Chapter Text
“I had left with the conclusion that you were disinterested in what I had to say,” said Armand softly as he looked at the back of his fledgling’s head, standing near a stack of bowling balls, “Daniel.”
It didn’t take long until their vampiric bond was shutting the outer world away from them, and Daniel swung his ball heavily towards the pins. “Like a house of cards,” he starts, “they all fall down.” Strike!
“Daniel.”
“Shut up.”
Armand’s mouth was left ajar as his eyes looked around the visually empty bowling alley. The faint sound of radio and humanity drummed in his ears. Faint, but not quite gone yet. The noise of leather shifting from Daniel’s jacket as he turned around to face Armand pulled him back to their current moment. Blazing amber staring into something lighter yet both as equally fierce.
“When did love begin distracting you during the interview?” asked Daniel as he stood various feet away from his maker. Armand’s chest rose at his deep inhale, nails gently scratching the fabric of his long coat.
“Why is it now that you wonder?” He examined Daniel. His hand flexed at his side while the other remained still. Daniel was still agitated but as curious as he has always been. He had a point of view. “Did my words move you?”
“Your words confused me, asshole. The only thing they moved were my feet as I walked away from you. I would’ve flown away to match your theatrical personality if I could.” Daniel knew that Armand would try to respond apologetically. He almost felt thrilled at being able to cut him off before he could say a word. Almost. “Oh wait, I can’t! Gee, I wonder why.”
He didn’t try to speak immediately after Daniel shut his mouth again. Instead, he looked at him. When he was sure that he wouldn’t be cut off again, his lips parted.
“Since I saw you again for the first time—“
“While you were roleplaying master/servant with your pimp?” Daniel had a cruel smirk on his face.
“—I just wasn't aware until later.” The air was heavy and Armand was pouting. Daniel was convinced that there’s just no way he isn’t aware of it, right? Then again, it is Armand he’s talking about. It is Armand he thinks about. “Have I answered your endless wonder?”
“No.”
Armand scoffed, unimpressed. “Then I do not know what else I could possibly give you.” Despite sounding ready to disappear, he kept going. “I left you my apology already,” he said with a slightly manic tone as his fingers grazed the shiny surface of a few bowling balls, “and that, my dear Danny, has no existing copy for you to find.”
There was silence. Daniel no longer felt the thrill he felt earlier in their conversation or that night out in the street. Then again, was it even ‘thrill’ that he felt? Maybe yes, maybe no. Even he, a goddamn two-time Pulitzer winner, could not answer that question to himself.
“I haven’t read it..“
“I expected no less—”
“..yet.”
There was a moment where the air circulating between them felt cold. Extremely cold. Armand’s unfaltering gaze came to Daniel almost as strongly as it did in his botched memories of San Francisco. And then, the world returned. There was a faint spark of something in Armand’s eyes that Daniel couldn’t quite place. Before he could decide what it was, Armand was gone.
Again.