As a White Knight on His Steed (CrissColfer)

"You're Driving Me Crazy"

Chapter 31 – “You’re driving me crazy”

Friday, August 8 – Saturday, August 9, 2008

When the six o’clock alarm rang on Friday morning, Chris took a moment to kiss the back of Darren’s neck before rolling over to switch it off.  Turning back to his boyfriend, Chris nuzzled into his curls.  “Time to wake up, sleepy head.”

“Mmm…  Good morning,” Darren said, snuggling back into Chris’s arms.

Chris gave his boyfriend a squeeze before dragging himself out of bed.  As Darren moved to follow him, Chris saw him wince slightly.  Memories of their previous night came flooding back, and he was instantly concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Just a little twinge.”

“I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Baby, I’m fine.  You didn’t hurt me.  Now come on, let’s get moving.  I don’t want you blaming me if we’re late for work.”

Soon the boys were walking along the path to the corral.  Chris noticed that Darren was moving a little more stiffly than usual.  “Honey, are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, worry evident in his voice.

“Yeah, just a little sore.”

“Oh my god, Dare, I’m so sorry.  I knew I hurt you last night.”

“Chris, stop worrying.  I’m sure it’s totally normal to be a little sore the next day.”

Chris was not reassured, but they had reached the corral, and he didn’t want to continue their conversation in front of Robert, Zach, Matthew, and Harry.  He tried to return his friends’ greetings with his customary cheerfulness, but inside he was filled with remorse.  Darren was in pain, and it was all his fault.

Since it was Friday, the other four headed out for the round up, and he and Darren stayed behind to distribute the hay.  Once their friends were out of earshot, Chris turned to Darren.  “I’m so, so sorry.  I never should have tried three fingers.  I could feel how tight you were, and I should have known I was going to hurt you.  Do you want to go back to bed?  I can take care of feeding the horses by myself if you need to go lie down.”

“Don’t be silly.  There’s nothing wrong with me.  And if you try to deal with these hay bales on your own, then one of us really will be hurt.  Come on, stop fussing over me.”

Chris tried to push his anxiety aside, but every time he glanced at Darren he could see that his boyfriend was moving a little gingerly.  With each passing minute, he felt the guilt swelling inside him.  

When he saw his boyfriend grimace slightly as he bent down, Chris started to say, “I’m sorr-” but Darren cut him off before the words were halfway out of his mouth.