The water is cool on his skin as he breaks the surface, the sun shining down around him and twenty feet in front of him, he can see Chris sitting on a beach towel reading a book under a umbrella. Going under the water and swimming toward him, he steps out of the water and his feet sink into the sand as he takes the less than fifteen steps toward him, feeling his skin soaking in the hot rays of the sun. As he walks, he can't but help to notice how gorgeous Chris looks in shorts and loose shirt with his legs slightly bent so he can rest the book on top of his thighs as he reads. His pushes his sunglasses up when he lifts his head and sees him, smiling as he sits down next to him.
"You should come in the water with me. It feels amazing in there." Darren says as he lies back on the towel, smiling up at Chris.
He recalls the day before when they visited Mount Vesuvius, smiling at the memory.
"Nothing like visiting a volcano known for destroying a whole city." Chris laughs as he looks up at the volcano.
"It hasn't erupted in over sixty years, so I think we will be fine." Darren says as he grabs Chris' hand and begins to walk with the other people up the trail along Mount Vesuvius.
They had been in Naples for exactly three days, seeing most of the tourist attractions that had caught their attention in a guide book they picked up. But so far, they have found themselves visiting more restaurants than anything else, because in the place known for pizza, they were definitely going to be doing a lot of eating.
Wanting to do something different, they decided to visit the beach and relax under the sun for a few hours.
"I'm fine out here." Chris replies, closing his book and lying back with him, handing him his sunglasses. "Plus, my sunblock might wash off if I get in the water."
"I wouldn't mind the tough job of reapplying that." Darren grins at him, putting on his sunglasses and turning over on to his stomach.
"I'm pretty sure you would love that job." Chris jokes, Darren catching his eyes roaming over his body and getting a thrill at knowing Chris is staring at him.
Thirty minutes later, sitting up and deciding to go into the water again, Darren tries once more to get Chris to go with him. "Come on, it will be fun," he says as he stands in front of Chris and tugs on his hand. "Just a quick dip with me in the cool, refreshing, and clear blue water."
"I want to, but I don't want to get out of this comfortable spot." Chris says as he smiles up at Darren.
Darren is just glad that Chris has changed his mind, and so taking matters into his own hands, he somehow manages to get Chris up and over his shoulder. He chuckles as Chris yells and squirms over him, trying to get down.
"Dare! Put me down, people are staring."
"Only because you're making so much noise." Darren says as he steps into the cool water until it reaches around his hips. "Ready?"
"For what?" Chris asks, unsure of what the hell Darren is about to do.
"Think it over for a second."
Darren can't fight the grin on his face when Chris figures it out, telling him, "Darren Criss, you better not do what I think you are about to!"
Without saying anything, Darren—nicely, he would say—drops Chris into the water, hearing him let out a shocked scream right before he goes under. He stands there for a few seconds before he feels hands grip tight around his ankles, pull and drag him under. All of a sudden, he's under the water and has arms wrapping around his waist. Opening his eyes, he sees Chris smiling at him as he leans forward and kisses him.
After about a minute underwater, he feels Chris let go and swim to the surface; doing the same, he pulls him close, uncaring of all the people behind them and in the water, Darren kisses Chris, tasting the salt of the water on his lips. They finally manage to break apart and swim to shore, deciding to gather their stuff and head back to the hotel.
Back in the hotel room they decided to share, Darren takes a shower and cleans the feel of sand and the beach off his skin, feeling refreshed when he steps out of the bathroom. Dinner is room service and sharing a slice of chocolate cake in the middle of the bed he sleeps in. When he sees a smudge of icing above Chris' lip, he leans forward and pushes him back on the bed, leaning down he licks it off in the more seductive way than he meant to. "Tastes good," he says after running his tongue along the spot above Chris' lip.
"Me or the cake?" Chris asks, as he stares up at him, a blush appearing on his cheeks.
"Mmmm, both…definitely both." Darren leans down and kisses him.
After what seems hours—but closer to forty-five minutes—Darren pulls back, much to Chris' protests, and says they should probably stop and go to sleep. As he watches Chris climb into his own bed, he wishes he hadn't already taken a shower, because at the moment a cold shower is exactly what he needs.
