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Daniel found his excitement about sunwalking waning as the sun rose above the city. His fear of it was exacerbated by his memories of Louis after he ran from the apartment on Divisadero Street. He really didn’t want to end up like that.
Worse still, Armand had vanished a few hours before, and hadn’t told Daniel where he was going. Or when he'd be back. If he was going to come back. Daniel felt ridiculous for worrying every time Armand left, but it was instinctual; it set his teeth on edge. Must be something to do with the bond.
He whipped around when he heard quiet footsteps behind him; relief flooded him when he saw Armand standing in the doorway. Armand pulled off his coat, threw it over the back of a chair, and set a round, white container on the nightstand.
“It took you three hours to find whatever that is? Seriously?” Daniel asked, gesturing at the small tub. “It is zinc oxide; you will be glad for it later,” Armand responded, walking over to lean against the desk Daniel was sitting at.
Daniel sighed, “So, when are we starting?” Armand glanced over his shoulder, out of the window. “We can start whenever you want, Daniel. Though, it would likely be best to begin before the sun fully rises; you will acclimate more easily that way.”
Daniel nodded, forcing himself to stand from the chair, doing his best to pretend he wasn’t freaking out. “How are we doing this, then? I stand outside and hope the sun doesn’t obliterate me?”
Armand huffed, glaring at Daniel out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t let anything happen to you, and we’ll start small. I’m hardly going to throw you outside into the sun by yourself.”
“That sounds exactly like something you would do, actually.” Armand sighed again, and Daniel could picture him rolling his eyes dramatically. The image made him chuckle, and Armand pushed himself away from the desk. “We may as well get started; there’s no use in wasting time.”
Daniel's chair spun away from the desk and moved towards the window. “Don’t fucking do that, Armand!” He yelled, jumping from the chair with vampiric speed. He scowled as Armand pursed his lips in an obvious attempt to keep from laughing.
He pulled Daniel over to the window by his wrist, and Daniel’s instincts were screaming at him to run away and hide somewhere dark. Under the bed. Inside the closet. The windowless hallway, even. Nonetheless, he let himself be led over to the window, watching anxiously as Armand pushed it open and stuck his hand out, appearing as though he were checking the temperature of bathwater.
Satisfied, he pulled back, stepping closer to where Daniel had positioned himself against the wall. He drew one nail along his wrist, effortlessly opening the flesh, and held it out to Daniel.
Everything in Daniel screamed at him to latch onto it, but he refused, pressing himself closer to the wall. “You must drink, Daniel. It won’t work otherwise,” Armand said, pushing his wrist even closer to Daniel’s face.
The blood had a distinctive tangy-sweet scent, and Daniel felt his fangs extend, pressing into his lower lip. “Well, go and get a glass or something; I’m not drinking it from your wrist.”
“And why not? It’s just like drinking from anyone else, Daniel.” Armand dropped his arm back to his side, the blood sliding down the palm of his hand and along his fingers, dripping steadily to the floor. It took Daniel a great deal of effort to tear his eyes away and look at Armand’s face. The sound of the blood hitting the floor, the smell of it permeating the air, was enough to drive him near insanity. “We both know that isn’t true. It’s,” Daniel paused, trying to find the right word, “Intimate. Put it in a glass, or I’m not drinking it.”
The look on Armand’s face, gaze cast to the floor, eyebrows slightly furrowed and the corners of his lips downturned, was almost enough for Daniel to take his decision back. In a moment, the expression was gone, covered by careful neutrality as Armand turned towards the small kitchen area of their hotel room. Daniel leaned back against the wall, refusing to react to the display of emotion; it had to be a manipulation, it always was. Just like that ‘accidental’ confession of love after they’d both left one of Lestat’s concerts. Nothing Armand did was ever really an accident; it was all calculated and planned out.
He watched closely as Armand reopened the slice on his wrist, holding it over a glass and letting the blood pour into it. When it was almost full, he carried it back to where Daniel stood and handed it to him. Daniel stared into it for a moment; he wasn’t sure why he was suspicious of it. He’d watched Armand pour it.
He took a cautious sip and heard Armand scoff at him, “It isn’t poison, Daniel.” He glared at Armand over the rim of the glass before downing the rest of the blood in one go. He regretted it once the taste was gone, wishing he had savored it, even just a little bit.
Armand stood from the chair, retrieving the tub of zinc oxide he’d brought back earlier and making his way over to Daniel. “Give me your hand,” He said, holding one of his own hands out. Daniel obeyed almost immediately, placing his hand palm-down on top of Armand’s.
Armand opened the tub with his mind, levitating it into the air next to their joined hands. He dipped two of his fingers into the cream, applying it gently to the back of Daniel’s hand until it was completely covered. He continued his ministrations, rotating Daniel’s hand and checking it over to make sure it was completely covered.
When he was satisfied, he levitated the tub onto the desk and pulled Daniel towards the open window by his wrist. “Whoa, hang on a second, doesn’t that need to soak in first? I’m just assuming it’s some sort of sunscreen since you haven’t actually told me anything.”
“It acts like a physical barrier between the sun and your skin. It does not block the light entirely, but it will help,” Armand replied, tugging him more insistently towards the window.
“There’s gotta be a better solution than this. What are we gonna do when I go outside for real? Slather my entire body in this stuff?”
Armand frowned at him. “No, of course not- only the skin which isn’t covered by clothing.”
