"Welcome back to Hollywood Game Night!" Jane Lynch said, staring directly into the camera. "Here's where we are. After four games, the score is Team Kay: 20 and Team Darren: 20."

Darren let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, relieved that he hadn't led his team to total disaster, at least thus far. Chris turned to him, holding up his hand for a high five, and Darren happily obliged, thrilled to have any excuse to touch him.

"Don't get too comfortable, because we have one last game tonight that might turn everything upside down and we call it I Love a Charade," Jane announced, gesturing to the screen behind her with the game's name written on it. "So Team Kay, I will give you a category and then I will give one of you a title that fits in that category. Without using words or sounds, you need to get your team member to identify the title I show you. When one of your teammates guesses right, you sit down and they take over as the performer. You'll earn five points for each correct answer in this round, so now is the chance to jack up your score.

Darren watched nervously as the other team played the first round of charades, moving quickly through their category, Sports Movies, managing to get an impressive seven correct answers in ninety seconds. They were going to tough to beat, but Darren wasn't going down without a fight.

"Alright, Team Darren, it's your turn. You need eight correct answers to win and continue on to the bonus round. Who do choose for your first performer?" Jane asked.

"Uhh Rosie," Darren threw out, still too nervous to come up with any real strategy. It was impossible to think clearly when he was tucked between Chris Colfer and Penny Marshall on a couch with no fewer than four different cameras trained on him, recording his flop-sweat in multiple angles on live television. He kept trying to block that little piece of information from his mind, but every time he started to relax, Jane Lynch would announce it all over again as if in capital letters: LIVE TELEVISION. It was no small miracle that Darren hadn't peed himself yet.

"Okay Rosie, come on up. Let's put ninety seconds on the clock. The titles on this list are all animated movies."

Darren bounced up and down in his seat a little, feeling relieved. Animated movies? That was a category practically tailor made for him. And he felt a little creepy admitting how he knew it but he knew Chris should be aces at animated movies too. He had a feeling that animated movies would mean Disney movies which were based on fairytales and Chris was possibly the only person he knew that was obsessed with fairytales as him, if his book The Land of Stories was anything to go by. Darren had read his book cover to cover, more times than he cared to admit. He might have a teeny tiny crush on Chris, if he was being completely honest with himself. Still, he was trying to play it cool, even though Chris was sitting mere inches away from him, smelling good enough to eat and wearing a slim fit short sleeved shirt that showed off the biceps of a Greek god. But that was no big deal, right? Darren was handlingit.

"Here is your first clue," Jane said, showing a card to Rosie. Darren leaned forward, watching as Rosie pointed to her nose. "Pinocchio!" Darren shouted.

"Correct - come on up," Jane gestured to Darren, who bounded to his feet, praying he wouldn't get a title that would prove impossible or force him to look idiotic while acting it out. Jane showed him his card and he internally cheered, since he'd given the easiest possible one. He looked directly at Chris, pointed to the ceiling.

"Up!" Chris spat out immediately. Darren grinned, accepting a high five as Chris jogged towards him to take his spot.

"Oh crap," Chris moaned when Jane showed him his title, clapping a hand over his mouth as Jane reminded him that he couldn't use any words. He stared at Darren, Rosie, and Penny for a second, the pointed to his foot.

"Shoe – The Old Woman and the Shoe?" Rosie guessed.

"Happy Feet?" Penny tried.

Chris shook his head, frustrated, before sliding off his shoe and miming running away. "Oh Cinderella!" Darren recognized.

"Yes!" Chris did an adorable little victory hop that made Darren fall just a tiny bit more in love with him.

"Okay Darren, you're up again," Jane prompted. He looked at the card, panic swelling when he realized this one would be a little more difficult. Deciding that dignity was overrated, especially when there was money on the line, he immediately dropped to all fours, opening his mouth wide in what he hoped looked like a terrifying roar (and not demonic possession as he feared it might).

"Dog? Puppy Kittens?" came the guesses from his team.

Darren shook his head, holding his hands up like claws, trying to look vaguely menacing.

