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Daniel landed back in the States with enough time to make it home before the sun came up. He was a Parkinson's patient when he left. Now, he was a vampire.
The jet had been flown so quickly that Daniel was convinced he had personally made a new hole in the Ozone layer, but he was still grateful for Louis’ help. When he had instructed him on the best way to get home – take the jet, spare coffin, don't eat the pilot – his words had been mixed with a string of apologies. Daniel barely listened to them. He was too busy staring at his hand. Steady for the first time in...he couldn’t remember.
Daniel ran up the stairs to his apartment simply because he could. No longer left winded or sore from the short flight of stairs. No longer left to wait for an elevator like an old man. He stopped running when he was outside his door, vaguely aware that his speed would be difficult to explain, before reaching for the handle of his door. He paused. Someone had been in his apartment.
Daniel slammed the door open, a sharp fury suddenly swelling through his body, only to freeze in the hallway.
His furniture had been pushed aside to make way for a large black casket. The mahogany was shining with one half of the lid sitting up like it was waiting for him to slip inside and lay against the off-white velvet lining. He circled the unusual gift, running his hand on the closed half of the lid, before standing at the head and taking in the fine detailing.
He knew it was expensive. There was no one to deny that. Caskets like these could go for three and a half grand easily. It was the kind of casket he had made a show of considering for his father despite knowing he would never pay that much money for a box to rot in. He could only think of one person that would do this for him–
(in the back of his mind, he thought of another person, but doubted he would possibly take the time to consider his needs)
–and Daniel promised himself he would thank Louis for the gift in the morning. Night. He would thank him the next night.
Daniel ran his hand against the velvet. It was soft and warm, inviting despite what it was, and Daniel didn’t know why that surprised him. Velvet was velvet even if it was made for a dead man.
He opened the other half of the lid and found a thick blanket neatly folded at the bottom. The perfect place for him to tuck his feet under as he slept. His feet always got cold when he slept, but how would Louis know that?
Louis had been just as confused as Daniel by the casket. When he made the trip from New Orleans to New York, everything about Daniel’s current state left him questioning. He brought him up, but Daniel brushed the question off. As he said, there was no way.
Instead, he allowed Louis to help him vamp-proof his home. They got blackout blinds for all the windows, prepared wooden boards to slot over them during the summer months, and disposed of all the non-perishable foods Daniel had left in his cupboards. Louis gave him the information about the farms, but they both knew Daniel was too curious about hunting to commit to an alternative diet.
Between advice and hunting practices consisting of Louis berating Daniel for his impatience – don’t eat a cop, leave that guy alone, put down that homeless man you don’t know where they’ve been – Louis taught Daniel as much as he could about his new form. When they both felt confident that Daniel could manage alone, Louis left but promised to only be a thought away. Then he made Daniel promise not to eat his neighbour no matter how much noise they made. Killjoy.
The most important thing that came from Louis’ visit was Daniel learning that he had no problem killing people. In fact, he was pretty good at it. Because of this, he was clear that he wasn’t interested in the farm. They had argued about almost every day, but Daniel was set that he had no problem hunting and would continue to do so. Once Louis realised he wasn’t going to budge, Daniel was sure that he would let it go, but apparently, he was wrong.
A little after dusk, Daniel woke to a sharp knock on his door. He frowned as he crept slowly to the entrance, wondering who would make the trouble to see him at this time of night. A quiet, stupid part of him wondered if it could be someone Daniel and Louis had both tried their hardest not to speak about, but he knew that was too ridiculous.
Daniel opened the door and blinked at the empty space waiting for him. He looked down and found an ice box at his doorstep. He leaned down and lifted the lid, ignoring every bad horror film that flew through his mind and rolled his eyes at the bags of blood waiting for him. He shouldn’t be surprised. Louis was certain he was right about this, but still, at the back of his mind, he wondered if he was right to blame Louis.
Daniel didn’t like clothes shopping, so he was more than surprised when he came home to find rails – rails – of clothes lining his living room. From pyjamas and underwear to formal suits and a damn tuxedo, there were more clothes in his apartment than he had days to wear them. Immortality be damned.
Daniel took one of the shirts off the rail and held it out in front of him, looking over the high-quality fabric and perfect stitching. He ran his hand down the sleeve, surprised by how soft the shirt felt under his fingers until he reached the price tag still attached to the cuff. Daniel choked on his tongue at the number. Why were there so many zeros? Was this a misprint? It had to be. There was no way that a plain white shirt could cost this much. Daniel shoved the shirt back onto the rail, stepping away from it like he thought his presence alone would ruin it somehow, and ignored the biting voice at the back of his mind that knew there was no way this could possibly be Louis’ doing.