“That includes my face, Armand. I can’t go out looking like I’m wearing the world’s shittiest goth makeup. And how come you don’t have to wear this stuff, anyway?” Armand had stopped tugging at him and was looking at him with a deadpan expression. “I Don’t have to wear it because I have been sunwalking longer than you’ve been alive. Besides, I won’t take you anywhere people are present until you no longer require it.”
Daniel sighed, but ultimately the explanation made sense, so he let Armand drag him towards the window. He felt his nerves spike again as Armand pushed his fingers towards the sunlight. The way Louis had described the feeling, like burning and being turned to dust at the same time, played in the back of his mind.
He squeezed his eyes shut as his fingertips crossed into the light. The sizzling began almost immediately, and he yanked his hand back, holding it protectively against his chest.
“What the fuck, Armand? You said that wouldn’t happen!”
“It is because of your fear. You need to calm yourself in order for it to work,” Armand said, having the gall to look annoyed. “You didn’t fucking tell me that. And how am I supposed to not panic? It’s this instinctual thing; every time my brain sees sunlight, it tells me to run in the opposite direction.”
Armand sighed and gripped Daniel’s wrist again, pulling him back towards the light. “I can hear your heartbeat; it’s too fast. Relax, I will not allow any real harm to come to you.”
Daniel didn’t really believe the words, but he took a few deep breaths anyway, hoping that it would slow his racing heart. When his fingertips crossed the threshold into the light, the sizzling did not start again, and Armand pulled him closer to the window.
He watched the light bounce off his fingers, felt its warmth, and was overwhelmed with panic. Almost immediately, his fingers began to burn, and Armand released him. He snatched his hand back once again, this time backing away from the window entirely.
“This really isn’t working. Even with this crap on me, I’m just burning,” Daniel insisted, holding his slightly charred fingers out to Armand. “I told you not to panic. As soon as you believe the sun will burn you, that is exactly what happens.”
Armand reached out to take his wrist once again, and Daniel flinched away, not wanting to experience the horrible sensation of his flesh burning away again. Armand sighed at him, “I’ll give you more blood, and reapply the zinc oxide, and then we can try again.”
“Armand, it isn’t working! I’m just gonna keep burning myself.” Armand had moved over to the desk and started refilling the glass with his blood as Daniel spoke. “Are you listening to me right now? It isn’t fucking working!”
Armand turned to glare at him, “You wished for me to teach you this; if you would only do as I say and cease your mindless panicking, you might actually succeed.” He pressed the glass into Daniel’s hand, and Daniel drank it as quickly as possible. His skin began to feel better almost immediately.
He watched as Armand covered the damaged skin with an even thicker layer of the zinc oxide. He found that when he was dragged over to the window for the third time, he felt far less panic than before. He stared at the wall as he was pulled forward, resolutely avoiding letting his eyes dart over to the window.
“Look, Daniel,” Armand said quietly. When Daniel looked at him, his eyes were fixed downwards towards the patch of light streaming in through the window. Daniel followed his gaze, startled when he saw his entire hand submerged in the light, and no burning or sizzling or charring. He was hypnotized by the sight. He hadn’t thought he’d ever see the sun again. Not that he’d particularly missed it.
The heat was seeping into his skin quickly, much more quickly than it would have had he still been mortal. But it wasn’t burning; that was the main thing- it didn’t burn. Still, he pulled his hand back into the dark, letting out a breath of relief. Armand was smiling at him. “What did I tell you?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What’s next?” He wondered just how quickly he could get to actual sunwalking. Maybe it would be a lot faster than he’d thought. “Next, you need your sleep. You’re still only a fledgling, Daniel; it’s not good for you to be up this late in the day.”
Daniel rolled his eyes dramatically. “Come on, the Sun is barely even up; it’s still morning.”
“The time is of no consequence. You won’t heal properly if you neglect sleep, and then we shan’t be able to make any more progress tomorrow.”
The next few weeks passed in much the same manner, Armand making the layers of zinc oxide progressively thinner every couple of days. Armand had seemed pleased with the speed of progress, but Daniel was beginning to feel restless. Everything just seemed to be going so slowly, and he spent most of his time cooped up in the hotel room. Armand hardly let him leave, too worried something would happen to him. Why he was acting like this now, Daniel wasn’t sure, considering he’d abandoned Daniel completely after turning him and then not shown his face for the first three years of Daniel’s vampire toddlerhood.
Armand had left the hotel room again, and Daniel was bored. He considered the quickly rising sun and wondered what would happen if he stuck his hand out into the light without any protection. What was the worst that could happen? A few surface-level burns were nothing a dose of Armand’s seemingly magical blood couldn’t fix.
He stared at the brightening patch on the floor and stood from the bed, cautiously making his way towards it. His brain urged him to stick his hand into it, just to see; it would stave off the boredom, that was for sure.
He raised his hand in front of himself, a mere couple of inches away from the light. Not allowing himself to think about it any further, he thrust his hand forwards, straight into the light. It stung a little, but didn’t produce any visible burns or charring.
He held his hand there, watching as smoke slowly rose from his skin. The sight was mesmerizing, like something out of a movie. Or an acid trip, depending on who you ask. He turned his hand over, watching smoke begin to rise from his palm too.
He didn’t register the presence in the room until hands were clasped around his shoulders, dragging him back from the window. “Daniel, what do you think you’re doing!? You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Armand clamped a hand around his wrist, dragging him towards the sink. He turned the faucet on and pushed Daniel’s hand under the cool stream. Daniel wanted to be annoyed, but the cold water was a relief to his burnt skin. He took a moment to examine the damage; most of his hand had turned an alarming shade of red, with one area covered in blisters. It hadn’t felt nearly that bad when he’d had his hand in the light; it had barely hurt at all.
