[armand]

[brightyoungreporter]

Daniel, historically speaking, is terrible at this. He'd been a shitty boyfriend, and then a shitty husband; dates were either the standard dinner and a movie, or more likely, centered around whatever story he was chasing.

The only time in his life that he suspects he might have been any good at romance is the part of his life that's been erased, and no shortage of irony here, by the vampire he's trying to woo tonight.

(He's aware he should give more of a fuck about that, but he just doesn't.)

So he asks Armand to meet him at the Boardwalk, and he uses the power of technology and anonymous dating apps to arrange dinner later, and even though he's got Armand's blood in his veins, he's a little nervous. What memories he's recovered, his turning-- it's not just his health that's returned and sharpened. An emotional component exists, the return of feelings he thought he'd been too cold and truth focused to feel.

Turns out he was just missing most of his heart.

Leaning against the railing, listening to the ocean, he decides not to lead with that.

Comments

[damned_devil]

The smug grin returns, wider now, as he enjoys the effect he has on Daniel. He keeps a speculative look in his eyes, though, as if he's truly shocked that he could be having quite this impact, even as he begins to absently stroke his shaft.

"It's something we could do over hours of work. Peeling back layers until we find the truth." The truth, obscured by Armand's edits, but also the supply of drugs and blood he had given to his beloved boy, alongside all the gifts -- not to mention the entire island that they had once called their own.

He kisses Daniel possessively, because now that he has come back to him, he refuses to let him go. "After a small amount of subterfuge," is practically lost in the kiss.

[brightyoungreporter]

"You know how I love to peel back layers until I find the truth," Daniel agrees, his hands getting busy peeling back layers of Armand's clothes. "One of my favorite things."

Not ever an easy process, paring the bullshit away until something resembling truth is left, as close to the truth as anyone can get be without losing the big picture.

"You'll be with me, and it's not just the truth-seeker in me. I want to know what I did to make you laugh, how many clubs we got kicked out of, because there's no way we didn't."

He plunges a hand into Armand's hair-- he's a little obsessed, and who can blame him-- and kisses back just as intently, as possessively, tugging him forward as he backs himself to the wall. "How about weird places we had sex," he murmurs, snagging another kiss, and another.

[damned_devil]

Armand helpfully steps out of his trousers, left only with the tight boxer-briefs that highlight all his best features, advancing on Daniel to pin him to the wall, still enjoying the desultory handjob he's able to provide.

"You did used to get us in terrible trouble," Armand admits, thinking of Daniel at his highest, and how glorious he'd burned. "I suspect some of those times you made me laugh were after I had drunk from you when you were soaring close to the sun. Everything was terribly amusing then."

He pins Daniel to the wall now, kissing him as he drags the pad of his thumb over the head of his cock. "We did fuck once in a morgue," he murmurs, "a fanboat in Florida. In a gondola in Venice. And in front of a terribly wonderful movie."

It's a shame he doesn't still have that VHS. He did love it so.

[brightyoungreporter]

"I can't imagine the amount of trouble I would have been, high on drugs and the knowledge that I had a vampire looking out for me," Daniel says, barely able to get it out before he groans. He thrusts shamelessly against Armand's hand. "Did you kill people for me? I wouldn't be opposed to a bedtime story about that."

The list of places they'd fucked gets him laughing against Armand's neck, delighted by most of them. "Florida? Florida used to be a lot cooler than it is now."

[damned_devil]

"I cleared every city of would-be fledgling attackers," Armand confesses without a care in the world for his admitting to murder. "Anyone who dared threaten you forfeited their life. Any number of humans fell in that camp as well."

He grabs at Daniel's neck with his other hand to kiss him passionately, desperately, as fond memories of Florida filter through his mind.

"It was home," he admits, nostalgia colouring his view of it. "The place I was happiest, until it all went terribly wrong." Now, he focuses intently on bringing Daniel off, sinking to his knees for the second time tonight as he strips away Daniel's trousers to finish the work he'd begun earlier.

[brightyoungreporter]

"That should bother me," Daniel gasps. He doesn't tack on a but, and only partly because Armand's unlikely to agree he shouldn't lay waste to anyone who'd ever looked at Daniel the wrong way.

He has a few precious moments to analyze the softness around Florida, to mark it as important, before Armand's back on his knees. "Yeah," he gasps, cupping Armand's cheek. "Please."

His cock springs free as he's stripped down, flushed and leaking. Stroking the pad of his thumb along Armand's cheek, he braces against the wall. "Come on, blow my mind, I want to be wrecked."

[damned_devil]

There are laws that must be followed, but for Daniel, Armand has broken them so many times over. He's killed vampires, he'd taken a mortal lover, he had fallen deeply for him. He had done all this, even while he argued for the laws to be upheld with Louis.

He's a hypocrite, but he cannot find it in him to regret it. Grabbing Daniel's hips to steady him, he presses him against the wall firmly and holds hard, unearthing old skills without the memory, because all that matters is giving Daniel pleasure. Tentatively, he plays this in his mind like he's in control.

Daniel may want this, but Armand will dictate what he gets. It's why he plays with pace, slowing down to tease, nearly popping off a few times, before returning to the task with fervor, eager to bring Daniel over the edge.