"Goodnight, Dare."
"Goodnight, Chris." Darren says, turning onto his side and instantly feeling sleep overtake him.
The sensation of the sheets being pulled back a few hours later has Darren waking up almost immediately. He's surprised when Chris climbs into bed with him and presses close. "Hey," he softly says, feeling his body shaking in his arms. Moving to look at Chris, whose eyes are red from the tears he's holding back. "What's wrong?"
"I had a nightmare." Chris mumbles against his shoulder, voice breaking some. "Will you hold me until I fall asleep?"
"Of course I will." Darren comfortingly says, holding Chris close, stroking his thumb over his lower back. "What was the dream about?" he asks.
"Is it fine if I don't say?" Chris whispers, draping an arm over Darren's side. "I don't want to think about it anymore."
"That's okay." Darren replies, humming a song into Chris' ear to help him fall asleep. Within a few minutes, he feels Chris go lax against him and hears his breathing even out and decides to go back to sleep as well.
He feels so much better as the cool water hits his skin, washing away the long day Chris and him just had. They walked around exploring the city and got a bite to eat, stopping to buy little souvenirs for their family and friends. After a few more hours of walking around, they decided to call it a day and go back to the hotel and rest.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Darren finds Chris asleep in bed and decides he's too tired to do much beside climb in his own bed and pass out.
Like the night before, a few hours later, he feels Chris climbing into bed with him, snuggling close and letting out a deep sigh.
"Another bad dream?" He mumbles as he nuzzles his nose into the side of Chris' neck.
"No," Chris says around a yawn, "I enjoy falling asleep in your arms."
Darren just smiles after Chris says that, humming a song like the previous night, and within a few minutes, both of them are asleep again.
The last day in Naples is spent just walking around and doing nothing in particular until Chris says he's tired and wants to head back to the room for sleep.
Just like the previous two nights, Darren isn't surprised when Chris climbs into his bed a few hours after he falls asleep, not complaining about getting to hold him close for a few hours at night. He's just glad that he wakes up before Chris so he doesn't embarrass himself like in London.
"So much for a room with two beds." Darren says as they check out.
"Sorry about that," Chris apologizes, cheeks getting a pink hue to them from blushing. "I didn't think that would happen."
"It's okay," Darren smiles at him, taking his hand and walking out of the hotel.
Rome
His nose is nuzzled into the crook of Chris' neck when he wakes up, the smell of his bodywash strong on his skin when he takes a deep breath. Sitting up and stretching his arms above his head, he yawns after the long day they had yesterday when they visited the Colosseum.
"Oh, my God, it's gorgeous." Chris says as he stares in awe up at the Colosseum.
"Yeah, just think of all the men that died fighting here." Darren jokes, smiling when Chris lightly punches him in the arm and tells him not to ruin the moment for him. "Sorry," he grins, giving Chris a quick peck on the lips. "No more jokes from me while we're here."
"Thank you." Chris smiles, grabbing his hand and heading to get in with the group about to tour.
Walking inside, and on the grounds, Darren says as he stands in front of Chris, "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
"So does that make me Emperor Commodus?" Chris asks as he laughs at Darren.
"No, you're far too nice to be that asshole." Darren smiles at him, grabbing his hand and starting to walk again. "I would say you're a male version of Lucilla: strong, beautiful, and unafraid of doing what's right."
"I would say that's about right." Chris smirks.
When they got back to their room later than night, they both fell into bed after showering tired to the bone and out within minutes, and just like in Naples, Darren isn't even fazed when Chris crawls into bed with him less than two hours later.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he carefully climbs out and heads for the bathroom and stands in front of the sink, trying to think of everything gross to make his problem go away. Stepping out of the bathroom after a quick shower, he lets Chris walk by him to get in, placing a kiss to the back of his neck and hearing him sigh.
"What do you want to do today?" Chris asks after coming out of the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the bed to tie up the laces of his boots.
"Let's just see what we stumble upon." Darren replies, grabbing Chris' hand and hauling him up from the bed and walking out of the room.
