Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After the interview, memories started to engulf Daniel.

Some were random but some were difficult to describe. He didn't know where they were coming from, but they kept coming quickly.

And all of them seemed to involve one particular gremlin, in particular.

It started with…

"Wake up douchebag, your rent is due."

He woke up, lighting a cigarette as he tried to come up with an answer.

And he decided to ignore the question entirely. Instead of answering, he got dressed and left to the bar in St. Marys.

He knew this was a fool's errand. He knew he wouldn't find any answers. But, he had to try.

He got his usual drink, and sat down at the bar, looking for a clue anything that would tell what happened to him in a couple weeks ago…

He had memories he could not explain.

Someone maybe burned up, but speaking…?

"A bright young reporter with a point of view."

He remembered that but not who was speaking that.

He couldn't for the life of him understand why somebody would say that about him, a dead end guy who could never seem stable enough to keep a job.

All his family and friends mostly hate him and he has lost contact with most. But, yet those words kept him going.

He didn't know, but he had to know. His whole job was getting answers. He needed to know for him, no matter how painful it might be.

He looked around not seeing anybody suspicious or at least not yet.

He sat at the bar alone drinking his drink.

When someone sat right next to him coming in with quickly with a gust of wind.

"I thought I told you to leave, stop digging," he said.

He looks away from the bar then looks towards the stranger right in his cold dark black eyes.

He sees a tall dark and mysterious stranger, but a word comes into his mind.

"Rest."

"You," Daniel says recollecting his memories with his memories of that night flying back in great speed.

Interview, torture and stuck there.

"Armand," he says now have remembered.

Peculiar, Armand thought of him remembering.

But, Armand rolls his eyes, clearly done with this encounter. He wanted this boy dead.

"You should be dead." Armand says plainly.

Then sighs, finishes."But Louis is sentimental."

Armand lights a cigarette enjoying seeing the boy flinch at him.

"Well, if you're gonna kill me, can I at least finish my drink first?" Daniel asked as he picks up his glass.

Armand looks to him, intrigued.

"You're in the face of death and yet your last request is just one drink." 

"yeah, well there isn't much to live for," he shrugs.

Daniel's always been the type to live recklessly and he finds this encounter rather interesting, or rather Armand interesting. Rather fascinating.

"But, if I am gonna die, can I ask one thing?," Daniel asks.

Armand nods listening, "I suppose I can grant you one final request." 

Daniel takes a drinks, then asks, "Do you ever get tired of doing what you do?"

He exhales then smokes waiting for the answer.

"It flares day to day."

Armand is tired of this incessant boy's charm and just his existence. Always with the questions, and never anything useful.

His whole existence puts him and Louis and all other vampires in jeopardy. He believes he'll never understand what Louis found so fascinating about this boy, to save.

To care for.

He shrugs it off, there's more important things at play anyway, like killing this boy and upholding the vampiric laws.

The vampiric laws which have defined his existence for as long as he can remember. He can't let this boy live nor should he entertain his questioning.

"Well, what about do you ever fell regret for killing people?" Daniel asked quickly.

It was a one last ditch effort to save his meaningless life.

A life filled with asking people the most meaningless questions hoping for just one good answer that'll make his career. Make his whole existence worth it.

That one chase…

It's all he knew how to do .

Armand looks at him perplexed and takes his cigarette from his lips looking straight at Daniel who couldn't read his face or tell what he was thinking.

"Sometimes, but do you feel regret for killing ants when you step on them?" he questions.

"But, that's not the same." Daniel points out rather too quickly for his own good.

"Well, why not?" Armand questions.

Armand takes another smoke and shifts his seat. Daniel's heart beating so fast at it, his mind thinking of ways to escape and live.

Though, he doesn't move, shaken in fear, or maybe something else. Though, Armand couldn't care to know.

He was bored of him and his incessant question did not provide him with the clarity he wanted.

"and besides your final request is up." Armand says. Reveling in his fear.

His fangs ready to pounce, so thirsty, so hungry. He looks towards his neck going closer for the kill. But Daniel turns at the last second.

"Wait, what about turning someone?" Daniel asks.

"How does that work?"

Armand rolls his eyes, bored. Tired of his questions.

"Even your questions are basic." 

Armand sighs to really no one.

Armand puts down the pack of cigarette and his lighter. Turning to face Daniel.

Daniel looks to him confused.

Armand begins again.

"And you've ruined my appetite, so I'll make you a deal. I'll let you live for now, at least , but I will be watch to see if you become interesting, if I find you aren't, I'll kill you tomorrow or the next day, but as long as I find you interesting, I won't." 

