Chapter Text
The first thing Daniel registers when he wakes up is the hunger. A gnawing, demanding need to feed.
It's not his stomach that protests with the emptiness but rather his whole body, his veins vibrating with a need he can only compare to addiction.
The thought is immediately followed by the realisation that, for the first time in decades, there's no pain. No aching bones or shaky hands. If it wasn't for the hunger, it would be the best he's ever felt.
It's the hunger that finally propels him to action.
He sits up and takes a slow breath to centre himself. He suspects that he doesn't actually need the oxygen anymore, but the action is familiar and comforting.
Reluctantly, Daniel opens his eyes. He's very familiar with waking up in unfamiliar territory. Years of reckless benders have trained him to adapt quickly to new surroundings.
The room is pitch black but he can see perfectly. He's almost surprised to find that it's nothing more than a fairly nondescript room in a generic high class hotel. He half expected some kind of dungeon.
Before he can focus on any details, his attention is captured by the dust that swirls through the air like glittering stardust. He thinks he could spend hours tracking the patterns of its flight. But the hunger provides a painful reminder of its presence.
He pulls off the blanket and throws his feet over the edge of the bed, freezing when he catches sight of honey gold eyes watching him in the darkness.
'Hey...' Daniel starts weakly.
He tries to gauge Armand's mood, but the stony expression is completely unreadable.
'I...' A flicker of something crosses Armand's face, but Daniel couldn't name the expression. 'I apologise, Daniel.' He says after a long beat of silence.
'I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you did this to me.' Daniel says, rolling his neck. The joints don't pop like he expects them to. 'What happened to your noble vow? "I'd never make another".'
He can't help but tease, even if it could get him killed.
'There were-' Armand tilts his head while he chooses his words. 'Extenuating circumstances.'
Daniel remembers the hot flash of pain as his throat was ripped open for the second time in his life.
'I can fix it.' Armand had whispered frantically, more to himself than Daniel. 'I can fix it. You just have to drink.'
'Remembered Louis' threat a bit too late, huh?'
'I needed blood.'
The image of Armand broken against the destroyed wall flashes through his mind. 'Louis really did a number on you...'
'I didn't feel much like fighting back.' Armand's lips twist. 'When the haze lifted and I realised what I'd done... Turning you was my only choice to uphold my promise.'
Daniel instinctively reaches for the glasses he normally keeps on a bedside table, but doesn't find anything there. He internally chastises himself for the action, obviously he doesn't need them anymore.
‘Can we talk about this after I eat?' He asks, hauling himself out of the bed. He's unsteady on his feet and in a flash, Armand is at his side to keep him upright.
'What are you still doing here anyway?' Daniel snaps, pushing Armand off him. Despite his clear strength, Armand allows himself to be shoved.
'For better or worse, I am your maker. I would not abandon you now.'
Daniel rolls his eyes. 'I can manage just fine without you.'
'Is that so?' Armand's eyebrow twitches up, the first hint of annoyance. 'You’re hungry, aren't you? How will you feed without detection?'
Daniel considers it for a moment. Louis told him the basics. But the actual reality of the situation...
'Alright.' He huffs, doing his best not to visibly pout.
***
There's no morality metric when it comes to finding his first victim. He doesn't go looking for a sinner. Doesn't dig into their mind for evidence of any wrongdoings that would justify their slaughter.
The first person Daniel comes across in the dark gets their throat ripped out, it's as simple as that.
He's dimly aware of Armand at his side as he drinks. He's murmuring something in Daniel's ear. He's too lost in his haze to make out the words, but it feels like praise.
The agitating itch of addiction fades as the blood flows into him and Armand's words start to come back into focus.
'You have to stop before-'
Daniel pulls away, letting the body drop to the ground. 'Before the heart stops. Yeah, I know.'
'A quick study.' Armand hums thoughtfully.
‘I have a good memory when people aren't digging around in my brain.’ He snarks.
‘Touché.’
Daniel looks at the body down at his feet. ‘... Louis didn't cover what to do next other than toss them in the incinerator.’
‘I’ll handle it.’ Armand grabs the arm of the corpse, tossing her over his shoulder. ‘We can go over the specifics later. But for now, relax, take it in.’
Before Daniel can come up with another snarky response, Armand is gone. Daniel sinks to the floor, distantly aware that he's sat in a puddle of blood. The fact doesn't gross him out as much as it should.