He turned to look at Armand, only to find him leaning over the counter, letting blood run from his wrist into a pasta bowl. Daniel frowned at the sight; every other time he’d drunk Armand’s blood, it had been from a glass. He’s not about to sit down and eat it with a spoon like some sort of fucked up tomato soup.
Armand waited for the skin to close before he shifted from the countertop, turning to retrieve whatever he’d dropped at the door when he’d come in. Daniel reached over with his uninjured hand and picked up the bowl; drinking from it proved awkward, with some of the blood spilling from the side of the bowl and running down his chin.
“Daniel,” Armand’s voice sounded from somewhere behind him; he sounded exasperated. It took all of Daniel’s willpower to pull the bowl away from his lips and turn towards the voice, but miraculously, he managed it. “Yeah?”
“That isn’t for drinking,” Armand said, pulling the now half-empty bowl from Daniel’s hand and placing it back on the countertop. He huffed when he got a good look at Daniel’s face, no doubt smeared in blood. “Must you be such a messy eater?” The fond tone in Armand’s voice made Daniel’s stomach flip pleasantly, and he stood still in front of the sink with little idea of what to do with himself.
Armand let a small smile slip onto his face and shooed Daniel away from the sink. He turned on the hot water, letting it run over his fingers until he was satisfied with the temperature, then ran a dish towel under it.
He wrung it out into the sink, then moved towards Daniel, clasping one hand around the back of his neck and wiping his face gently. Daniel froze, watching Armand with rapt attention; thankfully, Armand didn’t seem to notice, focused as he was.
When he was done, he tossed the dish towel into the sink. “Much better,” he muttered, seemingly to himself, turning to refill the bowl.
Daniel stood where Armand had left him, feeling like his entire face was on fire. He really hoped it wasn’t possible for vampires to blush.
Armand turned when the bowl was refilled, pulling Daniel toward the counter and plunging his injured hand into it. The blood caused his skin to tingle strangely, almost itching. He tried to pull his hand away, but Armand held him firmly. “Just leave it for a minute, Daniel.”
He did so almost immediately. He wasn’t sure why he submitted to Armand’s instructions and manhandling so easily. Not that there was much he could do about Armand dragging him around, but he didn’t even really protest any of it.
“Why is it so uncomfortable? It’s like a bunch of insects crawling all over me, and it's weirdly tingly.”
“Vivid imagery as always,” Armand said, shooting Daniel another fond look. “Well, that’s what it feels like, thousands of tiny legs,” Daniel said, staring into the bowl.
Armand let a laugh slip through his lips, silky and smooth, and Daniel found himself smiling, the sound making the room feel a few degrees warmer. “Just let me know when the feeling stops,” Armand replied.
He kept staring into the bowl, moving his fingers slightly and causing ripples in the blood. As he stared at it, he felt his fangs slip out, the desire to drink it overpowering.
“Alright, it’s good now, I think,” He said once the tingling had stopped, glancing over at Armand. It took a moment for the hand around his wrist to release its grip, and when he removed his hand from the bowl, the pain had vanished.
He made his way quickly over to the sink, rinsing his hand off and marveling at the completely repaired skin. He turned his hand over, staring at it disbelievingly.
“Am I hallucinating?” He breathed, holding his hand up skeptically. “No, you aren’t. Healing is simply a property of powerful enough blood. It will work better on you, as I am your maker.”
Armand lifted his hand, checking over every inch of the skin. As annoying as Armand’s overbearing approach to being his maker had been, it felt nice to have someone fuss over him.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” He asked when Armand finally released his newly healed hand. “We’re going to go up to the roof; I’ll explain further when we get there.”
Daniel nodded, following Armand silently out of the room. He hoped he’d get to go outside properly. That’s the part he’d really been looking forward to, proper sunwalking, not just sticking his hand out a window and seeing how long it took to start smoking.
Daniel zipped up the stairs to the rooftop at vampiric speed, arriving before Armand. Once they were both standing in front of the door, Armand pulled another tub of that zinc oxide cream out of his coat pocket. Daniel stared at it in dismay; the thought of having his face, neck, and hands covered in it was unpleasant at best.
By the time Armand had finished applying the cream to his face and neck, Daniel was beginning to feel anxiety creep in. His heart rate picked up, and he hoped Armand wasn’t listening in for it.
As Armand applied the cream to his hands, Daniel was working himself into another panic and doing his best to disguise it. Armand handed him a sweater and waited for Daniel to put it on before pulling up the hood. He then placed a pair of sunglasses delicately on Daniel’s face.
“It is vital you remain calm, Daniel. You cannot panic, do you understand?” Armand was staring at him, hands clasped around Daniel’s shoulders. “Yeah, I get it. Don’t panic, or I’ll die. No pressure.”
“You will not die, Daniel.” He could practically hear the eye roll in Armand’s voice, even as his face remained perfectly still.
Daniel heard the rooftop door unlock and felt another spike of fear run through him. He took a few deep breaths, watching as Armand slowly pushed the door open with his mind.
He froze, staring at the light spilling onto the concrete floor. His feet were rooted completely to the spot. He heard Armand sigh behind him, and then there was a hand on his back, pushing him forwards into the light.
He felt himself resist on instinct, but he wasn’t any match for Armand, and was shoved out into the light with little effort.
Panic seized him, increasing tenfold when he heard the door shut behind him. As soon as the panic hit, so did the burning. It was far worse than his hand, the all-encompassing feeling of being cooked alive causing him to yell and whirl around to slam his hands against the metal door.