"You're kidding, right?" Daniel says almost chuckling.

Armand rolls his eyes and then takes Daniel's hand with brute force, squeezing and bruising it.

Daniel squirms trying to break his hand free, though Armand is too strong.

"I could kill you, right here easily and no one would be the wiser, I could dispose of you so easily that no one would even know you were even here to begin with, do not cross me, Louis may have saved your life once, but I wouldn't count on it a second time." he whispers to him.

"Go now." Armand says. Letting him go.

Daniel stares at him in awe and fear. 

The whole bar still in view acting as if nothing happened. Because to them, it was nothing.

Daniel pays the tab of the bill in silence, his heart racing. Flipping through his dollar bills to find something and he does.

And then game has been set.

Chapter Text

After meeting Armand the first time, everywhere he went he started to hear the pattern of feet following his every move, but whenever he'd look back he'd see nothing. He knew this was Armand's doing.

Armand was the reason for it all.

His word in the back of his head giving him shivers every time he thought of them.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll let you live for now, at least , but I will be watch to see if you become interesting, if I find you aren't, I'll kill you tomorrow or the next day, but as long as I find you interesting, I won't."

And..

"I could kill you, right here easily and no one would be the wiser, I could dispose of you so easily that no one would even know you were even here to begin with, do not cross me, Louis may have saved your life once, but I wouldn't count on it a second time."

His words haunted him every day and night affecting his work with the Berkley Barb.

He ended up getting let go since he wasn't producing quality work. They told him to take a break or a beat.

To Rest.

He needed to get his head back in the game, but he couldn't with Armand, dark and mysterious vampire, following his every step.

He thought of what he could during this period of rest.

Feeling all but defeated.

He needed to do something, get out San Francisco, he thought of what he could do and was immediately struck by a crazy idea.

One that might be so crazy it might work.

So, he got out bed, and bought the first ticket to New York. Boston, New York, to be specific.

It's where his older sister, Scarlett lived.

He hadn't seen her in years ever since they're falling out in 1965.

After he graduated from college, he had a rough couple years and neglected speaking to his family.

Telling them he was good and not to worry about him despite hearing about him getting into fights at bars and etc.

But, none were more worried than his older sister.

He shook his head.

Halfway to New York, he regretted the decision, but it was too late now to go back.

And it didn't help seeing Armand stalking him wherever he went.

But, he shook his head.

He had to do this.

Besides, Armand could only stalk at night.

During the days, he was free.

He took an unknown pill from his pocket which had on him. 

Once he got to her house, he took a second and rang the answering machine to her apartment.

She let him in with the button.

He went up to her apartment where she opened the door to him.

He looked at the time on his watch, calculating how many hours he had till Armand would be with him again. It's 3:00 pm now….So, knowing it's practically summer almost, it won't get dark until around 6 or 7 pm….

His thoughts stop when he saw her.

"What are you doing here?", she asked him questionly and annoyed.

Just confused.

He started, "The Berkley Barb let me go, my rents underpaid and I need someplace to stay".

None of this was new to her so she sighed.

"Of course you do", she sighed under her breathe.

"Can I come in?", he asked.

Before she could respond, he was already making himself at home.

Lighting his cigarette and putting his stuff down.

His eyes were bloodshot and she could tell he was not thinking clearly.

"Why are you here?", she starts again clearly not having any of his shit.

"I told you, I have nowhere else to go", he said clearly tired of answering question he clearly already answered.

"Well you can't stay here, and you can't just show up here unannounced after nine years of not contacting me and expect me to be okay with that. You can't be serious", she chuckles.

"Fuck you", she says seriously.

Daniel tries to retort, but her husband, Arnold interrupts telling her to be quiet the baby's sleeping.

Arnold tells him, it's best if he leaves.

So he does hastily, not knowing what to say or even not knowing where to go.

So, he sits at a bench at a park reflecting on everything.

He stays there for a while.

It starts to get dark.

But, then a memory engulfs him of him saying, "Get off that bench, brother."

And so he does.

Only to hear footsteps pattering again.

Armand.

He thought.

So, he goes to a bar called Copley where he finds Armand sitting there alone.

So, he goes up to him clearly tired from the stalking.

They both just stare at each other for a while, clearly in a staring contest.

Until Daniel breaks it, tired of these games or whatever the fuck is going on.

He lights his cigarette. "Look, I know you're following me to see if I'm interesting, which is fine or whatever, but can we just talk. This stalking's a little intense".

Another memory starts to bubble up there then.

"An instinct to self-efface, is that what makes you fascinating."

But it begins just as it ends.

