stop. Darren's body was so close to his, pressing him up against the kitchen counter. His breath was warm and sweet near Chris' trembling lips. He had no idea what was happening or what had finally led them here after all this time.

"What are you doing?" Chris voice was just above a whisper. "This can't happen."

Chris pushed Darren off of him and walked to the opposite side of the kitchen. He shivered; his body felt cold without Darren's arms wrapped around him

"Please tell me why this can't happen? I seemed to have missed that memo." Darren was confused. He and Chris had been flirting shamelessly for months and he had been certain the younger man had feelings for him.

"Well, for starters you are straight and I don't fool around with straight men." Chris' eyes raked slowly over Darren's body. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than for Darren Criss to be the most flaming of homosexuals.

"I have never once said I that was straight Chris. You of all people know how I feel about labels. What have we been doing these past few months? I thought you like me?" Darren's eyes shifted to a very interesting spot on the floor where they stayed fixated.

"I'm not allowed to like you Darren!" Chris' face flushed and his eyes began to water.

Darren's eyes slowly moved to meet Chris' gaze. They were wide and filled with hurt and uncertainty.

"Does that mean I'm not allowed to like you? Because I do like you Chris; I like you a fuck of a lot. I think about you all the time and not just because we are rehearsing or working together every fucking day. I think about…" Darren paused and swallowed with difficulty, "…I think about us."

Holy shit he said it. Darren said what had been on his mind since the moment he laid eyes on Chris. His heart was pounding at his admission; Darren had never felt like this for anyone before, let alone a man.

"You shouldn't be! You shouldn't be thinking about us when you have a new girlfriend!" Tears still threatened Chris' beautiful bright eyes.

"A girlfriend? I don't have a fucking girlfriend Chris," Darren said through furrowed brow.

"Really? Then why did I overhear Naya talking to her dad and referring to you as her boyfriend?" Chris had his hands firmly on his hips. He didn't appreciate being lied to.

Darren let out a hearty laugh that was not consistent with the seriousness of conversation.

"Chris, Naya is gay, but you already know that." Darren rolled his eyes still laughing.

"Yeah, but I clearly heard the conversation she had with her dad." Chris wasn't finding this nearly as funny as Darren was.

"Chris, she tells him that we are together to keep him off of her back and her trust fund replenished. I did ask her to stop telling him that, but I see she hasn't." Darren shook his head. "Didn't Katie tell you anything about the dynamics of our theatre group? It's been a couple of months; I thought you'd know everything by now."

Darren was frustrated that Katie wasn't more of a gossip. This situation would have been much less puzzling if she had just told Chris what was really going on with everyone.

"Katie did try and tell me that you weren't Naya's boyfriend, but I didn't really listen to her. As far her relaying any juicy bits of info, she said they weren't her stories to tell." Chris was now cursing his best friend too. His face wouldn't be as red as it was if she was a little more forthcoming with information.

"Yeah, well Naya certainly isn't into me, in fact she's sort of in love with your best friend." Darren chuckled at the twisted situation. Their little theatre group really was intertwined a little too tightly.

"Wait, Naya loves Katie?" Chris' mouth formed a large 'O'.

A smile spread on Darren's full lips and he nodded. "Yes, and Katie is dating Lauren; talk about convoluted." Darren laughed lightly. "I still can't believe Katie went on a date with Richter when she first joined the company."

"Yeah, well she was just testing the waters. She'd never been out with a guy and she wanted to make 100% sure she was gay. Joey helped clear up any doubts." Chris started to laugh.

"Ok, so you see, I'm not dating Naya which means I'm available." Darren moved closer to Chris and slowly reached out and took his hand.

Chris shook his head and pulled his hand away. "You are still straight."

Darren ran his hands through his curls and gripped the back of his head in frustration. "I'm not straight Colfer! If I was straight I wouldn't be having very gay thoughts about us together."

"Have you ever been with a guy?" Chris asked knowing the answer.

"Well, no but…" Darren began.

"Then we can't be together." Chris walked toward the kitchen door way.

"So, I have to go date another guy before you will go out with me?" Darren did not understand this man at all. He was more complicated than any of the women he'd ever dated.

"No! I'm not suggesting you go whore it up Darren." Chris rolled his eyes in disgusted.

