Darren twitched in his sleep. A deep, guttural moan passed his barely open lips and his eyelids flickered. A few beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead and his tshirt had ridden up his stomach exposing the skin there. He'd been having these dreams lately. Ever since movie night two weeks ago. It was always the same. He was sitting on the sofa with Chris watching Moulin Rouge. But as Chris turned to mock him for crying, he'd lean forward. Chris would put his hand on Darrens face, his thumb tracing the line of his lower lip. Darren would feign shock, but move in closer. And then they were kissing. Starting slow as if they were testing each others reactions. Then Darren would lick along Chris' mouth, asking for entry, and Chris would put his hand on the back of his head, threading his fingers through his hair as Darrens tongue explored his own...

Darrens alarm sounded, and he shot up in his bed...although some parts of his anatomy were quite clearly more awake than others...

"Shit...shit...shit" Darren cursed. His groin ached as he wiped the sweat from his face. He switched off the alarm and laid back down, eyes wide open, mind racing. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?! He'd known this guy for less than 2 months but felt like he'd known him forever. And they hadn't even kissed yet-on screen or off. As far as he knew, Chris wasn't even interested. Did Chris even know about his fluidity towards sexuality? Did Chris think he was straight?!

As Darren wondered how he was ever going to look Chris in the eyes again without ending up sweating, his hand ghosted down his stomach toward the top of his boxers. Taking himself into his hand, he remembered a saying he'd heard the other day."Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". Although he was pretty sure it didn't apply to relieving a morning hard on after fantasizing about his new friend and co worker, he was still going to use it to justify making himself late for work...

...

Darren pulled up to the set only 10 minutes late. Checking his phone, he found two missed calls and a message from Chris.

"Dude! Where the hell are you?!"

Now who was being impatient! Deciding against texting back, he jogged into the studio to find Chris and Ryan sitting talking. The both looked up and smiled as he walked in.

"Hey guys! I'm so sorry I'm a bit late, the traffic is just...well...crazy! I had to slay like three dragons just to get here in time. Or, alternatively, I overslept and I'm really sorry". Darren flashed his best "Please don't be mad at me" smile, and aimed it straight at Chris.

Ryan spoke before Chris had a chance to. "All good Darren. Come sit. We were just talking about you"

"You were?" Darren asked, sitting in the seat next to Chris. "What did I do?". He laughed, self consciously.

"No no, nothing bad Darren. We were just chatting saying that you guys seemed to be hitting it off, which is awesome. The fans are loving the idea of you guys hooking up on the show, and I think it's about time we get the ball rolling...so to speak. Kurt joining the Warblers was a great start-oh, and you both kicked butt in Soul Sister last ep. Darren-have you performed that song before?"

Darren blushed, and noticed Chris was too. Of course! He knew where Darren "performed" that song...

"Um, no. Not really I guess. It's kinda been my go to shower song recently. I'm quite a fan of belting it out while I wash my hair..."

"Well, you nailed it." Ryan said. "And Chris did too. But anyway. Where was I? Oh yeah. You guys will be singing a duet next week in the Christmas episode. I'd imagine you'd both know it-its called 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'. We're gonna start rehearsals today."

Chris' face lit up and he smiled at Darren. "Let me guess, I get the girls bit?"

Darren grinned back. "Does that mean I get to play the part of the guy leading you astray?"

"Ok guys, save it for the set". Ryan winked at them and chuckled. These guys were so good at getting into character and he could tell they'd clicked off set too. It just made the chemistry so much more real on screen.

Saying their goodbyes to Ryan, they headed down the corridor to begin rehearsing.

"So, you overslept, huh?" Chris asked, smirking.

Darren felt all the blood in his body rush to his cheeks.

"Well, yeah. Yeah, I did. It was a, uh, late night. It took all my, y'now, courage to get out of bed this morning". He emphasised the word courage, knowing damn well Chris wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about.

...

After hair, make up and costumes they were ready. The music started and Darren/Blaine gestured to Chris/Kurt to begin with the opening line.

"I really can't stay'

"But baby it's cold outside"

"I've got to go away"

"But baby it's cold outside"

"This evening has been "

"Been hoping that you'd drop in"

"So very nice"

"I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice"

As Darren said this lined, he ghosted his hand over Chris' and stared straight into his eyes, making him forget the next line.

"CUT!" Shouted Alfonso, the director of this episode. "From the top guys"

Take two, they got as far as "Mind if I move in closer...". Darren slid along the back of the sofa, and Chris burst into nervous giggles.

"Shit, I'm so sorry Al! Can we just take it from the last line? "

"Yeah, do that. We were good up until that last line. And...ACTION"

They made it through the rest of the take, although Chris' heart nearly exploded as Darren sang "Think of my life long sorrow" and pouted straight at him.

Wrapping up for the day, Darren and Chris headed toward the trailers, both still humming.

"That was fun huh!" Darren said. "You nailed your part...well, apart from the couple of times you forgot the words. I've never seen that happen to you before-you ok?"

Chris blushed, unable to control the fire spreading through his cheeks. "I dunno man, I just...it was...it was a pretty intense scene, yknow?"

"Yeah, I feel like the fans are gonna love this one. They really are wanting this to happen...I've kinda been looking online..."

"Me too" Chris admitted.

"And?"

"I think the fans know what they want and aren't afraid to ask for it" Chris laughed

Darren laughed too. A nervous laugh. A frustrated laugh. He just wished he was more like the fans and wasn't so damn afraid of asking for what he wanted.