"Lion?" Chris guessed.

Darren feverishly nodded yes, pointing to the top of his head and trying to draw a crown shape.

"The Lion King!" Penny Marshall guessed. Darren leapt to his feet gratefully, taking a seat beside Chris as Penny struggled to her feet, complaining about how she couldn't move like the "young things" on her team.

She took one glance at the card and quickly mimed driving.

"Cars!" Chris answered immediately, bounding up to Jane. Chris looked at the title. He made his hands into a makeshift pillow and laid his cheek against it, before dropping.

"Sleeping Beauty," Darren called out before Chris hit the ground.

Darren switched places with Chris again, barely suppressing a chuckle as he saw the title of his second favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. The first thing that popped into his head was her seashell bra, so Darren immediately clutched his hands to his chest, one over each nipple.

"The Little Mermaid," Chris answered so quickly that it stunned Darren. He wasn't sure how to explain his vulcan mind meld with Chris and he could see the other team whispering to one another (about his charades prowess, he presumed) as he walked back to the couch.

Chris was flailing about, trying desperately to get something across that clearly had Penny and Rosie stumped. He mimed kicking a ball, then what looked like hopscotch, before doing some sort of elaborate clapping game with his hands.

"Recess?" Rosie guessed. "Uhh playground? Kids?"

"Toy Story!" Darren finally connected.

"Yes!" Chris shouted victoriously, just as Jane announced. "And...time! That's eight."

The entire team leapt off the couch, with Darren first to his feet. He impulsively threw his arms around Chris, with Rosie and Penny joining him seconds later for an impromptu group hug.

"Congratulations, Darren – you're going to the bonus round!" The crowd cheered. "But of course," Jane gestured to the other team, "that means it's the end of the road for Team Kay."

Darren tried to catch his breath while Jane told Kay about her consolation prize, thanking her for being such a good sport. "You two make a good team," Darren heard Rosie whisper to Chris, motioning towards him. How was this his life right now? Darren couldn't believe things were going so well for him.

"Well now, Darren," Jane called, startling him. "Come here, mister," she beckoned. Darren slid into placing, grinning wolfishly as Chris cheered for him.

"Congratulations, you now get the chance to win twenty-five thousand dollars!" Jane announced, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're going to be playing Celebrity Name Game where you'll be asked to name celebrities based on clues given to you by one of our esteemed celebrities here tonight. But before you choose a celebrity to help you out in the final round, tell me – what will you do with the money if you win twenty-five grand tonight?"

"Uhh, that's a great question," Darren stalled, trying to come up with an answer that would sound charming or noble or whatever else might somehow magically convince Chris Colfer to make out with him (hey, a guy could dream, right?).

Jane smiled back at him patiently. "Let me guess – a new car?"

Darren laughed nervously. No brilliant answers were forthcoming, so he finally decided honesty was his only play. "No, not a new car. If I win, I'd invest the money in our digital production company." He mentally congratulated himself on "digital production company" which sounded way classier than the unvarnished truth which was "YouTube videos I make with my friends about Harry Potter and elaborate dick jokes."

"Oh, that seems a very sensible plan. What's the name of your company?" Jane asked.

"We're called Team Starkid," Darren answered, smiling as he heard Joey, Lauren, and Julia let out whoops in the audience. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chris clap a hand over his mouth, eyes widening in recognition. That was strange.

"Amazing! Well, when we come back, Darren will announce which celebrity he's choosing to help him in his bid to win twenty-five thousand dollars! Stick around, we'll be back with more good times on Hollywood Game Night!" Jane threw it to commercial, dancing as the theme music began to play. The other celebrities jumped off the couches and joined them, dancing along with varying degrees of dexterity.

The music stopped and hair and makeup people descended to touch everyone up during the commercial break. Darren was surprised by someone tapping his shoulder. He whirled to see Chris peering at him with a triumphant grin.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" Chris cheered. "You're Harry Freaking Potter, aren't you? From A Very Potter Musical?"

