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In 2009, Chris's life changed. He was only 18; it was going to change no matter what he did, but looking back he's not ashamed of the paths he took, both found and forged.
In 2022, his life changes again.
*
Chris writes more than act these days, so he travels sometimes. There are always reasons for Darren to visit Los Angeles, but Chris meets him more than halfway.
New York in January, to stretch the holiday season a little longer. Vancouver in March. A proper vacation in April, a weekend away. Chris endures the teasing when he sits on a plane for two hours just to spend one night with Darren.
He's not sure he's ever actually allowed himself to be this stupid in love before, and it feels like the smartest move he's ever made. He always saw love and commitment in terms of restriction before this. He saw it as a complication, another layer to his already overwhelming existence, something to be carefully navigated.
He wasn't entirely wrong, just narrow in his view. He hadn't counted on how having this in his life would leak brightness onto everything. He writes with a deeper confidence, takes projects he might not have considered before, and learns the benefit of having a partner to support him.
*
It's a strange dance around Darren's family, people who already know Chris but not as what he really was then and certainly not what he is now.
There's no mistaking what they are, though. Suitcases put in the same guest room, heads bent quietly talking in front of a fire in the late hours of the night. They've relearned togetherness to mean something that isn't instantly a negative, mapping out how to move in each other's spaces while in front of an audience, even a small familiar one.
*
Darren takes the summer off of filming. It's a small sacrifice of momentum but he's in the right place for it. His body wants a break from the hectic crush of the past year and his heart wants a break from being so far away from what it wants.
*
Chris asks Darren to move in.
He asks, even though Darren's things have been accumulating over a year of visits and vacations, because he's learned how important the practice of saying things out loud can be. He's assumed too many things about how Darren feels or doesn't feel over the years, and looking back he's not really sure the things he convinced himself were true were actually so.
So he asks Darren to move in and it's worth it for the slow, sweet smile Darren gives him.
They don't tell anyone at first. There's luxury in making something official but just between them, just for them, before the world gets to judge them for it.
*
"This is different from last time I came to one of these," Chris says, nimble fingers fixing Darren's bowtie.
Chris says it looks ridiculous. Darren says it matches the vibe he's going for, the light silver in his stubble and thick glasses. He embraces the process of aging instead of shying away from it. Chris actually thinks it's attractive, but he won't stroke Darren's ego quite so blatantly.
"Yeah." Darren turns to study himself in the mirror, eyes catching Chris's reflection. "Better this time, though."
An hour later they step out of the limo together to screams and flashes.
*
The wedding is impulsive, but it seems pointless to wait. The question is asked in October, the plans made in November, the ceremony quiet and joyful in December.
They both know where this is going. They're not blinded by anything. The motives aren't impure. Marriage isn't a bandaid for something they're trying to hold onto. It's not a solution to a problem they can't work around. It's a celebration and an acknowledgement of a promise that exists with or without a certificate to accompany it.
*
How they got here matters, but where they're going is the most important thing.
In 2022, their lives change together.