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Daniel is relaxing on his couch at about two in the morning when he hears Armand reenter the apartment through the open window behind him. Not too long ago he'd left to hunt down a suitable dinner and Daniel was once again annoyed that Armand didn't allow him to go with him and watch. But he's grown so used to the rejection of this ask that it isn't enough to ruin his night. And besides, the satisfied look on Armand's face, his flushed cheeks, and slightly plumper appearance more than makes up for it.
"Have a good meal?" Daniel asks with a smirk as Armand rounds the couch and settles in right beside Daniel. He slings his arm around Armand's shoulders and pulls him closer. Armand snuggles into the embrace and wraps his arms around Daniel's waist.
"Yes. Savory, but not overly so. Just what I was looking for."
"Good. And, uh, what did you do with… You know…" Daniel trails off. "I mean, you weren't gone that long."
"I conducted a proper cleanup. You needn't worry, beloved." Armand answers, removing one arm from Daniel and patting his pants pockets. He reaches into one and pulls out a pack of cigarettes that has a smear of blood on the top, no doubt from his victim. He offers it to Daniel. "He wanted you to have these." He says with a smile.
Daniel laughs and accepts the pack. "You're sick, you know?" He says with both amusement and lust.
"I know." Armand says, still grinning. "But can you say you're any different? I know you love it."
"Touché." Daniel opens the pack with his free hand just to find that only one cigarette remains. He frowns and flips the box around to show Armand. "Not very generous of him."
"Perhaps I should track him back down and ask if he has more."
Daniel laughs again, and this time so does Armand. Not a chuckle, but a real, loud laugh. Daniel loves Armand's laugh. It had almost scared him the first time he heard it out of pure shock. At that point he had known him for years yet never heard more than a light chuckle come from his mouth. But now, it fills his chest with a warm, bubbly feeling that makes him feel alive.
Daniel pulls the lone smoke from the pack and places it between his lips. He looks at Armand expectantly.
"Do you need something, Daniel?" Armand asks with a painfully fake oblivious expression. He knows damn well what Daniel needs, he just likes making him ask.
"Will you light it for me?" He says around the cigarette, making the words come out slightly muffled.
Armand doesn't respond. Instead, he looks at the tip and it spontaneously lights. Daniel shivers at the casual display of Armand's power. It always makes his head spin when Armand flexes his gifts, no matter how minute. He takes a long drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs, relishing in the head rush, and savoring the feeling of nicotine entering his system. After expelling the smoke, he takes it from his lips and offers it to Armand, who accepts it and takes a drag of his own.
"What is this like for you?" Daniel asks, watching his lover intently. The way his lips wrap around the filter, how his chest rises with the inhale, his long, beautiful fingers pinching the cigarette… He wishes he had a camera on him.
"Smoking?" Armand asks as he blows out the puff of smoke. Daniel nods.
"I'm unaffected by the nicotine when I take it this way, so that element is pointless for me. But I like the feeling of the smoke itself. It's a similar burning sensation to what you feel, but it's more potent, if that makes sense. I can feel every individual particle of smoke swirling inside my lungs and throat. I also imagine the feeling is enhanced because my lungs are permanently untouched by tobacco smoke, since I never had any in my mortal lifetime."
Armand taps the cigarette to knock loose the large chunk of ash accumulating at the tip. He doesn't bother holding it over the ashtray on the coffee table since that would require extracting himself from Daniel, so the ash falls to the floor in front of them. At least Daniel doesn't have carpet.
"Wait, seriously? Never?"
"Never. Tobacco was not widely available in Europe until decades after my turning, so I never had the opportunity to try it as a human." Armand says, taking another deep drag before passing it back to Daniel. The filter is now slightly dampened with Armand's spit and probably a little of his victim's blood too, if any still lingers in his mouth. That really shouldn't get Daniel going. But like Armand pointed out, he's a sick fuck, so he embraces it.
They continue passing the cigarette back and forth between them, talking about everything and nothing. Daniel tells Armand about the article he's working on and how his boss keeps nitpicking the tiniest details which is getting annoying. Armand offers to kill the guy for him, which makes Daniel laugh. He doesn't take him up on his offer though, since the guy really isn't that bad and is ultimately one of the better bosses he's had. Armand shrugs then begins his own tangent on the newest piece of technology that's captured his interest and Daniel listens intently. He'd listen to Armand talk about anything just to hear his voice.
Far too soon, the cigarette is almost entirely gone. There's just enough left for one more drag. Daniel passes it to Armand for him to have the last puff. Armand places the smoke between his lips for the final time and inhales long and deep. He holds his breath as he leans forward and extinguishes the smoldering butt in the amber colored ashtray. He then turns to Daniel, grabs his jaw with one hand, forcing his mouth open, and connects their lips in a very wide, open-mouthed kiss. He finally exhales and shotguns the smoke directly into Daniel's mouth. Daniel moans in response and accepts it gratefully, pulling it directly from Armand's lungs into his own. He lets the it simmer for just a moment before blowing it out through his nose and continuing to kiss Armand with heat and intensity.
They pull apart after some time, both breathless and flushed. Daniel glances at the spent cigarette in the ashtray and immediately wishes he had more. He has just one left in his own pack and hadn't been able to will himself to go to the store before Armand showed up, at which point he got distracted. When he looks back to Armand, he's smiling at him softly, appearing deeply lost in thought.
"You want a hit?" Daniel asks, tilting his head back and baring his neck. He hears Armand's fangs descend from his gums. Daniel realized recently that he's developed a Pavlovian response to this sound, instantly feeling aroused when he hears it. It's only another moment before Armand is sinking his fangs into Daniel's neck. Daniel groans softly and allows his eyes to fall shut as he reaches around to hold Armand's head against his neck, fingers resting in his soft curls.
Armand pulls away too soon for Daniel's liking. He heals the wounds with a quick prick and swipe of his finger before returning to his previous spot wrapped around Daniel, humming contentedly.
Daniel takes this opportunity to admire his lover's beauty. How starkly he contrasts the messy atmosphere of the apartment and how somehow flattering the yellowy hue of the overhead light looks on him. He's surrounded by the smoke still lingering in the air, unable to escape since Armand closed the window and this place has always had poor circulation. It seems to contour around his body, not simply lingering around him in a large puff but swirling around him in an almost ethereal way. Or maybe that's just Daniel overly romanticizing his perception of Armand. Daniel truly thinks there is no situation in which Armand wouldn't look beautiful. He could be wearing torn rags in a dusty dirty cellar and Daniel would still find him the most attractive person alive. Or dead.
Armand looks up at him with a knowing smile on his face, probably having heard all those thoughts just now. Daniel doesn't shy away, though. He smiles back, holding Armand closer and settling further into the couch.
"Can we pick up some more smokes? I only have one left and your friend from earlier didn't give me much to work with."
"Of course. But what a tragedy that we will have to share one yet again."
Daniel chuckles. "Totally." He reaches into the pocket of his jacket which is flung over the back of the couch and pulls his own crumpled pack of cigarettes out. Armand lights up the cigarette again as they relax even further, knowing full well neither of them are going to want to get up any time soon to go get more. Though Daniel thinks they may be able to make this one last, as long as they keep shotgunning. It might not be so bad after all.