Chris wakes up the next morning to a loud banging noise. It takes him a moment to realize where he is, but once he does he feels the happiest he's ever been; He's in Darren's bed with Darren pressed up against his chest stirring lightly. The banging gets increasingly louder and Chris' sleep hazed mind finally realizes that someone is knocking forcefully on the front door.
"Ugh, go away!" Darren groans, burrowing further into Chris' arms.
The knocking cuts off and Chris wonders if Darren has some super power to cause that when he knows the person couldn't have heard him. He sighs happily, shutting his eyes and wrapping his arms tighter around the boy in front of him.
Just as Darren makes a noise of contentment; his bedroom door flies open to reveal a very angry looking man. Chris yelps, surprised, and pulls the covers up higher on his body.
The man looks just as shocked as Chris but quickly collects himself, clearing his throat and turning his eyes to Darren. "Darren Criss, please tell me I am seeing things right now"
At the sound of the man's voice Darren wakes up instantly, shooting up in bed. "Michael? What the hell are you doing barging into my room at—" he checks the clock next to his bed "7 am?!"
Michael ignores Darren's outburst, eyes darting between Chris and Darren. "Would you like to explain what's going on here?"
Chris can tell Darren's getting frustrated and lays a gentle hand on his shoulder for comfort "Why are you here Michael?" Darren sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The question seems to snap Michael out of whatever he had been thinking, "I tried calling ten times, but it seems you were too busy playing house with another boy to answer" He pauses obviously contemplating whether he should continue but he takes in their bare chests and instead sighs heavily. "Living room. Five minutes. We need to talk." And with that he turns and storms back out, slamming the door behind him.
As soon as he's gone the boys turn towards one another. While Chris looked concerned, Darren just looked seriously annoyed.
"Chris, meet my publicist Michael… he's a charmer" Darren sighs. "Dammit, I was comfy and content and sleepy and he freaking barges in here and ruins it" he grumbles frowning, but soon begins to smile when it sinks in that he had woken up, however rudely, next to Chris.
"Good morning" he says more cheerfully, leaning in to give Chris a long lazy kiss, content to just lie there all day.
Chris pulls away all too soon though. "He seemed pretty mad Dare, aren't you worried?"
Darren gets a silly little grin on his face "First, I like hearing you call me Dare" he pecks Chris once more "Second, he's always mad at me. But we should go see what he wants. Come on"
They get changed into comfortable clothes—Chris borrowing Darren's even though they're a bit small—and walk out to the living room to find a frustrated looking Michael and a smirking Joey.
"Well hello Chris, surprise to see you here" he winks at him and Chris can feel himself blushing because obviously Joey is well aware of what happened last night considering they weren't exactly quiet, forgetting about the concept of a roommate.
"You let him in!" Darren exclaims and Joey just shrugs.
"Dude he was breaking down the door, if I wasn't going to be able to sleep you weren't either"
"Traitor" Darren mutters, walking over to Michael who was looking something up on Darren's laptop "and now you go through my belongings, what is going on Michael?"
"I get to go through your stuff when you do something insanely stupid" he thrusts the laptop at Darren and presses play on a video he had pulled up.
Darren felt his stomach drop in the first few seconds of the video, and hears Chris whisper "Oh no" behind him. The video is of last night, it's of the fight. Darren had forgotten about it, due to Michael's surprise visit and Chris in his bed distracting him. Luckily it didn't catch when Darren told Grant he should kill him but got everything after the fact. Darren scrolled down to read some of the article under it
Hollywood's golden boy, Darren Criss was caught in a physical altercation with another man last night. The star was attending a high school party where a fight broke out and Darren punched the other man across the jaw. We haven't been able to catch up with the other man in the video but have talked to a few sources. Apparently Darren was protecting a friend from school who was being harassed. One of our sources comments on the matter "at first I just thought Darren was being a good friend, but then it seemed more like maybe more was going on. After the fight he was kneeling next to our classmate, Chris, and brushing his hair out of his eyes and apologizing, he looked devastated about the fact that another man had touched him. I don't know about anyone else but I don't treat my friends that way". Another source confirms that Darren, and student Chris Colfer arrived and left together. So was Darren simply doing a good deed, or blinded by jealousy surrounded what could be more than an innocent friend.