"Can you imagine having to paint that?" Darren remarks as he stares at the intricate details of the painted ceiling above him. "Who even wakes up one day and says 'I think I want this giant ceiling painted corner to corner.' I don't see how Michelangelo did it."
"Stop putting so much thought behind it and enjoy the beauty." Chris tells him with his head tipped back and eyes trained on the ceiling.
Darren does that, looks at the nine different paintings on the ceiling that tell a story when combined. He is in awe of the painting, but still says, "It just seems like a lot of work for one person."
"Yeah, it does." Chris responds straightening his neck before it begins to hurt. "Maybe that's why Michelangelo took four years to finish it."
Back at the hotel room, Darren falls down on the couch as Chris heads for the bathroom.
"You hungry?" Chris calls from the bathroom, Darren seeing a shirt fly from that direction.
He tries his hardest not to think about how Chris looks right now: shirtless and the expanse of pale skin of his torso. "Yeah...starving." he yells back, looking up in time to see Chris' new shirt falling down and covering his stomach. Getting up and lifting his shirt the slightest to make sure he isn't going crazy, he runs the pads of his fingers over the deep purple bruise above Chris' left hip. "Hey, what happened?" He asks concerned.
"Oh, that," Chris laughs it off, brushing Darren's hand away. "I ran into something too hard the other day. It's fine."
"It doesn't hurt?"
"Only if you touch it." Chris chuckles, leaning in to kiss Darren—who lets all thoughts of everything that's not Chris' lips fly out the window. "Ready to go eat?"
"Yeah." Darren breathlessly says.
"You can't be serious!" Darren exclaims as he looks at Chris like he's crazy.
"I've always wanted to do this, and this is the perfect, and maybe only, time I will be able to. So, please, please, please do this with me." Chris begs, jutting out his bottom lip and giving him puppy-dog eyes.
"If we get caught, I don't know you." Darren says, not able to resist the look Chris is giving him. He soon has Chris jumping in to his arms and kissing him, repeatedly saying thanks against his lips.
They manage to get in and are dancing on the floor surrounded by dozens of people they don't know, Darren terrified of being caught. But he still gets excited at holding Chris in his arms and swaying to the music playing by the small orchestra.
"So…crashing a wedding." Darren smiles at him as he pushes Chris closer to him. "How long has this been on your to do list?"
"A few years." Chris replies, looking over Darren's shoulder. "It just seemed like so much fun to do something exciting and dangerous, and thankfully I had you with me to come along."
Darren just grins and continues to sway to the music as the sky begins to get dark as the sun slowly sets.
This is their last night in Rome and after spending four days seeing the usual tourist attractions, they decided to just explore what the city had to offer when Chris saw the wedding party and asked him crash it with him. He can't believe Chris actually got him to do something this crazy, but he is glad he did it. The thrill he has at being in place he shouldn't as he dances with an amazing person surrounded by people who give them looks as if trying to figure out who they are is greater than any he thought possible.
"Don't be alarmed, but when I tell you to run, you run, okay?" Chris tells him as he looks over his shoulder once again.
"Why?"
"I think we've been caught." Chris says as he drops his arm from around his shoulder and clasps his hand tight in his. "They're walking to us right now; they'll be behind you in less than ten steps."
Darren just stands there with his heart pounding like crazy waiting for the signal from Chris to sprint. He smiles when he sees the excitement in Chris' eyes as he looks at him.
"Run!" Chris yells.
Holding tight to Chris' hand, he runs for the gate they entered the garden in and run out, hearing men yell behind them as they chase. A few streets down, and no longer being chased, they go into a café and laugh at what just occurred. Breathing heavy and sitting down at a table, Darren feels more alive than he's ever remembered feeling and knows it's because of the person sitting across from him.
"That was fun." Chris laughs, pushing his hair back from where it's fallen across his forehead.
"That was awesome!"
"I have a question for you." Chris says later that night after climbing in bed with him.
After sitting at the café and eating, they walked around Rome at night and enjoyed the beauty of the city as it was lit up with lights.
"What is it?" Darren asks as he aimlessly runs his fingers along Chris' back.