He felt the metal give way beneath his hands, but the door didn’t budge. “Armand! Let me back in!” he slammed his hand against it again. “Dammit, Armand!” He wailed, terrified that his maker was intentionally trying to kill him. Less than a second later, the door was yanked open, and he was sprawled against the concrete.
He heard the sound of the door slamming shut, and then Armand was dragging him up from the ground. The points of contact hurt, even through his clothes, and he groaned.
“Daniel? Are you alright?” Armand’s hands tightened around Daniel’s arms as he spoke, intensifying the pain. The question sparked anger in Daniel, and he yanked himself away from Armand, accidentally slamming into the opposite wall.
“No, I’m not fucking okay! You locked me outside in the sun- what the fuck is wrong with you!?” Tears welled in his eyes, and he stared up at the ceiling to force them back. He’d really believed for a moment that Armand was trying to kill him, and somehow that was worse than the blistering sunburns.
When he had calmed down enough, he stood from where he had been leaning against the wall, his gaze trailing towards Armand. He was still standing in the same spot, arms hanging limply at his sides, an expression of utter helplessness on his face.
Daniel felt the bond tugging him toward Armand, his instincts telling him he was hurt and that his maker would fix it. He remained rooted to the spot for a few moments before realizing he was powerless to resist the urge. He took two steps forward and let himself sag against Armand, resting his full weight against him.
He felt Armand go completely rigid, then his arms wrapped around Daniel. One arm wound its way around his waist tightly, and the other draped itself across his shoulder, the hand coming to rest on the back of his head. “You’re alright,” Armand whispered, his hand stroking Daniel’s hair gently, “Let’s go back downstairs, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Daniel replied, nodding against Armand. He felt overcome with exhaustion suddenly and was grateful when Armand kept an arm around him as they walked back.
Once they were back in the room, Armand sat him on the edge of the bed, standing up and letting go of Daniel almost immediately. Daniel gripped Armand’s coat tightly, feeling his nails tear into the fabric.
“Daniel- Daniel, look at me,” Armand urged, one hand gripping Daniel’s chin and tilting his head up to look at Armand. “I will be back momentarily; I’m going to retrieve a washcloth and some water.”
Then Armand released Daniel’s chin and pulled his coat free, removing it and slinging it over the back of one of the chairs. He slipped into the en suite, out of sight, and Daniel’s mind began racing, his subconscious trying to convince him that Armand somehow wouldn’t come back, even as Daniel could hear his movements on the other side of the door.
He did come back, of course, holding a washcloth and a bowl of steaming water. He crouched in front of Daniel and set the bowl on the floor with a gentle clink. He removed the sunglasses from Daniel’s face, something like relief taking over his features.
The look morphed, when he began wiping the zinc oxide from Daniel’s face, into a pained grimace. “That bad, huh?” Daniel questioned weakly, still feeling like he might pass out. “No, nothing that can’t be healed. You’ll be perfectly fine in a few days.”
“You sure about that? You look borderline disturbed, and that says a lot considering you’re an eldritch horror.”
Armand’s smile was slightly wobbly at the edges, and quickly dissolved. He dropped the washcloth onto the bed and covered his eyes with one hand, the other bracing against Daniel’s knee.
Daniel froze, not sure how to respond to the display of emotion. He simply stared silently at Armand, waiting for him to collect himself and wishing he could help.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. I never intended-”
“Hey, Armand, it’s fine. I’m not, you know, dead or anything.”
The words had the opposite effect Daniel wanted; Armand seemed to shrink in on himself, his shoulders shaking. He took a deep, shuddering breath, straightening himself up and clutching the washcloth in his hand once again.
Daniel felt a stab of pain, entirely separate from his injuries, at the sight of the bloody tear tracks on Armand’s face. “Really, Armand, it's fine. You said yourself, it’ll heal.” He reached a hand up to squeeze Armand’s shoulder.
“It is not ‘fine’! I have failed in being your maker at every turn!” Armand tossed the washcloth down again, standing from his position on the floor and turning away from Daniel. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed; something about the action made him seem like a lost child, and Daniel found himself once again frozen.
It was obvious that whatever this particular breakdown was had been simmering unacknowledged for a while. And sure, Armand had fucked up the first few years, but it could hardly be called failing at every turn. He’d managed to keep Daniel alive and, up until this point, relatively unharmed.
He forced himself to stand from the bed, despite not really knowing what to do, and took a few steps towards Armand. He hesitated only a moment before crossing the remaining distance between them, wrapping an arm around Armand’s shoulders and reeling him in to a tight embrace.
Armand’s hands fisted tightly into his T-shirt, and he slumped against Daniel, still letting out an occasional sniffle. Daniel rubbed a hand up and down his back until the worst of the shaking subsided, and then he leaned back, just enough to look at Armand’s face. It was smeared with blood, and Daniel was sure his t-shirt was thoroughly ruined.
“You haven’t failed,” he started. Armand simply stared at him uncomprehendingly, blood tears still dripping down his face. “Sure, the first few years were rough-” Armand interrupted him with a weak scoff, turning his eyes away from Daniel’s face and looking at some point past his shoulder. “-But you’re here now; you’ve managed to keep me alive, you’re teaching me new vampire skills. I’d say you’re doing alright, Armand.”
His eyes returned to Daniel’s face for a moment, staring into his eyes, his very soul, as though looking for something. He sighed, gaze dropping down, his face taking on a pained expression once again. “I am sorry I left after turning you. It was cowardly of me; I couldn’t face what I’d done, what I’d turned you into.”
