Fic: I Love it Here
“Morning, Sunshine.”
Chris looked up from his phone to find Darren sitting on his trailer steps.
“What on earth?”
“Breakfast. To make up for eating all your dinner last night.” Darren held up a coffee and a styrofoam box. “Egg white omelet. Your favorite.”
“You’re my favorite.”
Darren beamed. “Thanks.”
“I’m impressed,” Chris said, reaching for the coffee. “Not only are you here early, but you managed errands first.”
“I am a man of many talents, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Come in?” Chris tilted his head in the direction of his trailer. “We can eat, then you can walk me to hair and makeup.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He moved so Chris could unlock the door. “So, you ready for today?” Their first scene involved Kurt crying through nearly all of it.
“Ugh. I never feel ready.”
“Want to run it through once? Just us. Without the tears.”
“Ok,” Chris shrugged. “As long as you don’t mind me chewing.” He rummaged in his bag for the script. “Don’t mind me. Go ahead and start. I know you know it.”
Darren nodded. “I do. Every painful word.” He reached for his coffee and took a long swallow before diving in.
They breezed through it quick enough, an eight-minute scene reduced to two and a half, thanks to the absence of emotions. They’d simply acknowledged the necessary pauses with dismissive waves of their hands.
“It’s not so bad, when you take out the sobbing.”
“Still awful, though. God, I cringe every time I see Brad’s name on a script. He may as well title every episode ‘And Then Kurt Cries’,” Chris said, rolling his eyes.
“Pretty much. They really run you through the wringer, don’t they?”
“Feels that way sometimes. Though they make up for it by letting me say ridiculous, bitchy things and sing fabulous songs. So it evens out, I guess.”
“Still, dude. I don’t know how you do it, take after take. And then you breeze out of there like nothing. All I have to do is watch you act and I feel like I should be on suicide watch for seventy-two hours afterward.”
“Meh. It’s just what I do. I try not to think of it as anything more than a job. And I learned a long time ago never to connect the real me to the on-screen emotion. That’s when it gets ugly. Even still, it’s draining.”
“Yeah. Me, on the other hand. I can’t figure out how to disconnect the two.” He shrugged. “S’why I tend to get so carried away sometimes.”
“So…?” Chris looked at him knowingly.
“Except that. That was all Blaine. Horny little teenaged bastard.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He glanced up at the clock. “Crap. We gotta go. Bring the food, I’m still hungry.”
“You got it.” He gathered their things and they headed for the door.
***
Their morning passed with merciful smoothness. The director had been specific and focused, and they had nailed their lines with each take. Still, each was grateful when a wrap was called and they were sent off to lunch.
Chris had disappeared quickly, as he tended to do after emotionally demanding scenes, so Darren wandered over to the craft services line alone. He filled his to-go box with more than was strictly necessary, knowing full well it would serve as his dinner too.
He found an empty classroom on set and dropped to sit cross-legged on the floor. It was quiet there, far away from the energy of the crew and the chaos of his trailer. He ate in silence, mentally reviewing the afternoon’s scene. They were shooting a song, a riotous number. His morning had been filled with tears and hurtful words and his afternoon would be filled with pivot turns and soaring harmonies.
“My life is fucking bizarre,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“No kidding.” He startled at the sound of Chris’s voice.
“Where’d you come from?” He looked up at Chris, arms crossed, leaning against the doorjamb.
“Miss Pillsbury’s office. It’s my happy place. You should see some of the prop pamphlets in there. Pure genius.”
“Yeah?” He patted the ground next to him and Chris crossed the room to sit.
“Oh, my word, how Jayma doesn’t laugh through every scene I’ll never know. And now she writes new ones and hides them for me, since I told her that I help myself to her office occasionally.”
“That sounds fun.”
“They’re awesome. I totally snorted Diet Coke through my nose once. That was not awesome, though Jayma was especially proud of herself when I told her about it.”
“Nice. I’ll have to duck in some time and check them out. Hey, you ok?” he asked, as Chris let out a long sigh.
“Me? Yeah. I’m fine. Just… this morning was intense.”
Darren reached to place a hand on Chris’s arm. “Yeah. I’m really sorry. And the Blaine who permanently lives in my head says he’s sorry too.”
“One of you has nothing to be sorry about. And the other one,” Chris quirked an eyebrow, “well, the other one deserves a timeout.”
“Unsportsmanlike behavior.”
“Is that an actual thing?”
“UnWarblerlike behavior. How about that?” Darren grinned over at him and Chris nodded in approval.
“Pavarotti would certainly be appalled.”
“He would. You were amazing, by the way. Earlier. Broke my heart a little.”
“I wondered why you were sitting in here all alone. It’s not exactly your milieu.”
“Guess I needed a minute. Plus, I knew you were around here somewhere. Figured I’d stay close,” he shrugged. “Emotional support, or whatever.”
“Well, thanks. For the whatever.” Chris checked his watch, then startled when his stomach growled loudly. “Think there’s still food?”
“There’s always food. One of the many reasons I love it here.” He shoved another forkful into his mouth and winked at Chris. “Look,” he said, mouth full, “veggies!”
“I’m so proud. Though your table manners could use some work. Neanderthal.”
“I’m sitting on the floor,” he chewed. “No manners required.”
“Have I ever mentioned that you’re a lunatic?”
“Once or twice.” Darren grinned over at him, and Chris shoved at his shoulder playfully.
“Third time’s a charm, then. Lunatic.” Chris’s stomach growled again, and he stood and edged toward the door.
“Whatever. You love me.” Darren eyed him as he crossed the room.
“Against my better judgment.”
Darren clutched at his heart. “Your words, man. They hurt.”
Chris rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stifle the grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. He paused in the doorway. “So I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah. I’ll be around.”
Chris smiled. “You’re always around.”
“Seems that way, doesn’t it?”
Chris nodded. “One of the many reasons I love it here.”