Title: I'll take you under my wing (somebody should)
Author: gothikmaus
Fandom: Interview with the vampire (TV)
Pairing: Armand/Daniel Molloy
Rating: R/Mature
Category: ficlet
Summary: Daniel was still mad at him. For openly lying to him, for turning him against his will, for messing with his life in so many fucking ways. But he needed him. And he wasn't going to drive him away now that Armand had finally made up his mind and decided to be a decent maker.
A/N: Written for Day 3 of Devil's Minion Week 2026. Prompts: Maker and Fledgling dynamic exploration. Protective behaviour. Vampire abilities. Pet play and brat taming.
Interview with the vampire and all Vampire Chronicles characters are property of Anne Rice. I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
"Nice," Daniel commented as he walked into the suite.
It had taken Armand just a matter of seconds to convince the young man at the reception desk to hand over the key to one of the fanciest rooms in the hotel. Daniel's lips stretched into a bitter grimace. He couldn't deny he felt a pang of envy at Armand's psychic abilities, the seemingly effortless way he could get into people's heads and play with them as if they were little more than overgrown puppets. He had been a vamp for two years now and had learned to read minds easily, but that was it. He couldn't fly, couldn't control fire... Sure, he could change his eye color, but that seemed like a pretty inconsequential gift to have. But that's what you get when your maker fucks off right after forcing his blood down your throat and leaves you to figure it all out on your own. Asshole. And now he had the gall to say he loved him.
Daniel walked to one of the windows and drew the blackout curtain to the side.
'Figures,' he thought, as his eyes settled on the unmistakable silhouette of Central Park, a dark patch peppered with greenish lights and framed by the Manhattan skyline.
"Do you like the view?" Armand asked, standing right behind him.
"This isn't a date," Daniel pointed out, letting go of the curtain and taking a step to the side, putting some distance between them. "This is you doing what you were supposed to do two years ago."
"I am aware," Armand replied. "But doing this in a nice location won't hurt."
"Whatever."
Daniel was still mad at him. For openly lying to him, for turning him against his will, for messing with his life in so many fucking ways. But he needed him. And he wasn't going to drive him away now that Armand had finally made up his mind and decided to be a decent maker.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" He asked. "Can you really teach me how to walk in the sun?"
"Yes."
Daniel narrowed his eyes at him.
"You don't trust me," Armand stated, his tone of voice betraying no emotion.
"Well, forgive me for being skeptical, but I remember what Louis looked like when he tried to off himself in San Francisco. It wasn't a pretty sight."
"And that's why I need to teach you how to do it," Armand explained. "Vampires take centuries to master this gift, and only a few of us have been successful. But you are my progeny. I can't see why you shouldn't be able to do it."
Daniel scoffed.
"Humble as usual, huh?"
Armand's lips twitched, as if he was trying to suppress a smile.
"Okay, let's do this."
Armand removed his coat, the one that didn't fit quite right on his lithe frame and reminded Daniel of a little kid wearing his grandpa's clothes, and neatly draped it over the back of an armchair.
"First, you need to feed," he said, sitting down on the sofa.
"Plenty of people to choose from. It's New York, the city that never sleeps," Daniel replied. He fished his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket and slid them on. "You coming?"
Armand shook his head.
"Feed on me. The more of my blood you have, the easier it'll be."
Daniel studied him over the rim of his sunglasses. Armand's logic made sense, but he had a feeling his maker had an ulterior motive. He always had an ulterior motive. Oh, well. Just one way to find out.
He walked to the sofa and sat down next to him, but when he reached for his arm, Armand stopped him.
"Here," Armand said, tilting his head to the side.
Daniel felt his fangs extend of their own accord. He didn't care if Armand was trying to manipulate him, acting all coy and submissive in an attempt to win his trust and bring them closer: in that moment, he only cared about what he was being so blatantly offered. He leaned in and bit the long, delicate neck so invitingly on display, not worrying about being gentle. He knew Armand could take it.
Armand let out a small gasp as Daniel's fangs tore into his flesh, his head lolling back and eyelids fluttering. He lifted a hand and cupped the back of Daniel's head, burying his long fingers in Daniel's white curls as a moan escaped his lips.