"When can I hear you really sing?" Chris tilts his head back from where it's resting on his shoulder and smiles up at him.
"I'll surprise you."
"Don't take too long." Chris nuzzles closer into his side and falls asleep within a few minutes.
"Look, the Trevi Fountain!" Darren excitedly yells, clutching Chris' hand and running towards it. Standing in front of it, he takes in the beauty of the giant carved statues
"You know, legend has it if you toss a coin in that means you guarantee a return back to Rome." Darren digs in his pocket for a coin, finding a quarter and flicking it into the pool. Pulling out another quarter, he holds it out for Chris, who doesn't take it.
"No," he shakes his head, pushing his hand away. "I won't be coming back here. Rome is a one-time visit."
"You won't even chance it?"
Chris just shakes his head no and Darren tells him okay, walking away from the fountain.
Florence
Chris is snuggled into his side as they ride the train to Florence. The scenery that passes outside the windows is gorgeous
"Almost there." Darren says into Chris' ear right before kissing his temple.
"I just want to get off this train already." Chris groans. "I'm also starving."
"We can check-in real quickly and go eat something."
Florence is different in that they decide to stay at a vineyard instead of a hotel and sight-see.
Dropping their bags on the floor, Darren goes to the double doors and pulls them open, his vision immediately filled with the many rows of grapes in front of him. Breathing in a lungful of air, he can smell and taste the sweetness on it from the grapes, and he loves it. Looking behind him and expecting to see Chris ready to go eat, he instead finds him asleep on the bed with his knees up to his chest. Covering him with a blanket, he decides to explore the castle turned hotel they're staying at.
"Dare..." He hears Chris groggily say behind him a few hours later.
"Hey, looks like somebody is finally awake." He says as he sits on the edge of the bed, watching as Chris fully wakes up.
"Ungh...I'm sorry for falling asleep." Chris apologizes, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"It's no big deal." He stands up and grabs Chris' hands and pulls him to stand with him. "Still hungry?" At that moment, Chris stomach growls and they both laughing, knowing that's answer enough to Darren's question. "Come on, there's a restaurant here that they say is fantastic."
"Okay," Chris says, still slightly groggy. "Let me take a quick shower first."
The restaurant is even better than what Darren heard; the food is beyond delicious and Chris and him couldn't get enough of the taste of the wine they drank. Between themselves, they shared four bottles, which is why both of them are giggling and stumbling along the path back to the room at the vineyard. Chris practically keels over laughing when Darren stumbles over his feet and ends up falling to the ground, scraping his palms.
"It's not," hiccup, "fun...fu...funny." Darren pouts, loving when Chris kneels over him, still laughing.
"Want me to kiss it better?" He slurs his words some as he asks, reaching for Darren's right hand.
Darren just nods his head yes, staring into Chris' eyes - which never leave his - as he places small pecks to the scrape over his palm. He bites his lower lip when Chris pokes the tip of his tongue out and traces first the scrape and then begins lick the length of his forefinger.
Taking his hand away, he brings Chris down and attacks his mouth. Tracing his bottom lip and licking into his mouth, he can still get a hint of the raspberries Chris had with his dessert, but mainly gets the taste of the wine on his tongue—the wine that tasted of cherries, oak, and many other distinct flavors.
Soon, he feels Chris begin to rock his hips down on him, and he doesn't hold back the moan that falls from his lips. Throwing open his eyes and seeing the dark sky filled with stars above him, he remembers where they are and stills Chris' hips.
"Wh-Do you not want me t-" Chris begins to say.
"No... No, it's just that we're on a dirt path outside, where anyone could walk by and see us." Darren reminds him.
"Oh, yeah...I to-totally forgot about that." Chris snickers, sitting up and back on Darren's thighs, staring down at him. "Shall we continue in our room then?"
"God, yes!" Darren exclaims.
Kicking the door shut, he feels as Chris begins to work at the buttons of his shirt as he in turn works to undo the belt on his pants. Being pushed back, he sees Chris finish undoing his belt and shove his jeans down, and then go for the hem of his shirt and begin to pull it up. Darren registers what he is doing and begins to do the same and is quickly down to his underwear like Chris.