Darren went to click on the other open tabs when Michael snatched the laptop right out of his hands "The media for the most part is just focusing on the fight aspect of it, but your fans are taking it a step further."
Darren groans because he knows what his fans can be like, he knows their looking at this from every angle, and he just knows they'll try to latch onto the "more than friends" idea. They've been waiting for this since Darren slipped up in an interview and stated he didn't really believe in labels. Michael just confirms his thoughts.
"They're claiming you and Chris are definitely dating. They know he was at your show and they're assuming your little side act was directed at him. They also found pictures that confirm that Chris was wearing one of your jackets last night. And people from school are talking about the fact that Chris had been close to the guy in the video at another party and think that the fight was over who got Chris. It's only a matter of time before the media latches onto all that too. Now they weren't supposed to print Chris' name since he's underage but honestly that's not going to fix anything since the public's seen it already. You need to make a statement before things get out of hand."
Darren groans and drops his head in his hands. This isn't how things were supposed to happen, he was supposed to talk to Chris first and make sure they were ready, and then he was going to ease him into the media attention. Now either they had to deny the rumors before they got out of hand—which didn't seem like an option—or come out and face the backlash head on.
"Darren I need you to fucking talk to me so we can fix this" Michael states, obviously frustrated by the whole situation.
"Just give me a god damn minute" he replies, he doesn't know what to do. He wasn't prepared for this and he can feel himself freaking out on the inside.
Darren feels pressure on his knees and looks up to see Chris kneeling on the ground in front of him looking sad but also a lot calmer than he expected. Chris reaches up to cup his cheek "Hey, Dare it's okay. It's going to be okay"
Darren realizes then that tears have been rolling down his cheeks the whole time. "I'm sorry Chris, I—god—this is going to suck for you and I feel terrible" he keeps trying to apologize but Chris just shushes him and rubs up and down his arms trying to calm him down.
Michael clears his throat and Darren finally turns to him "Well it's pretty obvious, given everything, that you two are together. Even though you specifically told me you weren't seeing anyone. You have to tell me things or you're just going to find yourself in deeper shit than you already are. So as you publicist I highly recommend that you make a statement claiming that you and Chris are just friends. Do whatever you want in private but for your image this can't get out"
Darren can see Chris' face fall and he's suddenly furious "I'm not lying. If Chris doesn't want to do this, then fine I'll make the statement, but if he does then I'm telling them that we are together. I promised I would and I'm sticking to that"
Michael looks shocked, like he actually didn't think Darren would say no "Darren, I don't think you're thinking this through. There are paparazzi camped out in front of the building for Christ's sake. Making a statement that you're suddenly into boys could ruin your career"
"Michael for once I need you to freaking listen to me. I'm not 'suddenly into boys', I told you when I hired you that I didn't believe in labels… you made me say I was straight because you didn't think the media would understand that, and you were right, but I'm not ashamed of wanting to be with Chris and I won't hide him. If you're not okay with that I'll hire someone who is" and with that Darren stands up making his way to the door "In the meantime I think Chris and I need to have a talk. I'll call you and tell you what we've decided, but until then it's time for you to go"
Michael looked like he wanted to argue for a split second, but instead just grabbed his bad and walked towards Darren and the door "Just remember whatever you decide the consequences rest on you, not me"
"Exactly why it should be my choice" Darren states turning to usher his publicist out the door and shut it forcefully behind him.
Chris couldn't believe everything that was happening. He wasn't surprised exactly that the media had gotten wind of the fight, but he was surprised people were so quick to catch on to their relationship. Funny enough, he wasn't all that worried. He had been sure about his feelings for Darren for a while, especially after last night, and was preparing to take the next step anyway. But seeing Darren with tears in his eyes made Chris wonder if he was ready to come out with their relationship, it did affect him the most after all.