“I mean, I basically turned out fine, and being a vampire is fucking great, by the way. You and Louis were bullshitting when you called it a curse. And I forgive you, and all that. For leaving.” Daniel replied, running his hands up and down Armand’s arms in an effort to be reassuring. “You- really?” Armand asked, staring at Daniel with narrowed eyes, as though suspicious. Daniel nodded in response, pulling Armand back into his arms. They stood like that for a moment before Armand pulled himself from Daniel’s embrace.
“You should feed; I’ll fetch a glass,” He said, wiping his face with both hands. Daniel caught him by the wrist before he could get any further, “Nah, don’t bother.”
Armand’s eyebrows furrowed, “You’ll heal much faster with my blood.” He took a deep breath, “If it displeases you, however, I shall find someone else.” The words sounded forced, as though the mere thought pained him.
“I mean, don’t bother with the glass,” Daniel said, keeping his grip steady on Armand’s wrist. Armand’s head snapped up, eyes wide, “You mean-”
“Yeah, no use in having to wash a bunch of dishes we really don’t need to be using in the first place, right?”
“If you’re only doing this to make me feel better, then-” Daniel almost felt bad for cutting Armand off again, “I’m not; it just makes more sense, yeah?” Armand nodded in response. “Yeah,” he replied, mimicking Daniel’s tone and stepping closer to him. Daniel let himself fall back onto the bed, looking up at Armand in something akin to awe.
Armand sliced into his wrist again, hesitating before holding it out. Daniel gripped Armand's forearm with both hands and felt his fangs extend at the scent of the blood. He paused for a moment before latching his mouth to the cut, drinking with more restraint than he thought himself capable of.
He had been right before, when he’d said it wasn’t the same as simply feeding on a human, that it was more intimate. The feeling of closeness between him and Armand, the bond warming and strengthening until their heartbeats synced up, was almost indescribable.
He forced himself to pull away, to lock eyes with Armand. They stared at each other for a moment, and then it passed, and Daniel moved to wriggle out of his jeans and lie down in bed.
He pulled the covers over himself and watched as Armand also got into bed, lying as far away from Daniel as physically possible. Just as Daniel had told him to on their first night here. The words, ‘get the fuck away from me’, seemed almost unthinkable now, a mere few weeks later.
He fought with himself for a moment before the words forced themselves out: “Come here?” He hated how it sounded like a question, his tone betraying his uncertainty. Armand stilled, before slowly, cautiously shuffling closer to Daniel.
He extended an arm in invitation, and Armand pillowed his head on Daniel’s chest, slinging an arm over his waist and tangling their legs together. Daniel sighed in contentment, wrapping his arm around Armand’s shoulders and tugging him impossibly closer.
If someone had told him three weeks ago that this was where he would be, he might have punched them. Now, it only seemed a natural progression of events, like something had finally clicked itself into place. In spite of the pain, he felt himself relax entirely for perhaps the first time since his turning.
When Daniel awoke the following night, the room was filled with the scent of blood. It pulled him from sleep more suddenly than he thought possible, and he pushed himself up to sit against the headboard.
When he looked around the room, he was surprised to see two people slouched against the door, both alive but with a rapidly spreading puddle of blood beneath them. The next thing he noticed was Armand, standing over the sink and methodically scrubbing his hands and arms.
“What are you doing?” He asked, voice scratchy with sleep. Armand pulled his arms from the sink and turned, “Daniel, you’re awake.” He gestured at the half-dead people on the floor, and they both stood, moving like particularly grotesque puppets to sit next to Daniel, “I brought you breakfast in bed.”
Daniel managed to tear his eyes away from the two people, casting his gaze back to Armand. He was covered in blood, his shirt and pants completely ruined, and bloodied water dripping down his arms and joining the puddle on the floor. “What the fuck happened?” Daniel asked, gesturing down at Armand’s clothes. Armand’s eyes tracked his movements, seemingly only just remembering the state he was in. “Ah, yes. Nothing to worry about, a small encounter with a young vampire.”
“Fuck. Are you, like, hurt or anything?” Daniel did his best to cloak his worry in an air of casualness. He didn’t think it was really working. “No, I disposed of him quite quickly.”
Daniel nodded, his eyes slipping back to the people sitting on the edge of the bed. He felt his fangs push their way out, pressing against the inside of his lower lip. He plunged his fangs into the neck of the person closest to him, shoving the body onto the ground unceremoniously when he was done, and moving to the next person.
Armand stared at him intently as he ate, completely unmoving. Daniel wondered why he was so hungry; usually draining two whole people would be more than enough, but he found himself drawn to the blood staining Armand’s clothes. His eyes locked onto it, and his fangs refused to retract.
“Are you still hungry? I can go and get another, if you’d like,” Armand offered, already moving to retrieve his coat from the back of the nearest chair. “Could I have some of yours?” Daniel blurted, “I mean, it’s good for healing, right? I think my skin’s still pretty fucked up.”
Armand nodded, a smile slipping onto his face. “Yes, of course.” He stalked over to the bed, sitting much too close to Daniel, pressing them together from knee to shoulder. Daniel stared at Armand’s neck for a moment, focusing enough to hear the blood rushing through his veins. He wanted desperately to sink his fangs into the delicate-looking flesh, but he resisted, lifting Armand’s wrist to his mouth instead.
The warm, tangy sweetness that filled Daniel’s mouth made him groan involuntarily, biting down harder. The motion drew a sharp breath from Armand, and Daniel felt him tense where they were pressed together.
