Armand/Lestat - A Story in 6 Parts - Post-Canon - Ensemble Cast
When Armand and Lestat won't stop bickering during the Vampire Court's Summer Sabbatical at Trinity Gate, Marius proposes a game for them to play: chose a mortal, any mortal, and study them for two weeks while abstaining from blood drinking of any kind. Winner gets bragging rights among other things, and loser will never hear the end of it. But can Lestat and Armand both stick to the rules and play the game without ruining everyone else's summer?
This has been such a fun fic to write! I started it this summer, forgot about it, found it again, and have been having a blast writing the rest so I hope people love reading it as much as I've loved writing it.
This fic was inspired by a small section of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, in which two characters in Venice play a similar game. When I read it, I thought it would be really fun to present Armand and Lestat with a similar challenge.
I am a multishipper and though this fic does revolve around Lestat and Armand, other characters are involved and all ships are present and respected. Immortals have a lot of love to give. It's also dueling POV with both Armand and Lestat's perspectives.
This is 6 parts (so far, I am writing the last part as we speak and may decide it needs a 7th) but mostly drafted so I hope to post this weekly.
Lestat was lounging on the sofa with his feet up, one boot resting on the back of it. Armand pushed his boot down aggressively, forcing Lestat to shift his position.
“No shoes on the sofa,” Armand said.
Lestat grinned at him in that boyish way of his, a grin that was half amused and half conspiratorial, as if they were sharing a joke. “It’s not as if it’s an antique.”
“It’s my house, my rules. Take off your filthy boots.”
Lestat raised his leg and wiggled his boot at Armand. “Now, now, you’ve hurt its feelings. Kiss and make up.”
Armand rolled his eyes, batting the boot away. “If you’re going to be disrespectful of my property, you can go back to France.”
Lestat put his foot down and shifted so he was sitting up. “It’s not my fault things have been painfully dull around here.”
Armand curled his fingers into fists and uncurled them. Marius was seated on the easy chair in the corner, reading something on his iPad—probably a newspaper, as Daniel had signed him up for a few of the major publication’s digital subscriptions. Armand tried to catch his attention but Marius was absorbed. Not that it would help–-he was as likely to side with Lestat as with him.
“And what would you have me do?” Armand folded his arms over his chest.
A heatwave had crashed over the city, making it hot and stuffy even after dark. Humidity made the air thick like soup. While it did not affect their kind as much as the mortals who were walking around soaked in sweat, their clothes sticking to their skin, it was unpleasant, and it made Armand’s auburn hair frizz up. Lestat’s hair was not spared either, and that was part of why he was sulking inside in the air conditioning.
He was insufferably broody lately, perhaps because Louis had opted to spend the first part of this little sabbatical in London with Fontayne, going to bookshops and then reading in a small flat he had there. The two had become fast friends of late and it was a thorn in Lestat’s side. The idiot.
“You should take me around town! Show me the sights!” Lestat demanded.
Armand resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. “You know this city as well as I do,” Armand said, which might not be strictly true, but it wasn’t as if he was a stranger to it. “And besides, I’m not a cruise director. If you want a tour guide, go bother Daniel.”
Lestat grinned again, this time a little streak of cruelty curling his lips. “Isn’t he otherwise occupied?”
Armand dropped his arms to his sides to resist the temptation to smack Lestat. Daniel was currently showing Bianca around the city. They’d been spending a lot of time together lately, as she appreciated Daniel’s gentle disposition and curious nature. Armand had thought it better not to ask after her deceased fledgling to spare her the pain of discussing him, but Daniel had been quick to let her talk about her loss, endearing him to Bianca almost instantly. This, of course, did not bother Armand at all, nor was it any of Lestat’s business.
“What Daniel does or does not do is no concern of yours,” Armand said tightly.
“But you just offered me his company.” Lestat’s blue-gray eyes flashed with mischief. “And I would enjoy it. He is such a pretty thing.”
Heat flared in Armand’s chest. “I offered you nothing but a tour guide.”
“Ah, but he’s already played that role for me. Perhaps I want more.” Lestat stood so he could glare down at him in a threatening way.
“If you continue to be disrespectful of what’s mine—”
Lestat tsk’d. “So possessive.”
Marius cleared his throat and set his iPad in his lap. “This is meant to be a vacation.”