His feet sink into sand and he finally allows himself to take in his surroundings now that his hunger has been sated. In front of him, the ocean sways in a dull roar. When he glances behind him he can see that they're not in Dubai anymore but they can't have gone far. The skyscrapers aren't too dissimilar.
He squints as the sky above him swirls. Daniel starts working on a theory that Van Gogh must have been a vampire. He tries to track a swooping star with his finger, trying to work out if it's actually moving or if it's just a weird side effect of his newly vampiric state. The thought is immediately derailed by the sight of his absurdly sharp nails.
Daniel ponders the nails for a moment, it looks a bit like when his ex wife would get those fancy acrylics, just a touch more deadly.
He presses them into his palm to test the sharp points, unsurprised by the pinpricks of blood left in their wake.
'Here.' Armand is suddenly at his side, gently taking Daniel's hand in his.
He stares at the palm so long that Daniel considers making a crack about fortune telling but before he can process the thought, Armand sweeps his tongue across the skin. He jolts, surprised by the contact.
‘You shouldn't drink your own blood.’ Armand warns him. ‘It can drive you to madness.’
As he leans back, Daniel realises that Armand’s hand is shaking. There's an odd second when he thinks it might be nerves, but the tremors seem too familiar for that.
A sharp bark of laughter escapes him as he realises. ‘You drained me and got stuck with poisoned blood for a while, huh?’ He snickers.
Armands expression quickly closes off, a dark look in his eyes. ‘There are worse poisons.’ He grumbles, dropping Daniel's hand.
Daniel isn’t quite sure what upset Armand, but he can’t help but feel bad about it. He feels even worse when Armand steps away and Daniel realises that he’s limping. He wonders just how much damage Louis did during their break up. ‘You need to eat too?’
‘We need to focus on you.’
‘Don't be a fucking martyr and find someone to eat.’ Daniel snaps back, his emotions jumping from zero to a hundred in his heightened state.
Armand examines him for a moment, expression frustratingly blank. ‘Alright.’
It doesn’t take long for Armand to find a suitable victim, a lone figure sat on a bench staring at the river.
Daniel hangs back, not confident enough in his restraint. There's a sneaking suspicion that the second he smells blood he’ll lose all semblance of control.
For a long time, Armand just sits next to them to talk. Daniel thinks that if he focuses, he would be able to hear but he decides not too. It feels too intrusive.
He suspects he knows the script anyway.
An easeful death.
The figure leans into Armand, it looks like they’re resting their head on his shoulder as he drinks.
Armand is a much neater eater than Daniel. There’s no trace of blood as he pulls back, every drop savoured.
When he's done, Armand sweeps the figure into his arms, carrying them bridal style for a moment before dropping them into the river.
Armand stares at the water for a painfully long length of time. He doesn't snap out of it until Daniel clears his throat.
‘Where are we anyway?’ Daniel asks when Armand walks back over to him.
‘Abu Dhabi. I couldn't take us too far given how late in the night it was when we had to leave. But I wanted to give us a bit of breathing space.’
'How did you get me here without me waking up?' Armand looks immediately guilty and Daniel can't stop the judgemental raise of his eyebrow. 'Let me guess. "Rest".'
Armand chuckles weakly, Daniel can tell it's fake. 'Nothing like that. I can't access your mind anymore. Our bond prevents it.'
'Small miracles.' Daniel grumbles.
Armand gestures to a sleek black car waiting for them. ‘Your belongings were collected and are waiting on the jet. Let's go.’
***
Armand must have gotten the private jet in the divorce. It's different from the one they sent to take him to Dubai. There are no windows, other than the cockpit.
‘Vampire airlines, huh? Let me guess, the in-flight meal is the stewardess.’
Armand looks up from the iPad he's been tapping away on. ‘Are you still hungry? I can arrange for-’
‘Never mind.’ Daniel quickly cuts off his train of thought. ‘Where are we going?’
‘New York. Obviously.’
‘Obviously.’ Daniel rolls his eyes in response.
It's the typical obnoxiously expensive private jet, lit with low blue led lighting. Daniel gets the vague idea that the sun must be rising soon. It's hard to keep his eyes open.
‘Fancy.’ He comments as he drops into one of the leather chairs.
Armand gives him plenty of space, sitting on the opposite side of the jet. ‘It certainly beats traveling for months on a ship, drinking rats to survive.’