Grabbing around his waist and pulling him close, he turns them around and shoves him up against the door; he grabs under Chris' knees and lifts his legs. Walking backward to the bed, he falls back on it and moans as Chris immediately goes back to doing what he was ten minutes before.
Darren's eyes flutter shut as Chris straddles him perfectly, sits up and begins to roll his hips down on him. The feel of their cocks brushing together, even through the layers of fabric, sends pleasure coursing through Darren's veins and makes him grip tight to Chris' hips and lift his own as best as he can. Fingers dig into his side as he feels how sinfully Chris moves his hips; rolls of his hips that are making him see white spots in his vision.
"Fuck... I'm gonna come." Chris pants out, working his hips faster and harder.
"Me too," Darren tells him.
Chris thrusts down half a dozen more times before moaning his name as he comes, throwing his head back and working his hips until he can't anymore.
Seeing him like that, and hearing Chris say his name filled with so much lust, is enough for Darren's hips to stutter and come inside his underwear, feeling like a teenager all over again.
Chris collapses on top of him and says through heavy breathing, "I guess alcohol really is liquid courage."
Darren just laughs and wraps his arms around his waist. He had every intention of making sure they both got up to change, but somehow hearing Chris' even breathing has him falling asleep himself.
The first thing that registers with him as he wakes up is that he has the worst hangover ever. Opening his eyes, he groans as the bright sun fills his vision as he sits up, which causes the blanket to slide off his body. As he looks down to find he's in only his underwear, he hears Chris groan behind him; looking over his shoulder, he moves the blanket enough to find him in only his underwear. His memory is fuzzy, but he can remember lying on the ground as they kissed under the night sky, can remember being back in their room as Chris straddled him and- "Oh!" It all comes back in a rush, as if a floodgate opened up and dumps the memories of Chris moving perfectly on top of him, the noises he made, the way he looked as he came, and...how hot his name sounded as it feel from his lips.
"Dare," he hears Chris mumble, turning around to find him opening his eyes and immediately throwing his arm over them. "What the fuck happened?"
"Um...we got drunk and...had some...we mi-"
"I'm going to assume what you're trying to tell he has something to do with my underwear being covered in dry come." Chris says, moving his arm and looking at him.
Darren just says yes and asks, "How do you feel?"
"Like I'm hungover." Chris replies.
"I mean about what happened?" Darren clarifies.
"Upset."
Dropping his head at Chris' answer, Darren feels as if he should have known even drunk not to push to do anything Chris wasn't ready for. "Sorry," he mumbles, sounding ashamed of what he did.
"Hey," Chris says in a soothing voice, sitting up and moving to sit behind him, hooking his chin over his shoulder. "I'm not upset that it happened, I'm upset that I can barely remember it."
Picking his head up and turning his head to look at him, Darren smiles, "Really?"
"Really," Chris repeats, placing a quick kiss to his lips. "After this hangover of mine is cured, can we do it so I actually remember this time?"
"I have no problem with that." Darren grins as he tips his head back as Chris kisses him, feeling him pull back too soon.
"Sorry, but I need a shower and Tylenol."
By the time they make their way along a row of grapes in the vineyard mid-day the next day, Chris and him have three separate occasions that Chris will definitely remember this time. It seems since yesterday morning after the drunken incident where Chris admitted to wanting to do it again, they haven't been able to concentrate on much beyond the other person.
As they walk along the row, fingers laced together, they barely listen to their guide, Lucia, who talks about all the work put in to making a great wine. Other people are enthralled with everything she has to say, but Darren can't seem to care when Chris continues to pull his attention away from Lucia. He
"Now," she says with a thick, heavy accent. "If you would like to, we invite you to pull a bundle of grapes off the stems and eat some for yourselves. You will find that they are almost like any other grape, only with more seeds." Everybody laughs after she says that.
Darren reaches behind Chris to pull some grapes off just like the other people are doing. Handing some to Chris, he bites into one to find it taste almost like any other grape, except a bit sweeter. As he eats, he stares at how Chris licks his lips when the juice flows from the grape he bites into, wanting to kiss him and taste the grapes on his lips.