"Just tell me Chris, what do I have to do to be with you?" Darren let out an exasperated breath.

Darren was now standing in front of the younger man. His scent was making it hard for Chris to answer the question. He smelled of shampoo mixed with the cinnamon gum he was chewing earlier, along with a hint of the cologne he would have put on that morning.

"Well?'' Darren encouraged as he ran his calloused finger across Chris' flushed cheek.

Darren's eyes were flickering back and forth from the younger man's eyes to his lips. Then he licked his own lips, leaving them glistening.

"I don't want to be a life experience you can sing about. I don't want to be a song that makes it to number one on the charts or a play that you put on Broadway." Chris was averting his eyes from the sexy glare Darren was giving him.

"Do you really think that's what this is about?" Darren smirked knowing full well Chris didn't believe the words he had just said.

After a long silence, Chris finally let out a deflated breath. "No."

"I'm a really good boyfriend." Darren's eyes brightened and his face became overly animated.

Chris felt his heart melting into a giant puddle in his chest. "Whoa slow down cowboy. We haven't even gone on a date and you are talking boyfriend status?"

"One day I will be your boyfriend Chris Colfer." Darren smirked although his confidence was wavering.

"Cocky much?" Chris playfully pushed Darren away from him. The closeness was making him dizzy and unable to fight off the shorter man's advances.

"So, you will let me take you on a date?" Darren's eyes were twinkling with hope.

"Who says I want you to take me on a date? Maybe I want to take you on a date." Chris folded his arms across his chest and gave his best bitch please face.

"So we are going to date?" Darren was becoming more hopeful.

"No! Shit Dar, you need to back off." Chris' eyes narrowed into an irritated glare. He almost allowed himself to get sucked into the fantasy.

Chris finally came to his senses and back to reality. Why was Darren making this so complicated? As much as he wanted Darren to pursue him, he just couldn't do this. He couldn't allow himself to fall in love with a straight man. He was getting his life on track and he had goals to achieve. Having his heart broken would derail him and that was not an option. Chris had worked too hard on building up the sturdy wall around himself and he sure as hell wasn't about to let Darren tear it down only to hurt him in the end.

"Oh, ok." Tears pooled in Darren's beautiful big eyes. "I didn't mean to offend you and I certainly know when to bow out." Darren grabbed his coat off of the kitchen chair and pushed past Chris who was still standing in the doorway. Chris quickly followed him out to the living room. Darren had the door open and he was about to leave.

"Dar, wait!" Chris yelled as Darren began to open his front door. He just couldn't let him leave like this.

Darren turned around and a single tear was falling over his cheek.

"It's ok Colfer, I get it. You aren't interested. I should have known better. You are far too beautiful and special to want to be with me. I've been an idiot. You haven't been flirting with me all this time; you are just really nice to everyone. I was stupid to think that there was more between us and I obviously made it all up in my head."

Chris wanted to tell Darren he had been flirting with him and that more than anything he wanted them to be together. It wasn't something Darren had made up. God, he wanted to run to Darren and feel their lips pressed together. How badly he wanted to feel Darren; all of Darren, but he couldn't; his heart needed to be protected. Darren was straight and this would end with Chris falling in love with Darren and Darren falling in love with a woman. He had seen this exact movie play out in his mind over and over.

The end scene is Chris crushed and alone.

"Darren, it's not that. I just…" Chris felt his chest tightening. The tears he was causing Darren to shed were making him feel physically ill. He never wanted to make Darren cry, yet there he stood in front of him, tears now falling freely down his perfect face.

Darren chuckled through his tears; embarrassed that he once again wore his heart on his fucking sleeve. "I gotta go Chris. I'll see you tonight," Darren said through a forced smile.

Darren quickly shut the door behind him and ran back to his own apartment just three doors down. He was glad Joey wasn't home; he couldn't handle seeing anyone right now. He closed the door and slumped his disheartened body against it. His tears turned into a strangled sob as he slid down the door and hit the floor with a light thud.

What was he going to do? Darren had fallen in love with Chris and Chris didn't love him back. And now he had to go clean himself up and prepare for the workshop. He would have to fake happiness and sell their play to the potential investors. He'd have to put aside all of his heartache and do what he was born to do.

Because the show must go on.

TBC – in a full length fic to come – The Show Must Go On