‘Heh.’ Daniel chuckles, leaning his head back.
‘You can rest. It's safe here.’
‘Rest.’ Daniel repeats mockingly, but he does close his eyes.
It's not like the kind of sleep that Daniel is used to. Thanks to the abundance of issues that came with mortality it always took Daniel hours to fall asleep, and it was never restful. Most nights he’d give up on sleeping all together and just work on whatever project he was in the middle of.
But this time, slumber is instant. He closes his eyes and is out like a light immediately.
They're still in the air when Daniel wakes up. Armand is already awake, tapping away on his iPad.
‘Finding a divorce lawyer?’ Daniel jokes.
Armand just looks up and turns the device around, showing Daniel the game of candy crush he's playing.
He can't help but laugh. He doubles down when he sees the look of confusion on Armand's face.
Before he can explain, the hunger rears his head again and his veins start to itch. Armand looks him up and down before holding an arm out.
‘What?’
Armand turns his attention back to his game. ‘You’re hungry. Drink.’
‘From you?’
‘Do you see anyone else?’
He doesn't really have any other options, so Daniel sits next to Armand, taking his arm in his hands. Armand keeps his cool composure as Daniel sinks his fangs into his wrist. He's not quite sure who's benefit his detachment is for. Armand doesn't even look at Daniel as he feeds, eyes firmly on his screen.
The blood he takes from Armand is distinctly better than what he'd taken from the human he drained. It took their whole body's worth of blood to sate him, but with Armand it only takes a few mouthfuls to ease the ache of the hunger.
He forces himself to pull back and Armand brings his arm to his mouth, licking the wound to help it heal. ‘We’ll be landing in a few hours.’
‘Alright… in-flight movie?’
He gets another blank look instead of a response.
There's a large screen at the front of the plane, it doesn't take long for him to find the remote. He falls back into the seat next to Armand, idly flicking through the options.
He can't help the irresistible urge to be a dick when the perfect film option presents itself.
I've never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go.
For most of the opening, Armand adamantly ignores the movie, keeping his focus solely on his game.
Daniel is patient, watching Armand carefully when it comes to the reveal.
I know what you are.
Say it. Out loud.
Armand looks up with utter disdain at the words ‘Vampire.’
Daniel starts laughing so much he misses most of the big reveal. He wipes the tears from the corner of his eyes, momentarily covered by the fact that his tears are blood.
‘What on earth is this?’ Armand scowls.
‘Wait, wait. This is the best part.’ Daniel gestures to the screen as Edward steps into the sunlight.
Armand blinks at the screen. ‘I… What?!’
‘What? You don't sparkle in the sun?’
‘You know fine well I do not.’
‘It's one of the most famous depictions of vampires. I thought it would help my education.’
‘I am here for that. You don't need these ridiculous movies.’
‘Couldn't hurt.’ Daniel says innocently ‘Now hush, we're missing the plot.’
Armand scowls at him, but he does end up putting his iPad away and watches the rest of the film. He's completely silent until the credits roll. As the plane starts to land, he launches into a long, passionate speech about all of the ways the film depicted vampires wrong.
Daniel watches quietly, other than his arguments with Louis this is the most animated he's seen his maker. It's a fascinating display and he's almost disappointed when the jet lands, bringing an end to Armand's rant.
Armand has a car ready to pick them up from the airport. He doesn't need to give his address, of course Armand already knows it. He gets the feeling that Armand is embarrassed by his sudden outburst. The man is suddenly jarringly quiet, watching out of the window as they drive through the city.
As they drive, thoughts that can't be his float through Daniel's head. He sees images of a wife he's never met. A son that isn't his. And swift, guilty thoughts of another woman entirely.
‘Gonna need you to teach me how to block out thoughts.’ Daniel grumbles as he realises the thoughts belong to their driver.
Armand tilts his head in acknowledgement. ‘You’ll adapt.’ He promises.
When they get to the Daniels apartment block, Armand follows him out of the car and Daniel quickly realises he's not being dropped off, Armand is coming with him.
He should have known. Armand clearly isn't welcome in their Dubai love nest anymore. But he’d expected him to find some upscale hotel, not Daniels dingy Brooklyn apartment. They step into the building's elevator and Daniel very quickly adjusts to another part of his ever growing list of weird changes he’s had to adapt to recently.
Part of him is embarrassed by the state he knows his place is going to be in. He's been a bachelor too long, he hasn't exactly kept up with all the chores. Especially since the doctor told him how fucked he was.