Daniel had adjusted to his new life quickly. He knew how to hunt, who to hunt, and when the sun was coming up. He had spotted the odd vampire on his nights away from home but was shocked to find that they avoided him. He had even followed one just to make sure, but they had run as soon as they realised what he was doing. It was strange. Louis had told him to look out for other vampires, to be on his guard, but so far, he had no trouble.
He wondered if it had to do with – Daniel shook his head. There was no point thinking about that. He had a meeting with his agent, something was difficult to plan considering his out-of-hours schedule, but he had convinced them that it was worth it. He had his backups on his tablets, quietly mourning his laptop as he prepared to leave, and thanked whatever may be listening that Louis seemed not to understand how the Cloud worked.
He grabbed his jacket, one of his original jackets, not one of the offensively expensive ones that someone had brought for him. They were all packed away in his guest room. Out of sight, out of mind. As he stepped out into the living room, recently restored to his previous state now that his coffin was safely tucked under his decoy bed, he paused.
There was another package. A large white shopping bag was set on his coffee table, bits of white paper poking out the top, and a blank card hanging from the handle. Daniel crossed the room and looked inside.
It was a laptop. For a moment, he had thought it was his laptop but found that it was the latest model instead. Slightly bigger, thinner, and bragging about specifications that Daniel didn’t really understand. Also inside the bag were two spare chargers, a travel case, and a warranty certificate.
Daniel opened the laptop and found that it had already been connected to his account. His desktop was neatly organised with every random file placed into newly made folders, titled anything from ‘receipts’, ‘interviews – 30 minutes’, and ‘useless – delete soon’.
Daniel shut the laptop. He did not have time to think about this.
Daniel stepped out of the office, chewing on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from storming back in and tearing out his agent’s throat. Over forty years working together, and they had the gall to call him a liar. To ask if he was feeling okay. Daniel wanted to kill him, he wanted to kill him, he was going to –
Beep, beep.
Daniel jumped at the sharp and sudden sound. He looked to his left and frowned at the town car. Modest for what it was, but still too showy to pass as anything other than a rich asshole’s car.
Daniel stepped closer and watched as the driver, a young man who was no older than twenty-five, came around and opened the backseat door.
He stood tall, his back straight and shoulders back, with his curly hair combed out of his brown eyes. He was mixed, South East Asian somewhere in his genetic cocktail, but when he spoke he did so with a familiar Californian accent.
“Good evening, sir,” He said politely, his voice slightly nervous.
“Modesto?” Daniel asked before he could stop himself.
“What?” He asked, his professional facade dropping at the sudden question.
“Never mind. You got the wrong guy. I didn’t order,” He waved his hand in the general direction of the car. “This,”
“Um, but, sir,” The kid tried as Daniel started to walk away. “It was ordered for you!” He yelled, grimacing at the dark looks thrown his way by passers-byers. He waited for Daniel to walk back before explaining. “I’ve been hired as your private driver, Mr Molloy,” He said.
“By who?” Daniel asked as a name floated at the back of his mind, quickly squashed away by his own dismissive thoughts.
“I can’t say,” He said. “Sorry, sir,”
Daniel sighed.
“Don’t call me ‘sir’.”
Daniel wasn’t sure what would happen next. He had received gift after gift for months now. Each one seems to be more expensive than the other. Daniel wasn’t even angry about him breaking into his apartment anymore. He was angrier with himself and the way he felt whenever the gifts arrived.
Each one made him feel…good. Sometimes even excited. At first, he had been annoyed. He tried to deny the truth about who was leaving him these things and act like he didn’t care about any of them, but the truth was he did. He liked walking into his apartment and finding a new present waiting for him. He liked the anticipation he felt as he reached into the bag or box to find out what was inside. A lot of the stuff, he still hadn’t even used, but when he got into his town car or worked on his book, a slight thrill would go through him.
The thrill of knowing that Armand was thinking about him.
He wasn’t stupid. Daniel knew he was attracted to Armand, almost everyone was, but he hadn’t expected this kind of effect. Whenever his mind wandered, his thoughts turned to Armand. Whenever he had a free night, he thought about where he could be and what he could be doing.
He wanted to know if Armand was thinking of him, too.
In his mind, the gifts were proof that he was. Too many things were given to him for it to be nothing more than a passing thought or idea. Daniel was as prominent in Armand’s thoughts as Armand was in his. At first, he wanted to blame the maker bond, but he quickly stopped fooling himself. He wanted Armand. Wanted to know him, to learn about him, to see what he was.