"If everybody has had their fill of grapes, we shall now proceed to where we make and store the wine." Lucia's voice pulls him out of thoughts of Chris' lips and wanting to pull him close and kiss him.
"I would like to thank everybody for coming out to our great vineyard and seeing where and how we make out award winning vintages." Lucia smiles, stopping at a table lined with different types of wine. "We offer complementary bottles of our red wines which include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and our Pinot Noir."
As Chris grabs a bottle of the Pinot Noir, he grabs a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon, noticing how Lucia grins when she sees their hands linked together. Walking out of the building and making sure no one is around, Darren pulls Chris between rows of grapes and kisses him like he's been wanting to for the past two hours. As he massages their tongues together, he can still make out the lingering taste of grapes on Chris' tongue.
"Come on, let's go eat, I'm starving." Darren says as he pulls back from the kiss.
"That's mean." Chris says as he pouts.
"What is?"
"What if I wanted dessert before dinner?" Chris just smiles as Darren realizes what he's telling him.
"But isn't it more fun to wait?" Darren presses as close to Chris as he can, feeling how hard he is getting as he kisses along his neck and his free hand roams over his back. "Isn't it more fun to feel the desire growing by the minute with every look, every touch until it's too much and we practically bolt for our room?" He whispers that into Chris' ear as he rocks his hips forward the slightest, making Chris moan into the now night sky. He can feel Chris shaking as he kisses down his neck and over his collarbone.
"Please, Dare..." Chris begs, as he drops his head back.
"You're right," Darren says as he kisses up his neck. "We should go eat now."
Grabbing Chris hand and walking to the restaurant, he smiles as Chris tells him with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "This isn't what I wanted."
"I know." Darren replies, leaning over and kissing him real quick. He knows exactly what Chris wanted, because he would have been totally fine skipping over dinner in favor of spending it in their room. But, he wants to wait, wants to see how long they can play this little game of trying not to jump each other in the middle of the restaurant, and based off how both of them are right now, he knows it will be a quick dinner. "Don't worry, we'll get there tonight."
He doesn't let the smile tugging at Chris' lips get past him.
Chris is lying on the floor, breathing heavy as Darren lies on top of him between his legs, trying to catch his breath. Their bodies thrum with the aftershocks of their orgasms, making it hard for them to do much beyond brush their lips together in a chaste kiss.
They had made it through dinner as fast as they could, and once they were back in their room, Chris wasted no time in pulling Darren close and kissing him. Rather than taking the few steps to the bed, they decided the floor was good enough. Both so on edge already, it took a few thrusts of Darren's hips down onto Chris' before both of them came.
"We sho-... We should probably get off the floor." Darren says as he rolls off Chris to lie on the floor next to him. Staring as Chris turns onto his side and rests his head on his propped up elbow, Darren can't believe how gorgeous he is.
"What?" Chris laughs.
"You're stunning." Darren honestly says.
"Not many...Actually, nobody ever tells me that." Chris drops his gaze to the floor, pretending to be interested in the tassels on the rug.
"Well, I'm telling you that." Darren pushes Chris onto his back and hovers over him on his hands and knees. "I'm telling you because it's true, because you might be the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen, and because you're beautiful inside and out. You deserve to hear that every day." As he finishes, he can see a blush spreading across Chris' cheeks, knowing he believes everything Darren just told him.
"You haven't seen me at my worst, though." Chris tells him, eyes filling with sadness.
"I'm pretty sure even at your worst, you're still more stunning than most." Darren tries to say but sees Chris begin to cry. He lies back on the floor and pulls Chris close, "What's wrong?"
"I can't tell you because it will ruin everything." Chris says through his sobs.
"How do you know that?"
"B-because I do."
"Okay, that's fine; you don't have to tell me." Darren whispers.
Sometime later after Chris had stopped crying, they got up from the floor when they could no longer ignore the stickiness in their underwear.
Taking a quick shower, Darren steps out of the bathroom to find Chris already lying down in bed with his back to him. Climbing in and pulling him close to his body, he begins to hum a random song until both of them fall asleep.