Darren's mouth hung open in shock, his pulse pounding in his ears. Chris Colfer knew what AVPM was? Chris had watched him on YouTube? "I...yeah?" he managed, mind still reeling. "You've seen our musical?"

"Of course I have," Chris said enthusiastically. "I've seen the sequel too. Are you guys still going to a third one? What else are you working on?"

Darren's brain was still stubbornly stuck on the part where Chris Colfer had actually seen something he was involved in. He wondered idly if he should pinch himself, since he was clearly having a very good dream, although one that he had no desire to wake up from. "I'm sorry...but you have actually seen our silly little show? Are you punking me? Or do they like write down a bio on each contestant for you guys to look at backstage so you can pretend to be knowledgeable about us?"

"You don't believe me?" Chris scoffed with mock horror. "You think I'm making it up?"

"Yeah, honestly I do," Darren gaped, still incredulous.

"How dare you? I'm your teammate," Chris scolded teasingly.

"Sorry, man, just being honest. You'll have to prove it to me." Before Darren could say more, the red light started flashing, signaling that they'd be back from commercial in 10 seconds. Jane walked over to Darren, maneuvering them back into place in front of the cameras. But as Darren was pulled away, Chris whispered "this isn't over" in his ear. It honestly took every last bit of willpower Darren possessed to keep from melting into a puddle of sexual frustration on the floor right then and there.

"And welcome back to Hollywood Game Night! Don't forget that you can play along at home as well, just go to our website at . Now Darren, before the break, you and I were talking about choosing someone who has a handle on pop culture to help you play Celebrity Name Game for a chance to win twenty five thousand dollars. It can be any celebrity here tonight: Chris, Kaley, Taryn, Donald, Rosie, or Penny. Darren, have you made your decision? "

"I have," Darren beamed, watching as Penny and Rosie both pointed to Chris, as if Darren had ever considered choosing anyone else.

"Audience, who do you think he should choose?" Jane asked, smiling as the members cheered out various names, although Chris' name clearly rose above the rest.

"Okay Darren, who's going to be helping you play tonight?"

"I choose..." Darren said slowly, enjoying drawing out the suspense. "The amazing Chris Colfer, naturally."

Chris bounded to his feet with a cocky smirk.. "Well of course you do – that's who I would choose," Jane said, wrapping an arm around Chris' shoulder. "That's my boy. Now Chris, if you don't screw this up royally Darren has a chance at twenty-five thousand dollars..." Chris winced comically, bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking anxious about how he'd fare. On Jane's other side, Darren clapped his hands together, seeing through Chris' false modesty. The fates had been on his side so far tonight and Darren was pretty confident that he and Chris were on the same wavelength. He just hoped it would be enough to win him the big prize.

"...and you can earn an additional ten thousand dollars for the charity of your choice," Jane added. "What is that charity?"

"It's the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America," Chris replied, nodding soberly while the audience clapped for him.

"What a wonderful foundation! Okay guys, here's how the game works: Chris, you are giving the clues. We'll show the name of a famous living person. You need to get Darren to say that person's name and you'll need to get ten correct answers in ninety seconds to win the twenty five thousand dollars. Now, you can pass on a name, but it'll eventually come back to haunt you. Are you ready?" Jane asked.

Darren nodded, perching on a stool as directed.

"Take your spot, Mister Christopher," Jane prompted, pointing to the couch. Chris jogged over to the couch, murmuring okays. He clutched his chest dramatically as he sat down, appearing genuinely terrified that we would fail Darren. It was incredibly endearing that he was taking it so seriously. More seriously than even he was, Darren realized. Still he felt safe, very assured that he was in good hands with Chris at the helm.

"Okay, let's put ninety seconds on the clock."

"Oh my god I'm so nervous," Chris squeaked.

"It's okay, we've totally got this," Darren soothed. The crowd chuckled at that.

"It's usually the celebrity that plays it cool," Jane deadpanned, drawing more laughter from the audience. "Buck up, Chris," she teased and Chris finally cracked a smile.

"Okay your ninety seconds begins right now!"

Darren honed in on Chris as he stuttered out his first clue. "Uhh uhh, Silence of the Lambs."

