Chapter Text
“So, you were able to dive into Lestat’s thoughts?” Armand asks as he steps further inside, slipping off his shoes and leaving them by the door.
“Yeah,” Daniel affirms, moving closer to the other to give him a quick kiss in greeting. “It was kind of crazy, honestly — atmospheric.” Armand leans back to give him an amused look.
“Only you would peruse that man’s memories and consider the experience ‘atmospheric,’” he teases, giving him another quick kiss before moving to the bed.
Daniel could go into specifics, tell him about the moment he saw Claudia, but he won’t. That’s something for Lestat and Louis only — even Daniel was an interloper there. He could also try to talk to Armand about everything that’s, apparently, been weighing on him recently, but he doesn’t feel like doing that either.
All he wants to do at the moment is sit with Armand as he does whatever the hell he wants, so he does just that. Collapsing on the bed next to him, Daniel leans his head on the other’s chest as Armand stares down at him, hand already combing through his hair.
Screw Louis, he has no idea what he’s talking about. Armand doesn’t need honesty from him right now, he needs support. The truth can wait until after the four of them emerge from their insane plan unscathed.
He stalwartly ignores the voice in his head reminding him that his instincts are pretty awful when it comes to maintaining relationships. It sounds suspiciously like his ex-wife, which makes it all the easier to disregard.
They spend the following nights hunting, mainly. The megachurch is ready to go, and there isn’t much else to do besides have Daniel continue to work on his gift. They don’t know with complete certainty that Salvatore will arrive the night he told Armand, so they’re on higher alert with each passing hour.
Lestat has been acting weird as fuck, which Daniel does not appreciate. He can barely even look in Daniel’s direction, which makes checking in with Louis awkward as hell. Louis assures him he just needs time to process what he remembered the other night; Daniel’s just hoping he’ll be right in the head enough to kill Salvatore when the moment comes.
Louis, meanwhile, can obviously tell that he hasn’t breathed a word of anything he told him to Armand, and is judging him for it. Daniel refuses to acknowledge the elephant in the room, because, really, Louis can deal with his own tumultuous relationship before he criticizes how Daniel handles his. Stones in glass houses and all that.
The night before they enact The Plan (capital T and capital P in Daniel’s head) is the night Daniel chooses to stir things up… because of course it is. Laying down in their bedding nest in the closet, Daniel sits upright; Armand is sitting across from him, fussing with his iPad.
“... Do you ever regret turning me?” Daniel asks, because one of his many addictions is ruining good things in his life. Armand’s hand freezes over the tablet screen before he slowly sets it down next to him. He stares at Daniel curiously.
“What brought this on?” Armand evades, folding his hands in his lap.
Daniel shrugs, trying to give an air of casualness. “Just seems to me like you tied yourself to an anchor,” he responds.
Armand’s eyes narrow. “Whoever gave you the impression you could ever be anything but a boon is a fool,” he says in a clipped tone.
Scoffing, Daniel leans forward. “It’s just a question.”
“A ridiculous one,” Armand answers, still staring at him suspiciously.
“No, it isn’t,” Daniel insists. The silence is magnified by the dark quiet of the closet. “You’ve been trapped in a dingy hotel room for weeks because I am actively being hunted by basically every vampire that currently exists. You’ve strapped yourself to a guy with a target on his back for all of eternity, or however long it takes for one of them to get lucky and kill me, whichever comes first.”
Suddenly, Armand stands up, moving to the closet door. “I have no interest in entertaining your pity party, Daniel,” he tells him as he turns the handle, letting the light of the room spill in. “You know very well that the desires of other vampires hold no weight for me.”
Daniel stands to follow him into the bedroom. “Sure, but they do affect you,” he argues, “considering you woke up to a guy trying to kill us in our sleep.”
“These feeble attempts have no effect on me whatsoever,” Armand counters, standing statue still. “A few paltry vampires arriving at our door with no clear plan of attack are not causing me the grief you seem to think they are.”
“Armand, we have literally spent multiple nights getting ready to try and kill this ancient vampire in the hopes that it might stop all of this from happening,” Daniel reminds him, “or, at the very least, give us a break from it.”
“And it is a well conceived plan that will prove fruitful,” Armand says with a note of finality that makes it clear he’s through with this conversation. Sadly for him, Daniel is just getting started.
“Would you just admit it?” Daniel demands, stepping closer to him. “I’d rather that than you insulting my intelligence by denying the obvious.”
“I would never insult your intelligence,” Armand says, and it’s obvious that he really is confused, that he has no idea where Daniel is coming from with this line of questioning, but he has to see this through because he has to know.
“You live for several hundred years, never make a single vampire, and suddenly you turn around and choose the guy who’s publishing a book exposing the entire seedy underbelly of it all to anyone with a gift card for their local bookstore.”
“I—”
“I know it was because I was dying,” Daniel interrupts impatiently. He knows he’s not being particularly fair right now, but knowing isn’t enough to stop him from acting like this. “I just can’t believe that you, of all people, would be so ready to break several of these ‘great laws’ for anyone, honestly.”
Armand laughs. “You think I have any regard for the Great Laws, now? An argument could be made I did when I was younger, but clearly I take no issue with breaking one or two of them—”
“You broke almost every single one,” Daniel says slowly, emphasizing each syllable. “I remember from Dubai — ancients can’t make fledglings, cripples can’t become vampires, thou shall not get a book deal to reveal all of vampire history to the general public— they’re not just pissed at me, Armand!”