They step into the elevator and Daniel is snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar woman dashes into the elevator. ‘Well if it isn't the notorious Mr Molloy.’ She grins flirtatiously, tugging the chihuahua with her by its pink lead.
Daniel quickly puts on a fake smile, he hopes she doesn't see how different his eyes are. He noticed they were a frankly jarring shade of violet when he caught his reflection earlier. He should have snatched some shades on the way.
Thankfully his neighbour seems to be too preoccupied with Armand to look at him. ‘And who is your handsome friend?’
‘Good to see you Debs.’ Daniel chuckles. ‘This is Armand, he's helping me with my latest book.’
‘Oh how exciting! Is this the one that's had you globetrotting? It's been lonely without you around the building, you know?’
As the elevator starts to move, the chihuahua sniffs at Armand's feet. He has to stop himself from chuckling at the sight of Armand crouching down to greet the dog. It's normally an aggressive little shit but it seems more than happy to roll over to let Armand pet his stomach.
A hint of a smile crosses Armand's face until he realises Daniel is watching him. He glares at the man instead, straightening up.
‘He must be a bright young man to be helping you with your book.’ Deborah says, placing a hand on Daniels bicep.
‘Certainly is.’ Daniel smiles, the expression slipping when his attention is pulled to the vein on the woman's neck. He can hear the blood moving through her body. A relentless and dangerous temptation.
He moves on autopilot, moving before he's even processed the desire coursing through him. Before he can pounce on his prey, there's a hand around his neck, pushing him back.
‘Control yourself.’ Armand hisses, pressing him against the wall.
Daniel tries to fight back, but Armand is unmistakably stronger. After a slow, stuttered breath, Daniel feels the adrenaline start to fade from his body.
He blinks, looking from Armand to Deborah, who's been frozen in time. Her chihuahua is unaffected by Armand's powers, angrily yapping at him.
‘I’m good.’ He promises as the elevator dings and the doors slide open.
‘Oh! That's me. So good to see you boys.’ Deborah unfreezes, scooping up her furious dog.
She doesn't seem to notice Armand pinning him to the wall, nails digging into his throat. Armand must be doing some kind of mind fuckery to stop her from noticing.
There's a beat of silence when the doors close again.
‘Thanks…’
Armand lets go, taking a step back to give Daniel some space. ‘It’ll take a while to gain the self control you need to be in such close proximity to humans.’ He explains. ‘If it makes you feel any better, you're more advanced than most fledglings. My blood is the oldest you could consume, it gives you more strength. That should help with your self control.’
‘You're really the oldest?’
‘The oldest we know of.’ Armand tilts his head. ‘I believe if anyone with seniority existed they would have made themselves known by now. Vampires are territorial creatures by nature. We crave a hierarchy.’
‘And you're at the top of that hierarchy?’
Armand pulls a face, wrinkling his nose. ‘Never by choice.’ The elevator opens again and Armand walks off without looking back. Daniel follows him, there's a moment where he worries that he doesn't actually have his keys, but Armand just waves a hand and the door unlocks, swinging open.
‘Show off.’ He grumbles as they walk in.
Armand almost immediately starts snooping around the apartment. He looks through Daniel's bookcase, pulling out any books that Daniel has written.
Shaking his head, Daniel heads to the spare room. It used to be his daughter's room when they stayed over but it's been years since they've visited for anything other than a brief guilt-fuelled visit post diagnosis.
He boxes up anything the girls outgrew, stashing it in a wardrobe before looking at the window. The curtains are blackout but he suspects that's probably not quite enough to stop the sun getting to a vampire.
He grabs another cardboard box, taping it to the window to block out the light. It's not perfect, but he distinctly remembers the windows in San Francisco being plastered with newspaper so he assumes it's enough.
‘Alright, the guest room’s all set up.’ He says as he walks through the living room.
There's a moment where Armand looks confused, but he quickly covers the expression, looking back down at the book in his hands.
‘...Okay. Make yourself at home I guess.’ Daniel says, despite the fact that Armand absolutely already has.
He retreats to his own room, taking the time to cover the windows before falling onto his bed. He closes his eyes and tries to relax after an impossibly stressful trip, but as expected his brain just won't shut up.
Sighing, he pulls himself up and moves to the computer in the corner of his room. Might as well get started with writing up the interview.