Leaving Daniel confused.

Armand sees this.

Curious…

The waiter comes asking for drink which Daniel says he's not hungry and thanks her for her service.

She leaves.

Another memory comes back to him.

"Bartering with desire, is that what makes you fascinating?"

He falls down.

Armand looks at him curiously…intrigued by this fact.

Daniel, on the other hand is scared and freaked out by this.

"Whatever you're doing, stop it", Daniel warns.

Armand just stares at him curiously.

In all his years, he's never heard of a human gaining back memories taken from them. But, also to be fair to him, he's never really truly been in this type of a situation before.

Then, seeing Daniel look for an explanation clarity, anything really.

It brings him back to reality.

"But I'm not doing anything", he says truthfully.

"Yes, you are," Daniel retorts.

"You're messing with my memories", he states.

"Making me remembers things that never happened", he says.

Armand looks at him maybe now regretting his first impressions of this boy.

Maybe there is something about him that is fascinating…

He shakes his head, remembering his goal.

His true desires. Which was to get revenge on said boy.

"Whatever you're remembering, I can assure you is not of my doing", he says.

"Yeah right", Daniel says as he lights the cigarette.

As he then remembers the word.

"Rest."

Chapter Text

A couple weeks after that fateful meeting with Armand in New York, he went back to San Francisco forgetting about Armand.

He wanted to get back out there and do what he loved interviewing subjects.

He got his job back at the Berkeley Barb, by pleading with them until they caved giving him a simple assignment to just write a decent story about something meaningful to him.

Mostly, it seemed they just him gone, at least that what it seemed like to Daniel.

He got out there interviewing similar clients that he found the same way he always did, but not anyone truly meaningful or anything truly impactful.

Walking home in the dark and in the rain, he heard the same footsteps he heard every time he walked home.

Armand.

He sighed, but ignored like always.

Armand, who always followed him it seemed no more than ten feet behind him, a dark shadow, never interacting or saying anything just following, stalking. Waiting for the right moment to scare or just plainly annoy Daniel.

Though, every time he looked back he'd see no one.

It's been 4 weeks since the beginning of their game where Armand threatened him.

But, three weeks since their meeting in New York where Armand finally talked to him again.

Daniel, at this point, just resigned to the fact that he'll always have Armand watching him and just accepted it.

He wasn't scared of him anymore, though it was a huge inconvenience if he ever did meet anybody and want to go out at night with them. Though, he had just worked around it, at this point.

Armand, at this point had grown bored of his trivial routinely pursuits. His career was boring, watching him became even more boring.

Daniel was boring.

Armand wanted him gone, but yet he still waited for it, waiting for the exact moment to kill him.

Maybe today was the day.

Though, it wasn't.

Daniel walking home ignored Armand footsteps, going back to his shitty apartment which was a mess.

He looked at the overpaid bills he needs to pay throwing them out, ignoring the warning.

One of his neighbors dogs were barking loudly, annoying him.

He unlocked the door, sighing.

Armand followed.

After a few minutes of just awkward uncomfortable silence following them, Armand was the first to speak.

"I find it interesting how you remember meeting me. and yet, you do not publish those tapes. Why?"

He asks curiously, fidgeting with Daniel's tapes annoying Daniel to no end.

Daniel takes the tapes from Armand.

"Well, besides you threatening me not too?, " Daniel asks.

Armand looks at his bookcase and just his room curiously.

Daniel hates it.

It's one thing to be stalked by an immortal serial killer, but it's another for that immortal serial killer to take apart your room, rummaging through your stuff. Especially one that can read your mind and thoughts, leaving you vulnerable and exposed.

Armand smiles at his thoughts and by the thought of scaring him and leaving him in pieces.

Armand doesn't respond just quietly looking at his bookshelf and his written manuscript pages of drafted interviews in which Daniel will most likely never finish.

3/12 - interview, Melissa, coffee owner, hates her kids, husband is dead, car accident(?), won a spelling bee, likes to sing in her free time, hates bad customers, looking for….

Daniel takes the paper before Armand can read anymore.

"I don't have enough information, besides when a book mentions vampires, people tend to call bullshit."

"I need to know the facts first," Daniel says like it's so obvious.

Armand nods at this.

"Besides, isn't it better for you if I don't publish?", he asks hoping to get some answer from Armand for once.

"It is."

Armand says not taking the bait.

"Your house is so mundane", Armand says changing the subject which Daniel in his mind for his ever expanding case of knowledge of Armand.

Armand looking out the dark window in the balcony.

He turns to Daniel again.

His heartbeat rising at every slight motion of Armand getting close to him, remembering their first meeting.

