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A gentle warm rain falls quietly as Armand finishes draining their shared meal. Daniel waits for the body to drop before he asks: “What are we doing here?”
“We are hunting, Daniel,” Armand says without looking up, red dripping from his mouth onto the fresh kill. A surprisingly messy meal for him.
“No, I get that,” Daniel says as he wipes his own mouth clean with a sleeve. “I mean, what are you and me doing? Just pretending everything’s fine?”
Amber eyes meet his. “Everything is fine.”
Daniel huffs a laugh, kicks his shoe in the dirt. “See, I don’t think it is. C’mon this entire hunt you’ve not talked to me once.” He doesn’t know where he got the courage to say all this, but now that he’s started, words can’t seem to stop tumbling out. Armand’s shoulders raise.
“What do you want me to say?” He snaps. Daniel knows he’s hit a nerve. Something about Armand’s tone just pisses him off further. He decides to give as good as he gets:
“Gee, Daniel, I’m so happy to see you. Daniel, I’m so glad you’re not mad anymore.”
Armand’s voice softens, “You weren’t mad—“
“Yeah, I was,” Daniel cuts him off. “Fucking crazy actually. And now I’m not. Mostly. Anyway. The point is, what are we doing, huh? You asked me on this hunt and now you won’t even talk to me? So what exactly do you want from me because I’m getting some pretty mixed signals here, boss.”
The old affectionate sneaks out without Daniel intending. If anything, Armand only softens further.
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“Yeah, I know.” Daniel is starting to regret this conversation.
“Let me finish,” Armand says, hands raised as if asking for peace. “I don’t want anything from you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”
It’s everything Daniel’s wanted to hear for years but yet it doesn’t change the fact: “You have the kids. You don’t need me.”
“I always need you, beloved.” And, see, the thing is, Armand looks so earnest saying those words. Almost like he believes them. Plus Daniel’s always been weak for a well-placed ‘beloved.’ He’s not falling for it so quickly.
“Have a funny way of showing it. Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?”
“It is inevitable that fledgl—“
“—lings will grow to hate their maker.” Daniel’s heard this tale before. “Yeah, yeah, I got that. But here’s the thing: you left me, boss.”
“I couldn’t be left again,” Armand says, barely above a whisper. Hands clasp together as his right thumb stims across the other.
“What?” Daniel must have misheard. No way his maker is being this forthcoming with him.
“Louis. Lestat. Marius,” Armand entones. I am always the one who gets left. I couldn’t stand by and let it happen to me again. Not by you.” It might be the most honest Armand has ever been with him. And all it took was decades apart.
“Babe, you could’ve just talked to me.” Boss, babe, half an hour with Armand and Daniel’s slipping back into old habits.
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Sometimes it is,” Daniel says. Guess it’s his turn to be honest. “You know I need you too.”
“I know now, my darling boy. My first born.” And doesn’t that never cease to make Daniel go all gooey inside? A gentle smile overtakes Armand’s face before it falls again, a dark shadow passing over his features once again.
“What is it?”
“Do you think what happened to you was my fault? Because I left?” Ah. Daniel wondered when they’d finally have to talk about this.
“I mean, I’m sure getting news of your suicide attempt didn’t help matters, but nah. I’ve always been one screw short, wouldn't you say?” Lighten it with humor, the Daniel Molloy way. At least Armand also looks lighter for it. Amber eyes find his again and Daniel knows his must be matching by now.
“I don’t know,” Armand says, that gentle smile returning to his face. “ A human falling in love with a vampire is a little crazy.”
Daniel smirks. “But I’m not human anymore.”
“Mm,” Armand stalks closer to him, the distance slowly closing between them for the first time since they started hunting, since they both arrived at the chateau. “And are you still?”
“Still what? Crazy? I thought we established this.”
“No,” Armand breathes. “Are you still in love with a vampire?”
He's barely finished the question before lips capture his in a searing kiss. Their bond roars to life as maker and fledgling reunite after so much time spent apart. Daniel’s tongue explores Armand’s mouth as both sets of hands wind their way into dark and grey curls. Kisses turn bloody as Armand nicks Daniel’s bottom lip, blood from their hunt flooding both of their mouths. They taste each other as much as they do their last meal.
“How’s that for an answer, boss?”