Chapter Text
Armand is tired. Tired of the strange, tight feeling in his chest when he sees Marius. Tired of the tighter feeling when he sees Santino. Not to mention seeing the two of them together. Friends.
Daniel is tired. He loves Armand, loves taking care of him, but hates how much pain he is in. Hates that they have no choice but to stay here.
He does his best to distract the two of them—sex, reading, rewatching Armand's favorite movies on that damn iPad while Daniel has half an eye affixed to his phone. Ways to alleviate the pain but not to rid it.
Daniel had long accepted that he could not fix his lover, even if he tried, but he couldn't help but wish that he could pry his brain open and rearrange the wires and kiss him better. Love him enough that it didn't hurt anymore. Impossible. But a wish of his nonetheless.
The best Daniel could do was hold his hand as Armand dealt with it himself, be by his side when Armand needed him, and, of course, fuck him so good he couldn't think of anything else.
Armand was lying on his back with his legs over Daniel's shoulders, moaning muffled as Daniel ate him out, pausing to sip blood from the sensitive flesh of Armand's inner thigh. Daniel had tied him up—bound his hands together at the wrist and above his head—and shoved his boxers in a makeshift gag in his mouth. He proceeded to devour Armand like a starving man.
Armand had come about three times by now just from Daniel's mouth and was shaking in the way he only got when he was overstimulated: heels drumming against Daniel's back, eyes hazy with tears, and stomach muscles Daniel was feeling up under his shirt trembling and flexing. Daniel himself had two fingers pressed against his t-dick and was slowly jerking himself off in rhythm with Armand.
It felt so fucking good, so fucking right like this. Daniel teased Armand through his fourth? fifth? orgasm and brought himself coming in his own pants as well, teeth accidentally scraping against Armand's sensitive clit as he gasped, leaving Armand shrieking through the boxers wadded in his mouth. I love you I love you I love you, Daniel thought fiercely as he pulled away. Pressed the hinge of Armand's jaw to unclench it and pulled the gag out, I love you. Unclasped the handcuffs on his wrists and brushed a little kiss on his pulse point, I love you. Sliced his fingertips open and watched as Armand grabbed his hand and drank from him like a man dying of thirst, I love you.
Daniel changed Armand out of his bloody sweat soaked shirt into clean clothes and stripped himself down to change as well. He noticed with a frown his hands were shaking. In fact, his whole body was, and not in the buzzing, pleasant way it usually did after sex. It felt wrong.
"Beloved?" Armand whispered and draped his arms around Daniel's shoulders. "What is it?"
Daniel shook his head. "Nothing, I—it's nothing. Just feeling weird. Don't worry about it, kiddo."
"Let me dress you," Armand said, smoothing his hands down Daniel's front. "Please, Daddy?"
And, well, how could Daniel refuse him?
Armand just pulled a pair of boxers and a shirt onto Daniel before herding the two of them back into the coffin. Any protest Daniel might have had was shushed and "Just let me, beloved"-ed away.
Armand wrapped his arms around Daniel's shoulders and legs around Daniel's thighs and Daniel sighed, a tear rolling down his face as he buried his head into his kid's neck. He didn't say anything, worried that if he spoke, any words that came out would be accompanied by tears.
Armand was stroking his hair.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"Thank you." Armand's voice was trembling. "For everything you do. I—I like it. All of it. You've been very... very good to me, lately. I know at times you fear that because you are so much younger—don't laugh—that you cannot... adequately help me. You do. I love you. It's enough, all of it. You help me so much. I just hope I can do the same for you."
Daniel wrapped his arms even tighter around Armand, squeezing tight and hoping that the embrace said everything Daniel couldn't at the moment.
"You're a good kid," he said gruffly.
Armand kissed the top of his head, his face, behind his ear. "You're a good daddy. I promise. You do so well. I'm so proud of you, my fledgling. I love you."
Daniel sniffled—a soft, human, painfully vulnerable gesture—and smiled.
"I love you too, kiddo."