"Anthony Hopkins." Darren heard a dinging sound and knew they were off to a great start.

"She has her own talk show – she's in Chicago," Chris hinted.

"Oprah?"

"No no, she's royalty."

"Queen Latifah." Bingo - another ding, another correct answer.

"He was in Knocked-"

"Seth Rogen," Darren interrupted, before Chris could even finish the movie title. They were on fire.

"Ooh okay, first Captain Kirk in Star Trek," Chris said, starting to sound more confident.

"William Shatner, duh."

Chris laughed, despite himself, looking up to the screen as it displayed the next clue. "Forrest Gump, Castaw-"

"Tom Hanks," Darren spit out. They were halfway there and it felt like they were moving pretty quickly. Butterflies started fluttering in his stomach as it slowly dawned on Darren that he might actually walk out of the studio with twenty five grand.

"Uhh he was on 30 Rock."

"Alec Baldwin?"

Chris shook his head. "He talk like this," he said, adopting an accent in a ridiculous impression of Tracy's character.

Darren felt hysterical laughter bubble up. "Tracey Jordan – wait crap, Tracy Morgan, I mean!"

"Good okay, one of the Charlie's angels – badass one," Chris said.

"Lucy Liu."

"Scary books."

"Stephen King?" Darren felt his heart leap as he heard the ding. Two more, they only needed two more correct answers.

"A wrestler..." Chris began.

Ahh crap, Darren thought. They were doomed after all.

"Big guy, wore yellow spandex, long blonde hair," Chris summarized succinctly.

"Uhh Hulk Hogan?" Darren took a stab in the dark, naming one of the few wrestlers he vaguely remembered from his childhood.

"Yes!" Chris cheered, followed by Jane letting them know they only had one more clue left to go.

"In 'The Hangover' – the hot one," Chris blurted out.

"Bradley Cooper?" Darren guessed, praying that he and Chris had the same taste in men.

"We did it!" Chris screamed, jumping off the couch and bounding over to Darren excitedly.

"Wow! Ten in a row correct with a solid twenty seconds to spare – I think you guys might have just set a new Hollywood Game Night record," Jane enthused, patting Darren on the shoulder.

"We won?" Darren gasped, mind reeling. "I get twenty five grand?"

"Congratulations, Darren, you've earned it. With the help of your teammate Chris Colfer, that is."

"Oh my god, I love you," Darren yelled, enveloping Chris in a bear hug, only dimly aware of confetti falling. He continued to keep his an arm slung around Chris as Jane thanked all the guests one last time and wrapped up the show, thinking there was nowhere on earth he'd rather be at the moment.


"Congrats!" Chris said, coming back over to Darren once the lights went down and the cameras were off.

"Thanks, man!" Darren replied giddily. "That was some excellent clue-giving."

Chris snorted self-deprecatingly. "I don't know about that. I think it was mainly your excellent guessing that won this thing,"

"How about I just say that we were both in the zone, okay? But I couldn't have done it without you, truly." Darren smiled at Chris, feeling incredibly grateful for the experience they'd just shared. "Seriously, how can I ever repay you?"

"I mean...you did just come into a lot of money. You could at least offer to split the prize money with me, since my prize money is going to charity," Chris said impassively.

"Uhh, I..." Darren managed, vaguely horrified and trying to suss out whether or not ponying up half the cash was proper etiquette in this case, even though his teammate was a celebrity who presumably made much more money than that in one week on set.

"Oh my GOD, I'm kidding," Chris burst out. "Your face was hysterical though," he chuckled.

"You got me, Colfer," Darren got out between peals of laughter. "Well played."

Chris shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his hair casually in a way that Darren found incredibly alluring. "You can at least let me express my gratitude to you by taking you to dinner?" Darren blurted out. He wasn't sure where he found the courage to extend the invitation, aside from the fact that it wasn't exactly something he'd thought through before doing.

"Hmm," Chris deliberated, looking Darren over as if he could read his intentions on his face.

"Just a friendly meal with a teammate," Darren reassured. "I don't have anything nefarious up my sleeve, I promise. And dinner's on me, in case that wasn't already obvious."