[brightyoungreporter]

"Oh my god," he groans, head thudding back against the wall. They're safe, maybe not back at home but close enough, and Armand stays present, showing off a truly impressive set of talents that make him want his memory back yesterday.

He strokes Armand's hair in a way that will likely make it wild and messy, a thumb tracing the shell of his ear. Holding back on the noise would be impossible, but he also wants to be heard, wants to give every reaction to Armand as he kneels there.

And in very little time at all, he finds himself on the edge, cock throbbing, thighs trembling-- a place Armand keeps him, dangling. "I'm gonna come," he gasps, figuring it's obvious but still blurting out every thought on his fucking mind because he can't think anymore.

[damned_devil]

Armand's wicked thought is that if he makes Daniel make enough noise, then perhaps a concerned neighbour will come to check on Daniel to ensure that he's not being mistreated. Oh, how he would truly delight in that. It only makes him work harder, right up until he receives his warning.

At which point, he eases back, resting on his ankles as he peers pensively at Daniel, one hand returning to do the work. "Yes, lovely," he murmurs, lips pink and wet as he keeps his eyes big. "All over me, you are," is his insistence. "Say my name as you do," he coaxes, taking his time to nudge Daniel over the edge with one last little flick and a rub.

[brightyoungreporter]

"Oh, fuck, Armand," he moans, staring down at his pretty, pretty face, those eyes both innocent and predatory, the mouth he knows to be flushed pink from his own cock. He watches, rapt, and when he feels the wet slide of Armand's tongue along the head of his cock, he's gone, coming hard.

He keeps his eyes open by sheer will, wanting to see it, wanting his claim satisfied all over again even as he does exactly what he's told. "Look at you," he whispers, wrecked and pleased. "You're all mine."

[damned_devil]

Is that loud enough to summon the neighbours? No, but Armand can try again later, if only to see how flushed and nervous he can make Daniel when there are people suddenly concerned for his health.

And won't that be a fun little game to play, while Armand sits innocently in the corner.

Now, though, he's glad he's disrobed for the mess Daniel's made of him. A small frisson of pleasure courses through him as he realizes how much he'd enjoyed giving Daniel a command from his knees and having it obeyed. Perhaps there's promise for him yet. Slowly, he drags his thumb over the mess and begins to lick it up, bit by bit, still on his knees though shifting to sit on his hip to absorb some of the impact.

"You're very thorough in claiming your territory," he praises.

[brightyoungreporter]

Euphoric and blissfully unaware of the plans to get authorities called to the apartment to investigate elder abuse, Daniel sinks down to his knees, pulling Armand forward for a kiss. Tasting himself on Armand's lips definitely does things for his ego, for the predatory feelings beating inside his ribcage.

"Sounds about right," he says, dropping back to sit against the wall, pulling Armand into his lap. Exactly where he ought to be. "My territory, I like that. Makes me want to mark you up, maybe chain you to my bed."

He's only half teasing.

[damned_devil]

Armand's lazy smile feels like bliss as he drifts forward to climb into Daniel's lap, settling in precisely where he needs to be. Chaining to the bed does sound promising, even if Armand will have to pretend as if he simply cannot escape, but then, he did have the manacle wall in Dubai.

"I could install some whips and chains for you in the bedroom, if that's what you want," Armand says, absently toying with Daniel's curls as he studies his fledgling. "You could mark me," he allows considerately, "or buy me something I could wear." With that, he drags Daniel's fingers to his neck, raising a brow pointedly.

[brightyoungreporter]

"There's my overachiever," Daniel says, too wrapped up in afterglow, at this moment, to worry about whether he does want to use whips and chains. "I was going to say it's just the old caveman urges, but I don't know, is that a vampire thing? The part where I just want to haul you off, away from prying eyes, and fuck you with my teeth in your neck, or the part where I also want every person we pass to know you're mine and I'm yours."

Either's good.

He does catch Armand's drift, fingers wrapping loosely around the graceful column of his maker's neck. "Is that something you'd like? You'd be fucking gorgeous, like always," he muses. "I admit my thoughts were running towards leaving the biggest, darkest hickeys you can leave on a vampire. Which probably isn't much."

[damned_devil]

"You were equally possessive of me during your mortal days. Perhaps not to the same degree," Armand must confess, "but I would catch your eye when others were near me. I could see the way your lovely jaw clenched," he murmurs, as he strokes Armand's jaw, fondly staring at him.

He did so enjoy those days, but he loves these even more now that Daniel wants him so obsessively. It makes Armand feel that he's not alone in his feelings.

"You could buy me a collar," Armand suggests. "Something that only you would know is a collar. Something that meant I belonged to you. I do, after all, don't I?"

[brightyoungreporter]

"Well, it's good to know I'm consistent," Daniel informs him. "You are totally gonna get some human killed by playing me like a jealous fiddle, and I-- I'm gonna let you, we both know I am."

He kisses Armand, harder, with more teeth.

"I like the sound of that," he admits, his first thought of a simple black band around that slim neck, an image that makes his cock twitch. A rumble, not quite a growl, escapes him before he can even recognize it.

