#not to mention i am. hesistant. about whatever the fuck is in the box and how it’s gonna play into plot.

[rowan-guerrins]

hey how in the fuck are there two durins at once.

[crisspezmemories]

birthday call [crisspez]

wooo i wrote this in one go and there’s probably lots of errors but i like this one and this is planned to post whenever it actually takes place ;) 12 AM PST ;) you can speculate what happens at the end too hehehe have fun with that

it is currently 1:20 AM CST  so the fic will be posted in 40 minutes and i just hope you guys enjoy. formatting is always wonky on mobile and idk why??? i’ll post it on ao3 later 

Lauren always waited until the brink of the next day on March 7th.

One could expect it to be for her birthday- some sort of celebration, or the satisfaction of a new trip around the earth when the clock strikes 12.

 In truth, it was a phone call.

 Her phone screen never ceased to lighten with the same name the first second of March 8th for the past nine years; a sense of tradition and habit that had formed by itself.

 But it was different this time.

 Maybe it was too optimistic for her to wait for the call- too hopeful for her to expect that maybe things hadn’t changed like they did. Common sense suggested any other opposite outcome, yet a small tug at her heart told her to wait.

 Lauren clutches her phone as the digits change to 11:59, sitting hunched on her living room couch. She quickly glanced through the perimeters of the room, affirming no one else was there to catch her. She sat alone in the living room, having snuck out of the room where Joey still peacefully slept. She closes her eyes, breath hitched before she plans to do anything else.

 And then she opens them.

 It’s nearly a sigh of relief as Lauren sees the name appear on her phone screen, her heart pounding against her chest as she moves to press accept.

 “Happy birthday, Lauren”, she hears the voice say, still as honeyed and sweet as ever even through the static of the phone.

 “I- thanks,” she responds, still stunned at the call being made, “I didn’t know if you’d call..”

 “God, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” the voice mutters quietly, “Listen...I drove to your apartment last minute. I didn’t plan on it, but I just wanted to talk...if that’s okay?” the voice trails, notably hesistant in their tone.

 She takes in her surroundings as she contemplates her response, taking a deep breath and releasing it before she decides to respond.

 “Yeah,” she replies, “Just give me a few minutes.”

 Darren Criss’ voice is the first thing Lauren hears on her birthday.

 The tension only stiffens as Lauren opens the car door. Darren sat in the driver’s seat, glasses perched on his nose and the start of a stubble on his cheeks. His face showed signs of exhaust, a tired smile on his face as he took note of her.

 “Hey,” he greets, looking over at Lauren. “I’m sorry if it’s weird that I came, I just-“, he pauses, rubbing his eyes before looking back up, “It wouldn’t feel right if I called you and didn’t fix whatever’s happening between us”, he finishes.

 “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to-“, he quickly adds.

 "You’re fine”, she reassures, “You still mean a lot to me, no matter what we might be. I think it’s killing me to be the way we are”, she finally lets out.

 “Me too.” he sighs, leaning his head back. “Ever since the wedding, I’ve just had this huge fucking guilt.” he admits, the sorrow laced in his words, “Of all the things it could be about, it’s you. Call me a low-tier groom, but you’re honestly one of the only people I even care about”.

 “I wasn’t one to enjoy it either”, she retorts. “Seeing you getting married, I just…”, she looks him in the eyes, “Is it wrong to say I always thought it would be you and me?” she asks, the words falling out of her mouth faster than she could regret them.

 Darren freezes, processing the words and fiddling with the ring on his finger.

 “I always thought it would too.”

 The words become silence as they ponder on what was said. It takes moments before it breaks, Darren finally opening his mouth to speak.

 “I just want you to know that I always wanted it to be you. Hell, I still do. If things were different, if you wanted to try…” he confesses, tossing his wedding ring into the cupholder if his car, “It would be you.”

 “I actually bought you something to give in private”, he continues, pulling a small box out of his pocket. “I planned on this since we were in college, and I thought I’d use it to propose to you one day”.

 Darren places the box in Lauren’s hand, briefly intertwining their hands before pulling away.

 She reluctantly opens the capsule, revealing the ring she mentioned to him so long ago. “I’ll know if he’s the one if he can afford this ring!”, she recalls saying jokingly, Darren only responding with a sly smirk. The memory spills into her head as if it happened yesterday.

“God, Darren…” she whispers, feeling the tears start to form as she attempted to blink them back. It was the three-worded phrase that Lauren had to get off her chest. The words that have mounted on her back for the past ten years wondering if she’d ever say them to him again. She lets the tears roll off her cheek as she hears the words leave her lips.

 “I love you”.

 It only takes those three words for her voice to crack before Darren moves to engulf her in his arms.

 Lauren looks up in alignment to his face, and Darren can almost manage to call it an accident as he catches her in a kiss.

 “I love you, Lauren,” he mutters heavily, not a centimeter changed in their position.

 “I wouldn’t want to be in love with anyone else.”