“And what do I care?” Armand demands, still laughing.
“This isn’t funny!” Daniel explodes, closing the distance between them to grab Armand by his shoulders. “You need to care! I can joke all I want about you being powerful but we all know you’re not vampire Jesus, you’re not the least bit concerned about making yourself public enemy number three??”
It finally seems to dawn on Armand that Daniel is well and truly panicking over this; he reaches up to place his hands on Daniel’s jaw, fingers curling to the base of his neck. “At the risk of sounding like a mediocre playwright, I would brave the wrath of every vampire walking this Earth if it meant I could stay with you.”
His smile is barely perceptible, but his eyes have a warmth that Daniel knows is rarely there. “You, Daniel Molloy, are the only reason I have to continue living. That is why none of these trivial matters concern me — there is no point to my existence without yours, especially now that we are together. Nothing could keep me from you, not even the threat of death.”
Daniel surges forward to kiss him, startling Armand for all of a second before the other returns the kiss. He breaks away first to stare intently at the other. “It’s a good thing we’re both immortal now, considering the rampant codependency,” he jokes without any humor — Armand laughs regardless.
“Never underestimate the lengths I would go to keep you, Daniel,” he says simply, but with an intensity Daniel can practically feel emanating from him. “I am yours, but you are also mine, now and forever.”
It should be intimidating, at the very least, but the promise only serves to warm Daniel all over.
“Said lengths include killing random intruders at the crack of dawn,” Daniel says, trying to ease the tension with some levity.
“Said lengths include killing a Child of Satan,” Armand corrects, gazing at Daniel with his apocalyptic expression.
He blanches at the reminder. “You’ll be ok tomorrow.” It’s not a question because Armand has to be.
Armand finally blinks. “It will be… interesting, seeing Salvatore again,” he permits, “but I will be fine.” A sad smile crosses his face. “I am not the helpless boy I once was.”
“Damn straight,” Daniel agrees, prompting a more genuine smile from the other, “and I’ll be there for you… not that you’ll need it,” he chuckles.
“I will always need you,” Armand says with a severity that gives Daniel chills. He leans forward to kiss him again, but this time he doesn’t stop. Reaching down for the hem of his shirt, Daniel pulls it over the other’s head, with Armand’s help. Armand grabs his face, kissing him fervently as he backs him into the edge of the bed, practically ripping Daniel’s shirt off of him.
“Not going anywhere, babe,” he manages as Armand moves down to kiss the side of Daniel’s neck. “I’m all yours.”
“Mine,” Armand agrees before sinking his fangs above Daniel’s clavicle. He continues to make his way around the circumference of Daniel’s neck, biting as he goes, as if he’s fashioning a gruesome collar. Daniel moans as the image travels straight to his dick.
Armand leans back slightly before tugging at the waistband of Daniel’s jeans. “Off,” he commands. Daniel hurriedly shucks off his pants before tossing them into a corner of the room, his underwear quickly following suit.
The dynamic of Armand still being partially clothed while Daniel is completely naked launches him back to their first years of dating, back when he was younger. His partner shoves him down onto the bed before slowly getting down on his knees.
“Do not speak unless I give you explicit permission to do so,” Armand instructs him.
Jesus fucking christ.
The two are lying in bed, the blanket covering their nude bodies spotted with blood. Armand’s head is resting on Daniel’s chest, which is littered with bite marks and hickeys; Daniel’s arms are wrapped tightly around him, holding him close.
He’s tempted to enter their usual banter, but there’s something about this moment, having Armand safe and sated in his embrace, that makes Daniel not want to spoil it. He runs his hands through Armand’s curls, which is quickly growing to be one of his favorite pastimes.
At ease like this, Daniel can understand why so many people were vying for Armand throughout his life. He’s a work of art, even now, in this shitty hotel lighting with his hair a complete mess, wrapped in a stained, threadbare sheet. But the knowledge that so many of them took advantage of his lower status, the horrible situation he had been thrust into as a child, infuriates him.
The fact he has to see one of those people tomorrow makes him feel downright murderous.
“Your thoughts are too loud, darling,” Armand says softly, reaching a hand up to smooth Daniel’s furrowed brow. “Be at peace.”
Daniel grabs the hand before pressing a firm kiss to his palm. “Peace isn’t my forte,” Daniel admits.
Armand chuckles. “No, I imagine that is one of your few blindspots.”
He repositions the two of them so that they’re lying on their sides, facing each other. “You know I’d never hurt you, right?”
The other blinks at him.
“Well, I’m sure I will hurt you with some of my fuck ups,” Daniel corrects guiltily, remembering washing Armand’s arms the other night, “but I’ll never intentionally hurt you.”
“I know,” Armand says with a very slight lilt at the end of the sentence, as if it’s a question.
“I just—” He stops, working out how to best phrase this. “I hope you always feel… safe… with me.” He lays his hand on the side of Armand’s face. “Happy. That’s all I really want, boss. I just want you to be happy.”
Armand gives him an exhausted but sincere smile. “I am never more happy than when I am with you,” he promises Daniel, moving forward again to nuzzle into his chest. “I feel safest right here, tucked into your embrace, beloved.”
He’s glad Armand can’t see him blushing from this position. He leans down slightly to kiss the top of the other’s head before bringing one hand around to cup the base of his neck. “Rest,” he tells the other simply.
They’ve got a long night ahead of them.