𝓐𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝

-- 𝘉𝘶𝘵 are 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭?

Blinking finally, Armand gave Daniel a slow, appraising once-over.

𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘰. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥.

-- Would he believe there was no true danger? Would Armand have to kill him just to prove a point?

What an unsatisfying thought.

In silence, Armand finished his cigarette and flicked the end out of the window, all while watching Daniel with an intense, unblinking gaze.

𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴. --

-- let him think this conversation had altered his chances of survival. That was good.

The question, though... It was a valid thing to ask, considering the circumstances, but it gave Armand pause. If Daniel felt special, would a sense of safety not follow? Would he feel untouchable? --

Though Daniel had never truly settled at any point during this car ride, the sound of his pulse quickening further instilled a sense of relief in Armand. Letting the boy grow too comfortable would be foolish, and to hear his terror so clear and loud was a sign that Armand had not misstepped and --

So many children dressed as vampires this year. I confess, I do find it sweet.

-- shown the boy that this tool existed, and now he was using it. That was good, wasn't it? That was interesting.

𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦? Armand thought in reply, slipping his words into Daniel's mind with ease. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭?

-- continuation of their conversation. A fascinating attempt at communicating with a monster in its own language.

A flash of irrational anger washed over Armand before it was swept away by another slow drag from his cigarette. What was there to be angry about? He'd --

-- proven by the thoughts that filtered through to Armand. These weren't the panicked, half-formed plans that had fluttered through Daniel's mind before, nor were they the nervous repetitions of song lyrics that he'd covered that panic with. These words were a message. A --

-- of fear.

Yet another bullet point to add to the long list of things about this boy that puzzled Armand. His behaviour was so curious. Bold despite the terror still prickling over his skin and tainting the scent of his blood.

That boldness ran deep, as was quickly --

The expletive surprised Armand enough to have him turning to blink at Daniel with wide eyes, not because he was unfamiliar with or unsettled by such language, but because he hadn't expected the boy to be so casual with his speech, especially when he followed it up with an admission --

Buffy, Afterwards. Writer of words, RP & OC. Shipped with @victorsharpe.bsky.social ♥️ Writing sooths my soul.
#Resistance 💜

-- "Does it frighten you? The things I can do? Knowing what it is you are trying to outrun?"

-- vampiric gifts.

"I can also fly," Armand answered, perfectly nonchalant as he flicked the ash from his cigarette out of the window. He'd already shown the boy this much, why not be honest? It would change nothing. --

Turning back towards Daniel, Armand once more eyed the boy with clear curiosity. Maybe this was what Louis had liked about him. He was so easy to impress. Filled with the giddy sort of excitement that their kind often lacked. Such a human perspective, this enthusiasm for such simple --

-- his eyes zeroing in on the cigarette between Daniel's lips. The end began to smoulder in an instant, and Armand smirked as he turned away to exhale out of the window again, every inch of him radiating a smug sense of satisfaction.

-- much as he probably should.

His nights had been so uninteresting for so long now, that a moment of laughter was welcomed, even if it was Daniel who inspired it.

Taking in another lungful of smoke, Armand waited for the boy to settle before nodding once, --

Luckily for Daniel, Armand was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anyone else's at that moment. This entire ride had gotten away from him, and if he lingered on that fact for too long he was certain it would spoil his mood, but for the time being, he didn't hate it as --

-- cigarette, exhaling with a sigh. He hadn't laughed like that in a while, and his chest felt strangely loose and light now. Very odd.

"If you can control yourself enough not to drop it, I'll light yours too. Do you think you can do that?"

-- answered, still smiling as he snuffed out the last of his laughter and reached over, leaning down to snatch Daniel's cigarette from the floor and tuck it back between the boy's fingers. "It's a fun trick. Wonderfully simple."

He took another drag of his own --

The sound of Daniel's mind blanking out of sheer surprise was already entertaining, but the flailing that followed was enough to coax a proper laugh out of Armand. It started soft, building until he was grinning wide, shoulders shaking, his head thrown back with the force of it.

"Yes! I did," he --

-- visibly smug, and rolled down a window to exhale a cloud of smoke into the night.

"Thank you."

-- Armand smiled, plucking a cigarette from the offered pack and placing it between his lips. He hesitated a moment, briefly considering the wisdom of his next action, and then the end of his cigarette sparked and lit with just a thought.

He took a slow drag, --

-- scared such a mouthy thing into being quiet.

They hit another stoplight as Daniel pulled out his cigarettes, and Armand's eyes cut away to the street for a moment before landing back on him. The traffic wasn't as bad in this area. They'd be on the move again soon.

"How polite," --

Armand allowed Daniel a moment to absorb that information, quietly watching the gears turn in his brain and the puzzle pieces slot into place. The boy had so many questions, but not yet enough courage to ask them all, and Armand took some satisfaction in knowing he'd --

// omg I am so awful at keeping up here, I'm SO sorry </3

-- are naturally more powerful than others, and this happens to be a skill that I am particularly proficient with."

-- waiting for Louis to drag himself out of his coffin and remember he existed? It was the safer choice, and the one that he should take, but the idea was dismissed as quickly as it arose.

"Correct," he confirmed, audibly amused by Daniel's subdued demeanour. "Some of us --

-- was smart, which he liked to think he was, he would stop this now. He'd leave Daniel with those whispers of memories and let him sort through them on his own.

But where would that leave Armand? Bored again, with nothing to fill his nights? Passing the time --

Ah. There was his answer. A dim echo of his own voice rattling around in the spaces between Daniel's thoughts. Armand had been proud of the work he'd done to bury those memories, but that which was hidden could always be uncovered with a little bit of time, effort, and prompting.

If Armand --

-- of us can wield."

And it was something he could use against Daniel, too. He hoped that much was clear, and he wondered—perhaps worried—if it would jog the boy's memory at all.