This was why he was here now, using the corner of his book to hold the lid of his casket open just so, remembering what Armand had told him about when he went to Louis that night and saved him from the crypt. He listened closely, waiting for the almost eery silence that could only exist from Armand’s mind, and played dead, keeping his eyes closed and his breathing slow. At the first sound of footsteps creeping across the floor, Daniel charged.
They fell to the ground with an echoing thump before their bodies rolled in circles, wrestling one another into a millisecond submission before the other gained the upper hand. Sharp claws slashed skin as firm muscles pushed against the other’s pull until Daniel lay flushed and breathless on his floor, Armand straddling his legs as he held his arms above his head, his eyes wide and bright as he panted over Daniel’s face.
“Well played,” Armand said, his voice cooly calm. “But remember that you are still just a fledgling,”
Daniel wants to say something back, but instead, all he can do is stare up into Armand’s eyes and think about how familiar this is. In the back of his mind, he knows that this has happened before. He can remember clearly lying on the floor, staring up at Armand and being overwhelmed with a need to stay in that moment forever, even though it was impossible. He wants to ask about it, he wants to argue about it, he wants to say anything, but – but all he can think to do is raise his head and kiss him.
Armand’s lips are soft, smooth skin unsullied by cracks or dryness, and his body feels warm to him. He wondered if it had been done before because he knew that he knew this body. He knows Armand’s body and how his skin feels under his hands, how his breath shudders as Daniel kisses over his skin, and how his voice sounds as he gasps his name.
They part slowly, their lips lingering as their eyes meet again, and Daniel watches as an array of emotions flicker across Armand’s face. From shock to worry before finally resting on his usual plain mask.
“Daniel, I –,” Armand cleared his throat as his voice trembled. He licked his lips and tried again, only to fail as the words got caught. “I –,” Armand shook his head. He bit his lip and continued to stare, his hands starting to shake where they held Daniel in place, until with a whispered curse he allowed himself to fall over Daniel’s body and kiss him deeply, his tongue slipping between his lips as he rolled onto his back and pulled Daniel on top of him.
Daniel watched as Armand stepped out of the ensuite, pausing to throw his damp towel into the nearby basket, his wild curls mostly dry. He walked back to the casket and slumped his body over Daniel’s, ignoring the surprised grunt slipping from Daniel’s lips at his sudden weight. Daniel shifted beneath him, adjusting himself until Armand’s head lay on his chest, his chin hooked on the top of Armand’s crown. He kissed his hair, the subtle scent of his shampoo clouding his senses, and wrapped his arm around his back.
He closed his eyes as Armand’s hand roamed over his still bare chest, tangling in his chest hair as he drew shapes with his fingers. All the marks they had left on each other’s skin were faded and gone, much to Daniel’s disappointment. He would have liked to see the hickeys and scratches linger on Armand’s body for a little while longer.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Daniel said, breaking the easy silence between them. “But why were you here?” He asked, frowning down at Armand as he turned his head to look up at him.
“I came to give you a gift,” Armand explained.
“Why?” Daniel asked.
Armand frowned. “What do you mean?” He said.
Daniel sighed. “All this…stuff,” He shrugged. He knocked on the wood of the casket, pushing his point further. “Since I got back you’ve been giving me all this stuff and I don’t understand why. I mean, I can’t see you, but you buy me a casket, clothes, a damn blood supply,”
“What’s wrong with that?” Armand asked.
“You don’t –,” Daniel groaned and ran his hand over his face. “Armand, that’s not a good thing. I thought you were gone. For good. I thought you had turned me and ran,”
Armand shook his head. “Why?” He asked. “I was merely preparing things for you,”
Daniel stuttered, trying to collect his thoughts, before closing his mouth again. He sighed and shook his head, letting it drop back onto the velvet cushion as Armand began circling one of his nipples with the tip of his finger, staring as his chest hair moved.
“Just,” He sighed again. “Just forget it. We’ll talk about it later,” He ran his hand up Armand’s back before rubbing circles between his shoulder blades. He kissed the top of his head as they settled back into silence.
“Oh!” Armand exclaimed suddenly. “That reminds me,” He returned to his feet and stumbled across the room. He fumbled through his things and returned to the casket, holding out an envelope for Daniel to take as he crawled inside.
Daniel frowned as he opened the envelope and scanned over the letter inside. Daniel was thrilled he was already dead because if he wasn’t, the contents might have killed him.
“Armand, what is this?” He said.
“An island, darling,” Armand said as he settled back on Daniel’s chest.
“Why did you buy me an island?”
Armand blinked. His eyes were owlish and soft as his lips pouted.
“Why not?”
Daniel closed his eyes and tried not to scream.