Work Text:
1978
Armand found Daniel passed out in the bathroom of the hotel room. Daniel’s thoughts were silent as Armand was trying to straighten out the situation. He laid Daniel on his back, carefully placing Daniel’s head on his lap. Daniel was sweating so much that his hair was sticking to his pale face.
Armand could hear Daniel’s heartbeat going at an increasingly rapid speed. Too fast for Daniel to keep up with.
Armand had come too late. Minutes ago he might have been able to halt the overdose process, keep his Daniel alive for the morning. For once, time was moving too fast. He didn’t have enough time. If it weren’t for the morbid circumstance he would have laughed.
A vampire with not enough time?
Armand needed to get the blood out of him immediately. The vampire quickly sunk his fangs into Daniel’s neck, tasting the chemicals in his blood. After a mouthful, he spat out the tainted blood into the toilet beside him. He made several other similar wounds on Daniel’s wrists and neck, leaving the punctures to bleed out.
Armand ruefully bit into his wrist. Bringing his blood to Daniel’s lips. His boy was finally getting what he wants. Immortality. Forever stuck at twenty-five. Cursed forever to watch his loved ones disappear; one by one. He’d understand one day why Armand was so against him becoming a vampire. One day, he may even grow to resent Armand for giving him the Dark Gift.
Daniel unconsciously latched onto the artery. Still no sign of thoughts coming from him. Armand hissed lowly as his blood filled into Daniel’s veins. Pulling away when he heard Daniel’s heart level out. Wounds stitching back together.
The boy began to convulse as the turning process started. Armand frowned, he should have woken up by this point. Vomit was spilling from Daniel’s lips, Armand pushed him onto his side so he wouldn’t choke.
When Armand was sure he was done, he undressed and cleaned him up in the tub with a rag. Treating the boy as if he were made out of glass. Armand’s body felt colder as Daniel lay unresponsive. Anxiety blooming in the center of his stomach.
After Daniel was dried, Armand placed him on the bed, bundling him in between thin blankets. Armand curled himself at Daniel’s side, listening to his drumming heartbeat as it adapted to the cursed blood.
The morning sun threatened to peak behind the blackout curtains. Armand would have preferred they both had gone to his coffin, but it was too far to reach with the state Daniel was in.
“Please don’t hate me when you wake up,” Armand mumbled. They should be safe here until the sun goes down. Armand checked to make sure no sunlight made its way into the room. He took Daniel’s limp body into his arms. Holding tightly onto him as he fell asleep.
THREE WEEKS LATER
“What do you mean?” Armand sobbed at Marius, blood tears staining his face. “That’s never happened before , why is it happening now?! Why with my Daniel?”
“We think it was the drugs he used befoー” Armand threw an expensive vase at the wall with a wild shout. Interrupting a displeased Marius. “The drugs Daniel took messed with his brain chemistry. He put himself into a coma.”
“So what?” Armand started becoming increasingly agitated with the passiveness of his Creator. “The Blood should have healed that. It should’ve …”
Marius nodded his head, “Yes, it should have been able to heal him. He might have woken up with some amnesia, but it would have sorted itself out. We don’t understand why he won’t wake up. Give it time Armadeo, he will wake eventually.”
It wasn’t reassuring in the slightest. How could they all know nothing ?! Armand whipped at his face, taking a deep breath. He rushed out of the room, making his way back to Daniel. As he entered the room, a broken sob tore its way out of his throat when he saw his boy.
Laying still in a windowless room, wires in and out of his body, hooked up to a heart rate monitor which mimicked Daniel’s. A feeding tube slowly deposited human blood to make sure Daniel didn’t starve to death.
Countless doctors poked and prodded Daniel, and none of them came to a clear conclusion as to why he was so unresponsive. There was no sign of Daniel waking anytime soon.
Armand went to his side, holding onto his cool hand. “Daniel …” Armand started, his voice breaking. “You can wake up, I’ll be right next to you.”
Beep … Beep … Beep …
What was the last thing Daniel said to him? Armand could only remember rolling his eyes as Daniel yelled at him not to leave. Blood tears fell onto Daniel’s white sheets.
This was his punishment from God, Daniel was paying the price for all his wrongdoings. Daniel was punishing him for leaving again. Remorse and shame bubbled together inside Armand.
His hand was being held by Armand, he was right next to Daniel, so why did he feel impossibly out of his reach?
Armand kneeled beside him. Forcing Daniel's hand to hold Armand’s face. "When you wake up, we can go anywhere you want. Paris, New York, Boston, London …"
Beep … Beep … Beep …
"I'll dress you in expensive clothes, periwinkle, to match your eyes. Will you open your eyes for me?" Armand pleaded with a sad smile.
"I'll be right here, waiting for you."
1983
As far as Armand was concerned, he had done all he could to wake Daniel. Read him his favorite stories. Played movies. His modern music, all the genres. At one point Armand had grown so frustrated with all the hopelessness that he straddled Daniel and began to choke him with his own two hands.
That did cause a reaction.
Daniel’s heart rate went up. Rather than the same monotonous beat, it stuttered at started to beat with spirit.