A few more mouthfuls, and Daniel’s hunger was sated. He wanted to keep drinking regardless, but forced himself to pull away. Armand appeared slightly breathless, gazing at Daniel with half-lidded eyes, his lips parted the tiniest amount.
Daniel caught himself leaning forwards, and wasn’t really sure why. He stilled, tearing his eyes from Armand’s face and standing from the bed, just for the sake of putting distance between them, trying to diffuse whatever tension had permeated the air over the course of the previous few seconds.
“So, what are we doing today?” He asked, just for the sake of breaking the silence. He already knew what the answer would be.
“You are going to stay here; you must rest in order to recover properly. I have errands to run; I shan’t be more than a few hours,” Armand replied, standing from the bed and retrieving his coat, which still boasted Daniel’s claw marks from the previous night. He stared at the torn fabric in dismay, sighed, and tossed the coat back onto the chair.
Daniel wanted to protest Armand’s leaving. The boredom would kill him before Armand’s return, surely. But he remained silent as Armand left, simply sitting on the bed aimlessly for a few minutes before retrieving the TV remote and flicking to a shitty news channel. The annoyance it would inevitably bring him would provide a good enough distraction.
When Armand eventually returned hours later, he held only a single tube of some vaguely green-tinted gel. “Okay, no, there’s no way it took you multiple hours to find that,” Daniel said, gesturing at it.
“I told you I had errands to run; this-” he held the tube up, “was only one of them.” He placed it on the nightstand, positioning it in a way that allowed Daniel to read the label. Aloe Vera aftersun. “Okay. What else were you up to for the past four and three-quarter hours?”
“It is irrelevant,” Armand replied, waving a hand dismissively. “You know you have blood on you, right?” Danial asked.
“What?” Armand replied, turning his hands and arms over to check them, then moving on to his shirt, where Daniel had spotted the small red stain just below the collar. Armand took only a second to notice it; his eyes lingered on it for a split second before drifting away. “I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” He said, turning himself strategically so that Daniel could no longer see the stain.
“I really have no idea how you managed to lie to Louis for your entire relationship; you’re terrible at it,” Daniel said, laughing and moving to pick up the bottle of aftersun from the nightstand.
“I was informed that this ‘aftersun’ is useful for soothing sunburned skin,” Armand said, removing the bottle from where he’d placed it on the nightstand. Daniel laughed again, “Really smooth subject change there, babe.”
He froze. Where the fuck had that come from? He risked a glance at Armand, also frozen and staring at Daniel with wide eyes. “I mean- just- give me that,” He said, snatching the bottle of aftersun from Armand’s slackened grip.
He rushed into the en suite, locking the door behind him and placing the aftersun bottle onto the counter. Why the fuck had he said that? Armand had reminded him of someone; he couldn’t remember who. Someone he’d known when he was younger, maybe. He scrubbed his hands down his face, regretting it when the healing skin screamed in protest.
He turned and stared at himself in the mirror. His skin felt a lot better than it had yesterday, and he was guessing it looked better; most of the blistering he’d known was there seemed to be gone, though some lingered, and his entire face was an angry red.
He popped the cap of the bottle open, squeezing a generous amount of the aftersun onto his fingers. It felt cool against his skin, definitely soothing. Just like Armand had said.
He sighed in relief when the aftersun made contact with the skin on his face. He knew that was where the worst of the burns were, and was relieved the aftersun seemed to work.
After he finished applying it, he glanced at the locked door, feeling dread at the thought of facing Armand. It’s not like it would change anything; Armand wouldn’t really care; they’d just go back to normal. But something buried in the recesses of his mind told him that he had irrevocably changed something.
He stood, staring aimlessly at himself in the mirror, until the gel had completely dried in. He thought about applying another coat, just for an excuse not to re-enter the room. He didn’t; instead, he walked slowly toward the door, turned the lock, and pushed it open.
Armand had sat down in one of the chairs, his head lowered, staring at something clutched in his hands. As soon as Daniel stepped into his line of sight, Armand stuffed whatever he’d been holding into one of his coat pockets and stood from the chair. “Did that aftersun work?” He asked, smiling just a little too wide to be believable.
Daniel nodded, “Yeah, it works okay. I used, like, a bunch of it though, so if we’re gonna keep doing this, you’re gonna need to get more.” He wanted desperately to ask Armand about what he’d hidden in his coat pocket, but something held him back.
They whittled away a few hours with mindless talking, which eventually dissolved into Armand talking about the great conversion. Daniel tried relentlessly to redirect, and eventually managed to convince Armand to take him on a walk.
The air was cool, and they stuck to quieter parts of the city, on account of Daniel being covered head-to-toe in nasty-looking burns. The moment the sky began to lighten, Armand dragged him back to the room, insisting he needed to heal fully before he could go back into the sun. It was all a bit dramatic, really.
When Daniel woke the next morning, Armand was already gone. He sighed, pulling the comforter up and over his head. The boredom when Armand left was giving way to that all-too-familiar loneliness, and Daniel was annoyed with himself for being so clingy.
He chalked it up to the whole being abandoned thing; it had fucked with the bond, and now he felt like he had to be stuck to Armand all the time. It was fucking ridiculous. And he refused to bring it up to Armand. It would only upset him, knowing that Daniel was still fucked up about the past few years.
Daniel lay staring at the ceiling until he began to feel hungry, which made him far too restless to stay in bed. He thought about sneaking out, just for a quick bite, half an hour, tops. But then if Armand came back while he was out, or somehow figured out he’d left, the whole thing would cause more drama than it was worth.
