Who Really Knows, Anyway--A CrissColfer Fanfiction

Chapter 21

Today was the day. The filming of the Ellen DeGeneres show was set to start at noon, and Darren's call was at 9.

"You nervous?" Chris asked from the driver's seat as the car stopped at a red light.

"Very," Darren replied. Chris reached for his hand. He didn't have to say anything, just holding hands made Darren calm down.

"Darren! Nice to see you again!" said Ellen DeGeneres as Chris and Darren walked onto the set, "You too, Chris. How have you guys been?"

Darren surprised Chris by smiling confidently. "Fantastic."

A few hours later, the show had begun. Darren waited anxiously, sitting just offstage waiting for his cue.

Chris wrapped his arms around Darren from behind.

"You're going to do great," he whispered, sticking his neck out to plant a small kiss on Darren's lips.

"A very special guest, Mr. Darren Criss!" was heard from onstage. Darren hopped up and strode onto the stage, waving and smiling wide.

Ellen asked a few routine questions; his work on Glee, his music, his theater company. Darren even talked a little about volunteering in children's hospital, trying to sound modest (but not too modest that he seemed fake.)

"So, I know we've all been wondering," Ellen started, and Darren prepared himself. Here goes nothing.

"You've been dating Chris Colfer, haven't you?" she continued, and Darren nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "I hate to ask, but last time you were here, you said that you were straight. Do you have any comments on this, or...?"

Darren froze for a second. Then he looked past Ellen, to where Chris was standing offstage. He was smiling broadly at Darren,  giving him a little wink.

"Yes, I did say I was straight. I don't think I was lying, I'm not quite sure if I'm gay. I like girls, I like guys, I love Chris..." this produced a collective 'awwww' from the crowd, and Ellen herself. Darren continued.

"I don't know, maybe I'm bisexual. But who really knows, anyway?"

"Who really knows, anyway," Ellen repeated, her gaze going far off into the distance for a moment. Then, suddenly, it zoomed back in. "Well, Darren, it's been wonderful having you here again!"

The crowd erupted into applause, the kind of applause that claps and cheers and woops and screams love. Darren and

Ellen hugged, and then Darren strode off the stage.

"Great job," Chris whispered as Darren walked into his arms.

"I love you," Darren said as he gave Chris a quick kiss.

"I love you back," Chris replied, a little giggle escaping his lips.

                                              ********

After the episode aired, Darren received an email from Ellen.

From: Ellen DeGeneres

To: Darren Criss

Hey, Darren. It was great to have you on the show again. You did a wonderful job.

I just wanted to let you know that what you said, "Who really knows, anyway," touched my heart. It hit me how true it is; not just about sexuality, but about life in general. Who really knows anything? I apologize if I'm blowing your quote out of proportion, but it's just so accurate and relevant.

I don't know if you've been checking Twitter lately, but since your episode of my show aired, the number one trending topic has been #WhoReallyKnowsAnyway. I have read a number of inspiring tweets from people all over the world, commenting about sexual orientation, the fight for marriage equality, and just about every other relating topic.

Best of luck to you (and Chris!),

--Ellen DeGeneres

Darren read it through. Then he read it again. By the third time, he was crying. Then, Chris came out of the bathroom.

"Hey, what's-" he began, but Darren turned his laptop screen to face him and motioned for him to come sit on the bed.

Chris scanned the email, then went back and read it more carefully.

"Oh, Dare," he choked, his pride in his boyfriend bringing tears to his eyes.

"Yeah," Darren murmured, understanding exactly, "Yeah."