As soon as Michael had left Joey had told them he'd be in his room giving them privacy and Chris walked right up Darren and pulled him into a tight hug, trying to convey all his feelings and reassure the older boy.
Darren looked up at him with scared but hopeful eyes "Can we go lay in bed. I know we need to talk and all… but I just really need to be close to you right now"
This time it's Chris that leads them back to the bed, shutting the door softly behind them and settling themselves under the covers, Darren's head resting on his chest.
"What are you thinking?"
Darren sighs and he sounds so tired that Chris wishes he could just push this off and cuddle back up with him and sleep the rest of the day, but he knows they have to do this now.
"I'm scared." He looks up at Chris before continuing "I know I want to be with you, no doubt about it. I'm pretty sure I knew from the moment I first kissed you, I'd never felt anything like it before, with a girl or a guy. But I really became sure when I told my parents, I just kept thinking about how well you'd fit in my family" Darren blushes at this but continues "and then when I saw Grant harassing you I snapped. I didn't care who saw me or what happened, I needed him to know that's not okay and I just felt this rush of possessiveness—not a bad kind, just like I knew that I wanted everyone to know you we're mine"
Darren returns to lying on his chest and Chris leans down to press a soft kiss to the top of Darren's curls and can feel him smile into his chest in return.
"But I'm just scared about what the media is going to say. I knew this day would come, but now that it's here it's terrifying. Of course I'm worried about my career, but more importantly I'm worried about you. The media can be brutal and they're going to be all over you, not to mention my fans. It's not fair for you to have to go through this just because I told them I was straight because I didn't understand my own fucking sexuality"
Chris takes it all in. He understands where Darren is coming from, but he'd been thinking about all of this since they first kissed.
"Darren, you can't sit here and be worried about me. Hey look at me" Darren lifts his head and positions his body so he can sit facing Chris "I can't promise you that I know what I'm getting myself into. I can't promise you that I'll take all of the attention well or that it won't bother me. But I can promise you that I want to be with you. I want to be able to hold your hand at school and support you at your shows. I want the world to know you're mine as much as you want them to know I'm yours"
Darren's returning smile is one of the most radiant things Chris thinks he's ever seen "You really mean that?"
"I do. There's no going back for me, so if you're sure then I'm sure. I want to go public."
Darren didn't think such a simple statement could make him so happy. Chris wanted to go public. Chris was willing to put himself in the line of fire to be with Darren.
He couldn't help himself as he felt tears gather in his eyes and he rushed forward to connect their lips. The last twelve hours have been an emotional rollercoaster. He went from seeing another man hurt Chris, to being actually intimate with Chris for the first time and waking up happy, to having Michael crash the picture perfect reality he'd created. But now Chris was telling him it was going to be okay, and he believed him.
The kiss caught Chris off guard and Darren can feel him tense shortly and then melt under Darren. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to the feel of Chris' lips on his. It's like electric shocks are being sent through his whole body and god when Chris runs his tongue across his lip and behind his teeth it sends him shivering with pleasure.
They're moving together as one, the kiss isn't rush but it has all the emotions that they just confessed, plus some they weren't ready to admit to yet, behind it.
Darren can feel himself getting hard embarrassingly fast—he never thought just kissing someone could get such a strong reaction—but as he shifts a bit he feels Chris' erection too and groans from deep in his throat.
Chris breaks the kiss moving to trail from Darren's neck to ear, nibbling on the lobe and receiving a gasp from a wrecked looking Darren.
"I think it's my turn to take care of you" Chris whispers hotly in his ear, and Darren thinks he could come just from hearing how low Chris' voice has gotten so he nods quickly, needing some sort of release.