He huffed and turned on the TV, leaving it on whatever channel was playing, and tossing the remote onto the bed. He paced the room aimlessly; his skin was feeling a lot better, still tender but nothing like the relentless itchy-fire feeling of the past few days. Another dose of Armand’s blood and he’d be good as new. God, he hoped Armand would be back soon.
He caught sight of Armand’s coat, left lying on the chair for the past two days, and his mind jumped to the previous night. He had wanted to know what Armand had hidden in the pocket, and couldn’t he now just check for himself?
He picked the coat up, stuffing his hand into one of the seemingly endless pockets. His fingers brushed against a cool metal chain, and he grasped it, pulling it out to reveal an intricately carved gold necklace. He dropped the coat back onto the chair and sat down on the bed.
He held the necklace up to eye level; he had never seen anything quite like it before. It was ridiculously large. He couldn’t really imagine anyone ever wearing it. And there was a small vial set into the gold, sealed from both sides. Unopenable without breaking the entire necklace. And was that blood inside? He tilted the necklace, watching as the liquid inside the vial moved. It was a deep red, and left a slight residue on the glass. Blood, definitely.
He ran the tip of a finger over the glass and felt the power emanating from the blood. He felt the bond light up and panicked, thinking Armand had returned. He dropped the necklace into his lap, breaking contact with the glass vial. As soon as he did, the bond calmed again, back to being almost undetectable.
He frowned, picking up the necklace again, and sure enough, as soon as he touched the glass and felt the power emanating through it, the bond responded. Why the fuck would Armand have a ridiculously gaudy gold necklace with a vial of his own blood in it? That was just weird. Unless he’d had it made for someone else. Louis?
Daniel startled when the door to the room opened, and he fumbled with the necklace for a moment, but caught it. Irrationally, he grasped the entire thing in one hand and hid it behind his back. Too late, Armand had seen it.
He was on Daniel in a second, wrenching his arm from behind his back. His grip loosened when he saw the necklace clutched in Daniel’s hand. “Where did you find this?” He whispered, gently prying the necklace from Daniel’s hand. Daniel put up no fight, feeling distinctly like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“In your coat pocket,” He responded hesitantly, eyes glued to the necklace where Armand had it clutched to his chest. “What is it, anyway? Where did you even get it?” He asked, unable to resist.
“It is an amulet; the vial contains a small amount of my blood. I had it made forty-four years ago,” Armand responded. Daniel couldn’t help but be surprised; usually Armand wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information.
“So what is it for? I mean, why put your blood in it?”
Armand glanced down at the necklace, then back at Daniel, “It is used for protection.” Daniel nodded; Armand definitely hadn’t gotten it for himself, then. A vial of his own blood for protection just didn’t make sense.
“Who was it for? Louis?” He asked, and Armand shook his head, “No, not Louis.”
Daniel frowned. Who else other than Louis? “Don’t ask me who I had it made for. You will not get an answer.” Figures, Daniel thought to himself, but kept his mouth shut for once.
Armand ran his thumb over the intricate design, obviously admiring it, despite the fact that he must have seen it thousands of times before. He paused for a moment before holding the necklace out to Daniel. “You can keep it, if you’d like. I have no need for it anymore, and you could wear it when you go out alone.”
Daniel took it slowly, holding it up by the chain once more. That definitely didn’t make sense; Armand had seemed pretty attached to it, and everyone knew he was Armand’s fledgling anyway. What difference would an amulet of his blood make? Although wasn’t it possible Armand wanted rid of it? Was it a reminder of something?
If Armand wanted to give it to him, though, Daniel wasn’t going to say no. He stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans, and Armand graced him with a small, pleased smile.
“Your skin is looking better,” Armand commented, doing a terrible job of subtly shifting the conversation. “Yeah, definitely feels better. I’m totally up for going in the Sun again,” Daniel responded. He had survived last time, after all, and hopefully Armand would refrain from locking him outside again.
“Well, I’d like for you to feed first. Then we can see how your skin is looking.”
Daniel groaned, flopping back onto the bed dramatically. He just wanted to do something that was at least moderately interesting; was that really so much to ask?
“Are we going hunting? It’s great, and all, when you bring people back here for me, but I really think I’m going stir crazy.” Armand smiled at him. “If you’d like, of course we can go hunting.”
Daniel was up from the bed in a second, pulling his jacket on while Armand laughed quietly at him. “Your enthusiasm never fails to amuse me.”
Daniel rolled his eyes at him, zipping off down the stairs and out to the alley beside the hotel. He jumped, startled to find Armand already standing there. Armand smiled at him, showing off his fangs, before turning on his heel and making his way toward the adjoining street. “Shall we?” He called over his shoulder, and Daniel was trailing after him happily a moment later.
Once they’d returned, and Armand had cleaned the blood from Daniel’s face, complaining half-heartedly about Daniel’s messy eating as he always did, the sun was well on its way to rising.
“You know, I’m still kind of hungry,” Daniel said, eyeing up Armand’s neck. He found himself craving the closeness and the warming of their bond that feeding from Armand always provided. He wondered if Armand felt it too. Probably, it would be kind of weird for it to be one-sided like that.
Armand made his way over to Daniel, where he was sitting in one of the chairs. Running a hand along it before moving to sit down. Daniel shuffled to one side as much as possible; the chair was spacious- a large leather armchair- but not spacious enough for two people. Armand was practically half in his lap. Daniel felt his heart rate spike, and hoped Armand couldn’t hear it.