"Yeah," he agrees, and vampire refractory periods must be non-existent, he's realizing. "Yeah, you belong to me. I've been hunting you without even knowing it, so much of my life, and now I've got you. You're mine."

Daniel stands, pulling Armand up with him, and then picks him up, heading for the bedroom, crashing their mouths together, fierce and messy.

[damned_devil]

"Beloved, when you kill your first human for me, I won't let you out of bed for days," Armand guarantees, his voice low as he imagines the passion, the feral possession, and the claim that someone would have to show for him. Louis had done it for Claudia, Lestat for Nicki, but who has ever done that for him?

Daniel, perhaps, but Armand wants to see it happen.

"You fell into our trap, but you could have flown away. We released you," Armand murmurs, wrapping his arms around Daniel's neck to kiss him heatedly, a guttural sound of pleasure as Daniel lifts him. "Look at you, so powerful," is an interjection, before he returns to his memories. "And yet, the fly came back to the spider, again and again, wanting to be eaten alive."

[brightyoungreporter]

A tiny part of him wants to tease Armand for getting off on being hauled around, but he can't deny he's just as into it. Having a working body again does that.

"What, you're telling me I continued to come back to something that could kill me at any moment, with absolutely no regard for my own sanity or safety? Babe, that doesn't sound like me," he teases, and once in the bedroom, bears Armand down to the bed.

He straddles Armand's hips, pinning him to the bed, taking a moment to just look-- and then he's descending on his maker once more, a bruising kiss and a broad hand sliding down to find his cock.

[damned_devil]

Forget the drugs that Daniel had run to so frequently throughout his life. The use of 'babe' so swiftly after Daniel's display of his strength sends a bolt of arousal through Armand so swiftly, so powerfully, that he's grateful he's not standing or his knees might buckle beneath him.

"You truly always were an addict," Armand muses, but not in an accusatory manner so much as a fond one. Easy to say when you're the drug in question.

He lies back, gaze hooded and dark as he regards Daniel above him, whining softly into the kiss as Daniel takes hold of him. "I've always loved your hands," he murmurs into the kiss. "Watching you smoke was a divine experience."

[brightyoungreporter]

"Is that so," Daniel murmurs, delighted, stroking him slowly. "You know, I could take it back up. Not like it's going to kill me anymore."

He's had the same thought about other vices, but as far as he knows, it'd require roping in some mortal addict-- something he's not ready for yet. Yet being the operative word, and likely to disappear in the near future.

"Nothing's gonna kill me anymore, thanks to you." He kisses Armand again, bites his lip, and then slowly eases himself down, still stroking his cock as he drags his mouth along his stomach, his hip, inside his thigh.

[damned_devil]

Armand, who still smokes regularly for the habit, makes a pleased noise of agreement. "By all means, do steal my cigarettes," is a heady endorsement, biting his lip as he arches his hips into Daniel's touch, breathing harder for his mouth along bare skin.

"No one will harm you," Armand vows. "No human, no vampire, nothing in between. I will not let anything take you from me, not the way my maker was ripped from me."

His lashes flutter against his cheeks, parting his thighs slightly wider, hoping desperately for Daniel's teeth to sink in and make their mark.

[brightyoungreporter]

The way my maker left me.

There's a loaded phrase if he ever heard it, and it speaks to some level of devotion that Daniel simply lets it be. For now.

"Hey, I'm not letting anyone take you from me, either," he says, words humming into Armand's thigh. He looks up, pressing his mouth there once more, openly admiring how fucking pretty a face looks back-- and then he sinks his teeth in, letting the heady taste of blood fill his mouth.

[damned_devil]

And oh, isn't that what Armand wants so desperately to have proven. That someone wants him. That someone will go to unseen and unheard of lengths in order to secure his safety. If only Daniel had been around five centuries ago.

Perhaps Arun would have stood a chance.

"That's it," he praises instead of wallowing, hand in Daniel's hair as he drinks from his thigh, a delicately indelicate place that has Armand grinning with dark glee. "How do I tasted, beloved?"

[brightyoungreporter]

Daniel looks up at him with a wild light in his eyes, blood on his lips and teeth. "You taste fuckin' incredible and you know it," he says, tonguing the punctures he'd made, lapping inelegantly. "Makes me wanna go back in time to pull Louis off your neck."

He indulges in another drink, pulling with the whole of his mouth until he's almost sated. Slicing his tongue on a fang, he takes the time to seal the holes before he turns his face, blood-hot lips against Armand's cock.

"I have to admit, I'm torn between whether I want to blow you or whether I want to eat you out so I can fuck you."

[damned_devil]

"Honey and pineapple?" is a lazy tease, a fond smile attached to those words as Daniel tidies him up -- a small kindness that has Armand genuinely adoring him even more. He's taken note that Armand likes to be tidy and put-together and is helping to ensure that he can be.

He's so terribly good for Armand, and Armand is going to fight viciously to keep it -- which will likely be his own downfall, but he won't acknowledge that.

"Why not be greedy?" he asks, gripping Daniel's chin as he holds him there, eyes wide as can be. "You always have been an overachiever, have you not?"