Sidekick tendencies
Angsty, angsty Darren for a change. Set right about 2008.
Sidekick Tendencies
"You are definitely leading man material, Darren. There's no way you're gonna fail on West End."
Darren shrugged as he spun his fedora on the tips of his two fingers. "I'm still quite inexperienced. Who knows, I may turn out to be a bad egg on stage."
Emil only laughed as he bent to retie his shoelaces. The frosted lamps hanging in the front room of the Edge cafe threw a soft glow over his green sweater, which did not do much to hide his lanky but well-toned form. "Everyone gets their day in the limelight. Just look at this role as gearing up for that moment."
"Yeah, I'm Sancho Panza, the comic relief."
"But the voice of reason."
Darren smirked as he donned his fedora, not caring if it mussed up his hair. He had to remember to do something about the strands that kept falling in his eyes. "That's always the way it is. I'm the outrageous one who can do slapstick or play second fiddle to the leader and do his bidding. I'm Sancho,I'm Horatio, I'm Puck, I'm Smee, I'm at best Dr. Watson."
The older man snorted. "You underestimate yourself, Darren." He clapped his friend on the back. "Don't beat yourself up about not getting the part of Don Quixote. Being a leading man can be a pain in the ass."
"You would know wouldn't you?" Darren quipped wryly.
"Again?" Emil asked, his eyebrows quirking up skeptically.
Darren only smiled. "You're the guy who gets the spotlight. You--star debater, up and coming blogger, the darling of the Economics department...is it any wonder you get all the attention?"
"Sometimes, and not always from the people who matter."
"The very crux of a hero's life," Darren said. He had seen how Emil had glanced over at the counter, where a certain raven-haired barista was starting up her shift. He also saw the slight darkness under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders and the straight line of his lips---the telltale marks of a man about to embark on a difficult mission. “Would you want that for yourself?” he wondered silently.
Yet how would it be to have people looking just to him for once? Darren only sighed before giving Emil a high-five and returning to reviewing his scripts.