He watched with rapt attention as Armand tipped his head to the side, exposing the long, sinuous line of his neck. Daniel felt himself surge forward without thought or control, and he sank his fangs smoothly into the side of Armand’s neck.
Immediately, the blood filled his mouth, the taste sweet, tangy, and familiar. Though the feeling was different. More intense, better than drinking from Armand’s wrist.
He felt a hand press against the back of his head, urging him on, so he bit down harder, eliciting one of those deliciously sharp gasps from Armand. The hand on the back of his head flexed, the fingers burying themselves in his hair and tugging gently. He allowed himself another few mouthfuls, and then pulled away.
Armand’s hand lingered for a moment, then slid slowly down to his neck, brushing his collarbone before drawing back entirely. Daniel found himself breathless, panting slightly, as his fangs slowly retracted. And as Armand stood, he had the urge to catch him around the waist, pull him back down. He didn’t, of course, remaining frozen while Armand moved to settle into the other chair.
He watched intently as the wounds on the side of Armand’s neck stitched themselves back together, unable to tear his eyes away until the sight of his maker's blood was hidden from him.
Armand picked up the book he’d been reading, something with a French title that Daniel couldn’t read. He’d never been very good at French in school. He knew he should do something else: pick up his phone and doomscroll, read any of the other books in the hotel room, switch on some mindless TV. But he didn’t; his eyes remained locked on Armand, and Armand continued to read.
He watched as Armand sat still as a statue, those long, elegant fingers turning a page every so often being the only movement he made. It mesmerized Daniel, and he lost all track of time; they could have sat there for eternity for all he cared.
Eventually, Armand raised his head from the book, his eyes, like liquid amber, fixing on Daniel. They scanned over his face, neck, hands, with a concentration that made Daniel want to squirm.
“If you’d like to try more sunwalking now, you may,” Armand said, already standing from his chair, placing the book on the desk, neglecting to mark his page. “Yeah, sounds good,” Daniel mumbled, grabbing his jacket and shrugging it on.
Armand grabbed the tub of zinc oxide and led Daniel, once more, to the roof. In the corridor leading to the door, Armand applied it to all of Daniel’s exposed skin, though less thickly than last time. The sunglasses were again placed gently on Daniel’s face, and Armand opened the door.
Daniel took an instinctive step back, and Armand gripped his hand, stepping into the sun himself before pulling Daniel after him. He squeezed Armand’s hand tighter, bracing for the cooked-alive feeling from a few days ago. It never came; the Sun felt hot, as though he were beginning to sunburn, but nothing worse. After a few more seconds, Daniel noticed the smoke rising from him, and Armand pulled him back inside.
Another two weeks of incrementally acclimating the rest of Daniel’s skin to the Sun followed, though Armand continued to make him wear sunglasses; he insisted on it, in fact. And Daniel supposed these few weeks had been the best by far. He had begun drinking from Armand’s neck regularly, and Armand had taught him how to drink more slowly. Sometimes they stayed like that for long stretches of time, half an hour, an hour, ninety minutes on one memorable occasion.
Armand even drank from him sometimes, too. Which Daniel thought he might enjoy even more than drinking from Armand. However, that might be because they did it far less frequently.
He had also kept the necklace Armand had given; it was always in his pocket, and it sat on the nightstand while they slept. He’d never worn it; he was sure he never would, but it was nice to have it anyway.
When Armand dragged him up to the roof, Daniel realized that he hadn’t brought the tub of zinc oxide. Daniel knew he’d be going outside without it, and his heart pounded. He had been outside on his own the past few days, but he couldn’t help but hope Armand would come with him this time.
He watched as Armand pushed the door open, and half expected to be pushed outside like he had been almost every day this week, and found himself sighing in relief when Armand instead held out a hand to him. He clasped it tightly, lacing their fingers together, and let Armand pull him towards the door.
The warmth from the sun spreading across his whole body, not burning or causing his skin to smoke and char, was now unfamiliar. He found himself relaxing into it quickly, though his grip on Armand’s hand never loosened.
A few moments of standing in the Sun, with no burns to be seen, had Daniel laughing elatedly. He hardly noticed when Armand let go of his hand, and then Armand was standing in front of him.
His hands clasped Daniel’s face, and he simply stared for a moment, seeming to admire Daniel the same way he had the necklace those few weeks ago. And then he pressed his cool, soft lips to Daniel’s, the rest of him following the movement quite suddenly. Daniel stumbled back into the wall behind him.
He did his best, through his surprise, to reciprocate, his lips moving lazily against Armand’s, one of his arms coming up to wrap around Armand’s waist.
Armand broke the kiss first, but his hands remained where they were, his thumbs stroking Daniel’s cheeks gently, those liquid amber eyes trailing across Daniel’s face. “You did it, beloved. My wonderful fledgling,” Armand’s voice was so full of fondness that Daniel thought he could have drowned in it.
Daniel could feel his skin starting to prickle with the heat, and Armand must have noticed it somehow too. He pulled Daniel back inside, shutting the door behind them with perhaps too much force, causing it to rattle in its frame.
“Beloved, huh?” Daniel teased, grinning uncontrollably. “Yes. Beloved,” Armand replied, pulling Daniel into another breathtaking kiss, this one with an edge of desperation.
Daniel wondered why he’d really been surprised by the first kiss; it seemed familiar, like it was something they’d done a thousand times- a million times- before. And they’d slipped into such an easy companionship the past two months. Or they’d ‘slipped’ into an easy companionship which Armand had very much engineered. Daniel found he couldn’t bring himself to care, and the thought slipped from his mind entirely when he felt Armand’s fangs nip at his bottom lip.