Armand laughed in disbelief, as he looked at the heart monitor. And it was going up! This only encouraged Armand to hold tighter on his throat. Daniel coughed. Uncomfortable. Armand cackled again.
The noise caused Marius to run down. “Amadeo, no!” Marius rushed to pull Armand off of Daniel’s body. Armand held on tight, thrashing in Marius’ grip.
“I can wake him up! Let go of me!” Marius was able to pry his fingers away, throwing him to the hard floor.
“That won’t wake him up! You’re only hurting him.” Marius went over to see how Daniel was, but he did notice the change. Watching as Daniel was heaving from having Armand block his airways. Daniel’s brows were drawn together as if he were having a nightmare.
But Marius still couldn’t hear any activity happening in Daniel’s mind. He must be doing that on instinct. “He didn’t raise his hands to stop you.”
“But he would have it you didn’t barge in!” Countered Armand, barely concealing his hostility.
Marius glared down at Armand. “There is no reason to hurt the people you love.” Armand took a step back, eyes falling to the ground in shame. “Daniel shouldn’t awake to you strangling him. Or is that the first thing he should see with his new eyes? Huh?” Armand backed up.
Armand hated to admit it. “You’re right. It won’t happen again.” Marius huffed, content with that.
He looked over Daniel’s condition, seeing the damage that was caused. Light bruising that will disappear overnight. He trusted Armand wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “If I catch you attempting something like this again, you will be banned from seeing Daniel.”
Armand barred his fangs at Marius. “You will not keep him from me! I would rather throw myself into the sun if youー”
“Stop. Don’t villainize me. It is in the best interest of Daniel, your fledgling, if he is in a safe environment until he wakes up.” Marius took a deep breath to steady himself. He waited until Amadeo met his gaze to continue talking. “Nothing like this has happened in our history. The closest thing this relates to is the comatose state of Those Who Must Be Kept. But that was intentionally placed. This was not planned.”
Marius hugged Armand close to him. Who only cried in his Maker's arms.
“He’s cursing me.” Armand wept. “We fought, and I left him. I knew he could get himself hurt, I always knew how much he self-destructed without me.” Armand pulled away, looking up at Marius with blood tears in his brown eyes. “He told me not to leave him. He begged me not to leave him alone.” Armand crumbled, blood ruining his shirt from his tears.
Daniel's heart rate returned to what it had been for the past few years. His breathing resumed at its pace.
Armand had already tried pleading with Daniel to wake up. Hours of whispering while staring into his blank, unmoving face. Armand could sculpt Daniel out of clay, having memorized every grove and corner of his face and body. He prayed to anything that would listen. To wake his boy! To bring him back.
“I did everything I could.” Armand said, defeated. “I just want to be with him.”
1987
Beep … Beep … Beep …
Daniel never changed. Never fluttered his lashes. Or sighed in the slightest.
Armand wondered if he dreamed. Marius said that it wasn’t possible for Daniel to dream, or they would have heard it. Marius said that Daniel’s mind is ‘an empty void’.
It would be nice if he could.
At least as a vampire, Armand had all the time in the world to wait.
Louis, and surprisingly, Lestat had come to check on them every now and then. Bringing a bundle of violets with them. Armand would smile, putting them in a nice vase.
They would ask if anything happened, and Armand would shake his head with a sad smile.
Armand would look away from Louis when he gave him a pitiful stare. Armand didn’t want their pity.
Louis had brought over tape recordings of their interview. He found it when cleaning up. He played a tape, and watched as Armand held onto the recorder as it played out Daniel’s playful voice. His eyes were shaking, and his hands trembled. He almost broke the recorder from squeezing it so tightly.
1995
Armand had taken Daniel from Marius’ residence, and brought him to Trinity Gate in New York.
Daniel was tucked in between pale green silk blankets. Armand had put away the heart monitor, capable of noticing differences in Daniel’s heartbeat. It was frustrating for him to hear the constant buzzing of the electricity.
Armand had only left Daniel once after receiving his Dark Gift. He had begun cultivating negative notions of hurting Daniel. It had worked. Maybe if he pinched at Daniel’s arm, he would wake up to stop him. But Marius was right the first time. Armand could saw off Daniel’s arm, but then he would just be hurting Daniel again.
And Armand decided against those ideas.
There was also the risk of Marius finding out and whisking Daniel away. Somewhere Armand couldn’t reach them.
And that would be too much to bear.
So he left to clear his head. He walked farther than he normally would have. But all that was running through his mind was, what if Daniel woke up? He would wake up alone. Scared. It quickly made him turn his feet as he made his way back to Daniel.
2023
“You must be having a nice dream,” Armand said to Daniel. “I wonder if I’m in it.” Armand brushed at Daniel’s soft hair while humming in thought. “I hope you’re not …” Armand stopped himself, his fingers freezing in place. “Even if you do wake up, its okay to leave me. I’ll understand.”
Though that was not what Armand wanted. If that’s what it took to wake Daniel, then Armand would tear his own heart out, putting it on a silver plater for Daniel.
Armand placed a delicate kiss on Daniel’s forehead. “Even if it takes fifty years or a thousand, I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”