Daniel couldn't suppress a shiver. This was so much better than human blood. Not sweeter, exactly, but denser, spicier, and so much more intoxicating. But not as intoxicating as having Armand so pliant and willing under him, his breath coming in slow, shallow gulps and his faint little whimpers filling the silence of the suite. Daniel was getting dizzy from it all.
After what felt simultaneously like an eternity and way too soon, Daniel drew back, panting. He licked Armand's blood off his lips, not wanting to waste a single drop, and glanced down. Armand was looking up at him with heavy-lidded eyes and parted lips, and Daniel had to remind himself it would be a terrible, terrible idea to just jump him then and there.
"You can take more if you want," Armand told him, lightly running a fingertip on the already healing wounds on his neck. Keeping his eyes fixed on Daniel, he brought his finger to his mouth and licked it clean.
Daniel gritted his teeth, fangs almost piercing right through his lower lip in the process.
"I'm good," he said, annoyed at how strangled his voice sounded. "So, what's the next step?"
"Now we wait," Armand answered, sitting up straighter.
"For what?"
"For the sun to rise," Armand explained, as if that were the most obvious thing on the world, and Daniel felt stupid for even asking.
"Right."
He reached for the remote and turned the TV on, mindlessly zapping from one channel to the other and pointedly ignoring the ancient vampire sitting next to him and the elephant taking up most of the suite.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Armand stood up and walked to the window.
"Come."
Daniel switched the TV off and got to his feet. A thin orange line was visible on the horizon, the sky slowly turning from pitch black to intense blue. It was a familiar color gradient, the one that meant Daniel had to hurry up and get indoor right now if he didn't want to burn to a fucking crisp. His vampire instincts kicked in and he felt a wave of panic assail him, his throat closing up and heart pounding in his chest.
"Don't be afraid."
Armand's voice was gentle, almost a caress. He placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, the gesture unexpectedly grounding, and moved closer, his cool lips brushing the shell of Daniel's ear.
"Focus on my blood. Feel it flowing through your veins, warming up your skin, reaching every cell."
Daniel closed his eyes and tried to visualize his circulatory system, every artery and vein full of the blood he had just drunk. He didn't know if it was just his imagination or Armand messing with his head, but in that moment, he thought he could really feel Armand's blood mingling with his own. Every inch of his body tingled as Armand's hand slid down his biceps, along his forearm, past his wrist. Armand's long, sharp nails tickled his palm before he laced their fingers together.
Daniel put up no resistance as Armand lifted their joined hands.
"Open your eyes."
Daniel blinked behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses. A pale sliver of sunlight was filtering through the curtains and the back of his hand was right in the middle of it. His breath caught in his throat. He expected pain, waited for his skin to shrivel up like tissue paper, his flesh and bones turning to ashes and scattering all over the pristine carpet.
Nothing happened. He removed his sunglasses to get a better look.
"What the fuck."
"I told you you could do it."
Daniel turned to Armand. His maker was smiling. He looked... fond. Proud. That expression did something to Daniel, something dangerously similar to having butterflies in his stomach. He quickly stomped on the feeling and decided to ignore it.
He looked back at his hand. It was still there, intact, washed in the pale light of the rising sun. There was a faint prickling sensation, as if an invisible feather was tickling his skin, but there was no pain. The feeling was exhilarating.
"We must proceed in small increments," Armand explained, lowering his arm but not letting go of Daniel's hand. "We will only do this at dawn and dusk at first, and only for brief amounts of time. You will eventually be able to sustain longer exposure, but it will take time."
Daniel was barely listening to him. He could walk in the sun. He could walk in the fucking sun. Not even Lestat could do that, despite his constant bragging about "having the blood of Akasha". The jerk was gonna lose his fucking mind when he found out.
"Have you heard a single word I said?"
"Yeah, yeah. Gradual exposure, dawn and dusk, yada yada yada," Daniel replied, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Do you realize just how awesome this is?"
"Yes, I believe I do," Armand answered, amused. "But you shouldn't overindulge, especially at the beginning." He drew the curtain shut, plunging the room into almost complete darkness. "We'll do this again later. You should rest now."
Daniel didn't want to rest. He wanted to know more. How did it work? Why was Armand's blood so special? Would he need to drink it every time he wanted to walk in the sun? He had so many questions. And once Armand was done answering them, he would help Daniel develop his mind control skills. After all, that was the least a maker could do for his fledgling.
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August 2026