Chris rolls him onto his back before kissing up and down Darren's neck again. He stops to pay special attention to the spot behind Darren's left ear and he's sure it'll leave a mark but he can't even think to worry about it due to how incredibly hot he finds it.
Chris sits back tucking his thumbs under the waistband of Darren's sweats, "this okay?"
"Yes, please Chris, I need you"
Chris smirks up at him looking pleased with how worked up Darren is "shhhh, I'm going to take care of you baby" he responds before pulling down Darren's pants and underwear exposing his flushed and leaking cock.
Darren's just about to make a quip about Chris calling him baby when suddenly the younger boy's hand is wrapped firmly around him and all words fly out the window. Chris' stroke is firm and sure and Darren's pretty sure nothing could feel better right now when suddenly his cock is being surrounded by a wet heat.
"Holy fucking shit—Chris—ah god wa—warn a guy" Darren is able to get out before Chris teases his tongue over the slit and he's head falls heavily on the pillow and he's not quite sure how he's still breathing. He wasn't expecting this, but god he's not complaining. Chris is sucking on the head of his dick and looking up at his through his lashes and Darren can tell he's not going to last long.
"Chris- shit—I'm close" and that seems to encourage Chris because he hollows out his cheeks and sucks faster, willing Darren to let himself go.
A few seconds later and Darren can feel the tight heat coiling in his stomach, he tries pulling on Chris' hair to tell him to stop but instead Chris just takes him further into his throat and hums around him. The vibrations push Darren over the edge and he's practically screaming as he shoots his come down Chris' throat, who easily swallows it all before pulling off with a explicit sounding pop.
He feels Chris slip him back in his boxers before coming back up to lie next to him.
"That was amazing. You're amazing" Darren says reverently, turning so they're facing each other and then he realizes he was so blissed out he forgot about Chris "Shit Chris I forgot, let me return the favor… well maybe not that" He wasn't sure he was ready to blow Chris yet "but let me help you"
Chris just shakes his head and leans down to kiss him gently, and oh god Darren can taste himself on Chris tongue and that should not be as hot as it is "I wanted to do that for you, don't worry about me" Darren goes to protest but Chris cuts him off "I know you're tired, let's just take a nap together before we have to deal with the real world."
Darren thinks that sounds like the best idea in the world right now. He pulls Chris back down on top of his chest gently kissing his forehead. It only takes a few minutes before they're both sound asleep.
When the boys wake up a few hours later they decide to send a text to Michael explaining what Darren wants to do. They had decided it was necessary for Darren to say he was in fact in a relationship with Chris but he wanted to do it in an interview where things could be controlled. He wanted to do it with someone he trusted and knew would only ask what Darren was comfortable with. They sent all of this to Michael also saying the sooner the better, they wanted to get it out of the way and start dealing with the things they knew would come after.
Shortly after that Darren called a car to pick Chris up, considering he needed to get home and tell his mom everything that was going on, especially since she had seen the video and was worried.
Darren kissed Chris probably a hundred times before finally letting him get into the car to leave. Luckily the apartment had an attached parking garage that was private so the paparazzi wouldn't see him leaving.
When Darren finally made his way back into the apartment he was feeling a mix of emotions—extreme happiness because he could officially call Chris his boyfriend, nervousness because he didn't know what to expect, and sadness because he knew Chris couldn't be with him all the time and Darren was pretty sure his presence is what gave him strength to deal with everything.
He walked back into his room, deciding a nice long shower would do him some good when he saw he had a response from Michael, it was short and to the point, he was obviously not happy about the situation.
"Ellen. Monday. We'll go over questions before hand. You better be sure this is what you want, you can't go back. See you then."
Darren felt relieved. He had been on Ellen before and loved her. She never crossed a line she was sure the other person didn't want crossed and she handled everything with such respect, he couldn't have had a better person to do this with.
"I've never been more sure of anything"
Darren smiled to himself, letting himself believe that everything would turn out for the best no matter what bad things him and Chris had to get through first. They'd do it together.