Venice
"Now, this is a place where I could live forever." Chris says when they arrive on Venice.
"Why's that?"
"Look at all this beauty."
Venice is much easier to enjoy, in that they don't rush to see everything the city has to offer. Instead, they simple act as a couple who have been there longer than the six days they are staying. Everywhere they go, whether it was a restaurant or museum or just walking around, Darren always has Chris' hand in his.
And just like in Naples and Rome, every night Darren is awakened a few hours after falling asleep to Chris climbing in bed with him. He knows it's stupid to spend extra money on a room with two beds when only one is ever used, but he wants to let Chris make the choice to sleep in the same bed with him, and not force it on him.
Still, every night, he holds him close when he gets under the covers with him. It's become so easy, that they get comfortable with one another and are back asleep instantly, Darren always falling asleep to the smell of green apples from Chris' bodywash.
The last night in Venice, they're walking around, admiring the beauty that is the city on water, trying to find a restaurant.
"Hey, this place looks like a great place to eat." Chris says as the stop in front of a small, out-of-the-way restaurant half filled with local patrons. "Wanna try it?"
"Yeah," Darren nods his head, feeling Chris tug him inside.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is very warm and welcoming; their waitress is a middle aged woman who doesn't speak a word of English. When Chris looks at him with wide eyes, Darren just chuckles and goes about talking to the
"You speak Italian?" Chris says surprised, an air of something to his voice as he talks.
"Yes." Darren replies, dipping a piece of bread in a small bowl of olive oil on the table. "I know enough of other languages to hold a steady conversation." he pops the piece of bread into his mouth and smiles at Chris as he chews.
"So, you have a talented tongue." Chris says, blushing at realizing what he said.
"A very talented tongue." Darren winks at him.
After eating dinner, Darren stands up and holds out his hand, Chris looks up at him not understanding. "Dance with me." he says.
"I don't think they'll want us-"
"You didn't understand what she told me." Darren says when Chris slips his hand in his, pulling him up and walking to the small dance floor. He pulls him close and rest a hand at Chris' lower back, feeling him wrap an arm around his neck. "She told me that we were the cutest couple she'd seen in a long time." Darren whispers into his ear, feeling Chris' lip turn up into a smile against his cheek. They begin to move to the music the four man band is playing, Darren holding Chris closer.
"How can you blame her for that statement." Chris replies, looking at Darren and smiling. "I'm very cute, if I do say so myself."
"No, Chris," Darren tells him, "you're very handsome."
Chris beams a radiant smile at him after saying that, leaning forward and kissing him in a simple press of lips.
After that, in the middle of a small restaurant in Venice, with Chris in his arms as they sway to the rhythm of the music the group is playing, Darren realizes he's in love with Chris.
Two hours later walking with their fingers linked together down a street with the sky a dark blue, and the moon barely starting to glow, Darren can't keep his eyes off Chris. It's as if he's seeing him differently than he has before. Now, he seems more beautiful with his slightly up-turned nose, freckles that are scattered across his face, lips that are curved up into a smile.
"Stop it." Chris tells him, shaking him of his thoughts and realizing he was caught staring at him.
"Stop what?"
"Stop looking at me like I'm the most beautiful thing you've ever seen." Chris mumbles.
"You are, though." Darren sees the look Chris throws him as if he's crazy. Stopping them, Chris turns to him and he brushes a few loose strands of hair back from his face. Saying in a voice breaking with nerves at admitting something this big, Darren tells him, "Chris, I-I love you."
When it came to love, Darren was never sure if he would find it; even if he did, he thought it would take longer to fall. He expected it take months before he fell in love with someone; but with Chris it only took five weeks. With the few other people he's dated, they were relationships that seemed to never go beyond a certain point, but now, he's let Chris in completely and it feels right. This was easier
After a few minutes of silence, he expected a few different things to happen, but what Chris says never even crossed his mind as a possibility.
"Would it be wrong in saying I wish you didn't?"
"What?" Darren asked confused, stepping back a few inches from Chris, and looking at him as if he just asked him to cure cancer. "Why?"