"Yeah okay, why not..." Chris finally agreed. "Do you have a place in mind? I'll just follow you in my car."

"I'm open to suggestions..." And Darren knew he was pushing his luck, but he still extended his arm to Chris, saying "Lead the way, good sir."

Thankfully, Chris was nothing if not a good sport and he hooked his arm through Darren's after only a second's hesitation, leading them through the maze-like studio hallways and out into the parking lot.


"So how is tonight living up to the fantasy you had in your head?" Chris asked Darren over a glass of wine an hour and a half later.

"It's better than I imagined, if such a thing is possible," Darren answered honestly.

Chris just rolled his eyes, looking skeptical.

"What you don't believe me? Do I need to prove what a fanboy I am of yours? Because I'm dead serious, Christopher Paul Colfer," Darren gasped.

"Okay, that's just creepy," Chris chuckled. "How do you know my middle name?"

"Let's just say I have my sources." Darren laughed maniacally, rubbing his hands together.

"Ooh, I'm scared now," Chris mocked.

Darren took a sip of wine. "Okay your turn, hotshot."

"My turn...to what?" Chris frowned.

"Your turn to answer the question. How does tonight compare to your fantasy of dining with the one and only Harry Freaking Potter?"

"Oh god..."

"I'm not kidding – I want you to start at the beginning and leave nothing out. What did you always dream I would do? Did your fantasy include me singing 'Not Alone' or 'Granger Danger'?" Darren deadpanned.

"No songs, but I did dream you'd call me super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot..." Chris bantered back.

"Ohh, touche!" Darren laughed, clapping his hands together. "Well played, sir." Chris crinkled his nose adorably in response. Darren felt his whole body flush warm with pleasure, marveling at how well the night was going. If Chris were a mere civilian Darren had met on , he'd be 90% sure he was getting laid by this point in the date. He'd rarely found a person he felt so at ease with and as far as he was concerned, their chemistry was undeniable. So of course he'd found a connection with a celebrity like Chris Colfer who was so incredibly out of his league that it was laughable. That was just Darren's luck.

Chris tilted his head, peering at Darren strangely. "You got serious on me all of the sudden. What are you thinking about?"

Darren wasn't sure if it was the two glasses of wine he'd already consumed, the adrenaline of having just been on television and winning twenty-five grand, or just his usual talent for putting his foot in his mouth, but he found himself blurting out the truth. "I was just thinking about how much I want to kiss you and whether or not there's any chance you might let me."

Chris' jaw dropped and he blushed beet red.

"Shit, sorry," Darren said, clapping a hand over his mouth. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You...did," Chris replied evenly. "But no, chances aren't good that I'll let you kiss me."

Darren's shoulders sagged in defeat, but before he could exhale a sigh, Chris spoke again. "However, I might kiss you at the end of the night, if you play your cards right."

"Really?" Darren's eyes went wide as saucers. He picked up his half full glass of wine, downing the rest of it in one long gulp. He set the empty glass on the table triumphantly. "Well I'm all done now. How about we head out?"

Chris laughed long and hard. "Hey, what's the rush?" he teased. "The night's young. We haven't even had any dessert yet."

"I'm pretty sure I've still got half a cheesecake and some strawberries in my fridge at home," Darren offered, eyes sparkling.

Chris didn't respond, instead holding up a hand and signaling to the waiter. "We'd like the check please."

Darren could scarcely believe it - he wasn't sure if it was fate, years of good karma being paid off all at once, or just a really elaborate fantasy but he wasn't about to question his good fortune. If it was a dream, he just hoped his alarm wouldn't go off soon because he'd hate to miss the best part.


I've already gotten a few prompts for other stories in this universe, so there will be more at some point, I assume. This story is complete so any fics I write will deal with Darren and Chris' relationship a bit down the road. If you have an idea you want to prompt, you can either send me a private message here or send me an ask on Tumblr (my username is lovetheblazer). If you enjoyed it, it would be lovely if you'd take a moment to leave review.