"Fascinating", Armand says looking into his dark forest green eyes with no explanation leaving Daniel speechless.

Armand moves to his bedroom leaving Daniel. Daniel runs to follow.

Clothes everywhere but in the hamper.

The only thing clean is his bed which Armand takes note of moving some of his clothes with his shoes.

"Hey, you can't just roam around in here, taking apart everything, look through my personal stuff and leave it a mess, " Daniel says annoyed at his antics.

Armand ignores his pleas, feeding off his misery, taking a seat on the bed.

"I do believe your room is already quite messy already", he says as he takes a sock that was stuck to his shoes off of his shoes flicking it away.

"Whatever. You don't have any reason to judge me when you chose to stalk me," Daniel defended.

"You mortals are always so defensive, always wanting to know more." 

"Stop calling me mortal. And can you blame us? You can't just say hey, vampires are here and real! And expect me to move on with my life, knowing that any day I could be vampire bait."

Armand sighs. "We only kill at night and only to the people who are deserving."

"Is that like vampire code?"

Armand moves from the bed to look up at the mortal boy who seems so intrigued by this.

"It's more like an unwritten rule"

Daniel takes this in, as he realizes he's finally getting some answers.

"Ok so then, what other laws do you vampires have?"

"Other than not being able to write down your history, which by the way, if you can't write down your history then how do you even know what laws to follow?"

Armand sighs.

Always with the questions…

Daniel stops once he hears that taking a step back not seeing the vampire's mouth move as he says that.

"Hey, Stop that!", he says very freaked out.

Stop what…

"Stop, getting into my mind, making me think things that aren't real, reading my thoughts."

But your thoughts are so very fun to read…

And no, I don't think it's wrong that you think I'm sexy lying in your bed.

"Okay", Daniel says clearly having enough and embarrassed.

"Vampires are an old species, we abide by a certain code. We don't get involved with human politics. We don't write our history because we are different from mortals and we don't need to write to remember, our minds are stronger and can remember for us."

He says as he hugs one of Daniel's pillows.

Daniel walks closer to the bed, nervous to get closer to the vampire in fear of dying, but goes anyway. He sit by his feet on the bed.

"So you can obviously read minds, send thoughts to others, and can start a fire with just your hands, and manipulate humans to your will, is that you all you can do?" He asks genuinely curious.

I can also fly.

"No way."

Armand levitates off the bed into the air only a couple feet still lying down.

Daniel looks at him in awe as he pulls himself down onto the bed.

"That's so cool", Daniel says.

Armand just looks at him with a smile still holding onto Daniel's pillow.

He picks himself up so that they are sitting side by side of each other.

Vampires have many different gifts. It all comes from our maker.

"Who was your maker?", Daniel asks now curiously.

Armand sharply flinches at the question and gets up from the bed.

"That's enough answers to your questions now", he says as his eyes get darker.

Daniel doesn't say anything after that.

"What matter is that vampires are a secret creature of the night, they don't want fame or your fame, let this go and don't tell anyone what you know", he replies.

"But this is revolutionary, people will want to know about vampires, they deserve to know."

"No!"

Armand shouts as he lifts Daniel up from the ground.

He lets him go.

"Bad things will come for you if you do not let this go and I can not protect you".

"Protect? When have you ever protected me? All you've ever done is use me."

"ENOUGH!" He says as he puts Daniel on his knees.

"Let this go or I will for you", Armand threatens.

"Please let me go", he begs.

Het lets him go leaving him in the dead of night to go, God knows where else.

Daniel gets up, heart beating faster as he picks up the pen to write down everything he knows to be left with nothing.

Chapter Text

After that day, Daniel got fired from the Berkley Barb and got told his rent was underpaid and was kicked out of his apartment with all his stuff.

He moved to New York hoping to get a more stable routine. Though, most jobs did not want to hire him. He was lost, but he never gave up on his dream to being a journalist. He knew it meant something to someone.

"A bright young reporter with a point of view."

Granted, he still couldn't remember who said it, just that his face seemed burn up.

He kept in his records or journals putting it in with a question mark below it so he could always remember it.

He needed a break. He was tired of struggling.

It didn't help that he could hear footsteps behind him, but not knowing whose it was.

He'd never been more on edge.

Right now, he had a stable job working for an underground news firm. It was fine, it paid the bills, that was all.

Walking home from work, Daniel heard those stupid footsteps again, having enough he stopped.

Then he remembered, but only for a second, then it was gone.

He got to his apartment, when he saw Armand, the culprit of his forgotten/altered memories.