He stares as Chris wraps his arms around his stomach and tears begin to well in his eyes, watching as they roll down his cheeks.
"Because, in the end, I'm only going to cause you heartbreak, and I don't want that for you."
"You don't know that." Darren tries to tell him, but seeing Chris shake his head. "Besides, you don't know how things will end."
"Yes, I do, and in the end, you not loving me would have been easier."
Darren doesn't understand why Chris is telling him this; doesn't understand how him being in love with him will be bad.
"If you know how things turn out, then tell me...inform me how this ends badly?"
"I want to—trust me I want to tell you—but I can't; and it's better if you don't know." Chris brings up the palm of his hand covered by his cardigan and wipes away the tears that fall from his eyes.
"So, do you want to end th-"
"No!" Chris yells a little too loudly and too fast, causing people to turn to look at them.
"No," Darren repeats, his heart jumps in his chest at those two letters, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Why?"
"Because...I love you, too." Chris says smiling, and blushing at the confession. "And being the selfish person I am, I still want to be with you while I have you."
When Darren presses their mouths together, he tastes the saltiness of Chris' tears on his lips as he runs his tongue along his bottom lip.
"I'm going to prove you wrong. I'm making sure this never ends."
The only answer he gets from Chris is for him to kiss him again.
Later that night as he comes out of the bathroom after taking a shower, trying to think what it is Chris isn't telling him. All kinds of crazy thoughts went through his mind, but by the time he was drying off, he decided to put it out of his mind almost completely. Walking into the room, he finds Chris sitting in the middle of the bed with his knees up to his chest; he's covering his toes with his hands, chin resting on his knees, and a far off look on his face.
"Hey," Darren climbs into bed and sits behind him, kissing at the back of his neck, smelling green apples from his body wash on his skin. Pulling him so he ends up lying against his chest, he says into his ear, "What's going on in that head of yours?"
Chris tilts his head back and looks up at him, asking, "Does it scare you how quick it happened?"
"Yes and no." Darren responds, seeing the look of confusion in Chris' eyes after he says it. "Yes, because I've only known you five weeks, and I always thought it would take me months to fall in love with someone. But with you, it was so easy to just…fall. No, because how the hell didn't it happen sooner—though if I'm being totally honest, I think I started falling in love with you on that first day. You're an amazing person and falling in love with you is probably the most right thing I've ever done."
Chris turns around and kisses him, saying through the few tears rolling down his cheeks, "I love you."
"So, to Paris we go." Darren says as he sits on his suitcase and tries to zip it shut the next morning. "Are you excited?" he asks Chris after accomplishing to zip his bag all the way.
"Yes. It's the place I've been looking forward to the most." Chris says as he neatly folds his clothes and puts them away in his organized bag. "Then Spain will be fun."
"Ah, good old Spain. Can't wait to go there." Darren stands up and begins to attempt to fold some of Chris' clothes, but mainly tossing them in his suitcase without care. "We'll never make it there, or Paris, if you continue at this rate."
"Hey," Chris playfully argues, slapping his hands away when he reaches for more of his clothes. "I like to be clean and organized. There are few things I have control over in my life, how my suitcase looks is one of them." He finally shuts his bag and easily zips it closed. "See, no problems closing it."
"Whatever." Darren smiles right before kissing him, cupping the side of his face before parting his lips to let Chris slip his tongue inside his mouth. Arms slink around his neck and fingers thread through his curls as Chris massages their tongues together.
He seeks out Chris' mouth once again when he pulls away. "Why'd you do that?" he pouts, trying to kiss Chris again.
"Because," Chris says as he covers Darren's mouth with his hand, "if we continue we'll forget about everything else and just fall into bed."
Words are muffled against the palm of Chris' hand when Darren tries to respond.
"What?"
"I said," Darren clearly says when Chris drops his hand. "I see nothing wrong with that."
"Of course you don't." Chris replies, biting back a smile at the thought of doing that. "But, we have a plane to catch in a few hours."
"Fine…no funny business." Darren says as he puts the strap of one of his bags over his shoulder and grabs the handle of the other. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's go."