"You…Armand…"

"You're the one who's been stalking me."

"Yes"

Armand notices Daniel's room is just a tad more tidier than the one in San Fran.

"Your room is much more tidier than before", he states as he looks at the bookshelf.

"Yeah well this jobs less demanding. What's it matter to you?",  he asks annoyed at his vampire stalker.

He ignores Daniel looking out at the balcony.

" You have a nice view."

Daniel had enough of Armand and his games.

Why could he only remember him when he was close by? Why couldn't he write down anything about the week he spent in San Francisco in his apartment? Why doesn't Armand just kill him, put him out of his own misery?

But, no that's not how this dance will end. Daniel's smart enough to know that by now.

Daniel ignores him going to his bedroom instead. He gets a light on to write in his journal about his day.

Dull…boringless..lifeless…routine….

Armand looks over Daniel's shoulder to see what he's writing, reading his thoughts.

Day was a drag, my co-worker hated my draft, need to re-do transcript, new edit for puff portrait….

"Your day seems utterly dreadful".

"Hey, stop that!"

He stops writing and turns to Armand.

Why? When it's so fun to read your thoughts….

Also, yes, I think you should ask out Alice from work…

"Hey, no I don't need dating tips from you".

"Fine, if that what suits you."

"Besides, isn't Louis still healing from the sun?", he asks genuinely concerned.

"He's fine, not that that's of any concern to you." 

"What's this?",  Armand asks as he picks up on one Daniel's camera and video set for recording interviews.

"Don't touch that.", Daniel says.

Daniel mutters something about paying a lot of money for it.

"It's my recording set, I use it during my interview sessions to record interviews on air".

"Show me",  Armand says.

Daniel looks at him shocked to see him interested but does as he asks.

He puts the camera on the stand then focuses it, showing Armand how to work the camera and all the different functions then tells him to sit in front of the camera.

Armand obliges as Daniel fidgets with the mic and headphones until finally he reaches a good volume.

Armand fixes his hair as he tells Daniel he's ready.

Daniel nods giving him a thumbs.

"This Daniel Molloy on January 13th, 1974 at 10:00 pm with the Vampire Armand at…

"It's just Armand. Daniel." he interjects, highly out of his element right now, confused by what he is to do.

"Okay, Armand. Take one", he says.

"So tell us a little bit about yourself, Armand."

Armand shrugs, Daniel prompting him to take the microphone.

Armand does.

Daniel trips on a wire falling to the ground and curses in the background as he makes his way back to the camera.

Armand just looks at him utterly bewildered by the site.

"Sorry, is this truly how you start your interview because it's a bit plain."

Daniel sighs, yelling cut as he takes the camera down.

He hands the camera to Armand letting him watch the replay. Armand looks at himself in awe.

Daniel can see he loves the set as he looks onto Daniel's other interview.

One with a girl named Brenda, a guy named Tom, a drag queen from Queens called Bedazzles, and a violinist named Emily.

They all intrigued Armand, by their mannerisms, to their personality and voice. And he seemed very quickly to pick out a lie from them and the tell tale sign of them lying.

"See? Brenda asked for a tissue before continuing with the story. She's lying. She did not like that show", Daniel nodded smiling at Armand's excitement and fixation with the camera.

Daniel smile and nods writing down everything Armand pointed out in the interviews.

He puts the camera down giving to Daniel to put away which he does. They both pass out on the bed.

Daniel forcing his eyes to stay open as he reads the time

…3 am….

"So, being a vampire, does it ever get lonely?"

Armand tenses at that.

Daniel rambles a little seeing that.

"like I know you have Louis, but like do you ever just thinking about whether it all worth and whether it would be better just end it?"

At this point, Daniel sees Armand's eyes truly for the first time. The orange redish eyes turn almost a little brown, but not enough for him to look human or anything. Though, at that moment, he thought he could spend hours analyzing fixating on his eyes but he knew he could never quite remember the color, the color so fascinating but fading from memory at every second he looks away.

"There was time when I did, when the thoughts did arise, but I have Louis now, so. "

He says taking a pillow from behind him.

"So, you would say Louis helps keep you from wanting to end it?"

"I suppose."

Daniel nods at that yawning.

"Being a vampire doesn't that bad", Daniel says randomly.

"It's not as fun as you think, I can assure you of that"

"Ok", Daniel says taking his word at that for now.

"Sometimes, I wonder if my life would be better as a vampire. No rules, no routine, no responsibilities, just you and me and Louis", he says as he closes his eyes as sleep overtakes him.

The next thing he remembers is waking up underneath the covers cursing himself because he's late for work.