Hands Down.

Vincent sighed as he settled into the makeup chair, fixing the cuffs on the red overcoat he wore and giving a small but always warm smile to the makeup artist before she began her work. He watched the mirror for most of the process- observing how his hair looked so much different when cropped this short, and he also observed the way his pale skin contrasted with his eyes. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he was playing a vampire, he was certain that he would appear to have contracted a fatal disease.

Only a few feet from him, Matt Newton waited patiently as his makeup artist applied his makeup, and Vincent smiled over at him, taking note of the brightness of his blue eyes before returning his gaze to the mirror, closing his eyes and relaxing as Lucia did her work.
He wasn’t there for long, and when he finally rose, Matt was at a mirror, combing through curled locks, giving a small smile as Vincent passed him, licking his lips as he began to imagine the things they would be filming.

Jorge came up behind him, patting his back, and he smiled. “Well if it isn’t our Armand. Feeling good about today?” Matt nodded. “Good. You don’t…feel…awkward or anything?” Matt shook his head, checking his appearance once more. “Awesome. Because it really isn’t that bad.”

Matt flashed a smile, checking his nails. “I never said I was complaining, Jorge,” he said, his Australian accent obvious, and he gave a cunning smile. “Vincent’s an attractive man. Even I can appreciate that.” He smiled. “But hey. You know me. I’m up for anything.”

Jorge patted him on the back. “Good, because they need you on set.”

Matt nodded. “Okay. I’ll be there in a second. I just can’t find the necklace I’m supposed to wear…” he sighed, glancing feebly around the area. “Michael will have my head if it’s been lost.”

Jorge smiled, patting Matt’s shoulder as he turned to walk away. “I’m sure you’ll find it,” he said. “Ask Vincent. Maybe he knows.”

Matt watched as the producer walked away, and then he began checking his pockets.

“Looking for this?”

Matt smiled widely at his co-star, letting him clasp the necklace around his neck. “Yes, actually, I’ve been trying to find it. Between makeup and all of that.” He gave a quick half-smile, touching the necklace that now hung near his collarbone. “Thanks. Where was it?”

“It seems to have found its way into my jacket,” Vincent said, a light chuckle in his voice. “Come on. They need us on set.” He gestured to the walkway ahead of him, and Matt walked in front of him. Quietly, he followed, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes watching the path ahead but his mind wandering elsewhere as always. When they arrived at the set, he gave a small nod in acknowledgement to the rest of the cast standing in their places, accompanied by a curt smile.

“Such a gentleman you are, Marius,” Stuart teased him, and Vincent merely chuckled softly, playfully narrowing his eyes at the man that was playing Lestat. “Surely you’ll be showing Matt here the same courtesy?”

Matt raised an eyebrow at Stuart before letting out a small, awkward laugh. “I certainly hope so. I’d rather like to be able to feel my hand after this, you know?” He smiled again, and then he turned his attention back to Vincent, their gazes meeting, and he quickly went over the lines in his head. There were so few, but he was sure he would forget when to say them.
Vincent smelled absolutely amazing today.

“And…we’re rolling.”

Vincent softly took Matt’s hand, as the script called for, and delivered his lines in a gentle voice tinged with an Italian accent, and Matt smiled slightly at him, admiring his eyes.

“It’s enough,” he said, folding his other hand around Vincent’s, glancing down at their hands before looking back up into the other man’s eyes. “I always knew we would meet again.” Vincent delivered another line after that, but Matt could only watch his lips and pretend he was watching his eyes.

Their lips met, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that they were filming, Stuart surely would have begun making comments. But since it was on film, Vincent pulled away from the kiss first, smiling and touching Matt’s face, his eyes warm.

“And cut. Wow, guys, that was perfect. I don’t think we need another take.” This made Matt feel unnecessarily smug.

“Wow, Marius, didn’t know you fancied Matt that way. Maybe you two should just go get a room or something, eh?” Stuart wiggled his eyebrows, laughing and walking over to them, clapping Vincent on the back. “Just kidding. On to the next scene, yeah?” He laughed again, and then he returned to his place. “Stories about two of the oldest vampires in the series.”
Vincent laughed, pulling Matt to his side and gently pushing away the hand that wasn’t needed. “Yes. Simply delightful.”

“You’re an amazing kisser,” Matt said quietly, smiling oddly, making it clear that he was back to his humorous self while the cameras weren’t rolling.

“Thank you,” Vincent said just as quietly, smiling and chuckling a little. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

“Just imagine if they’d made us do another take.”

Vincent smiled. “I don’t think either of us would have had to force very much for another take,” he said, and his voice sounded exactly as it did when he was speaking as Marius, which was a gruff Italian drawl. It nearly gave Matt chills to hear it.

Grinning coyly, Matt replied, “I never force anything.” This earned him another chuckle, and he glanced over at the director, getting a feeling that he should fall silent.

“Alright, ladies, stop flirting, it’s time to be serious. And…action.”

They filmed that one scene for an hour.

And for hours after that, sets were brought up, struck down, makeup and costumes were changed, and most of the time, Matt and Vincent stood together, off to the side, arms crossed, sharing a quiet conversation whenever there was downtime. The rest of the cast pretended not to notice, and the crew wasn’t really bothered by them, since they were quiet whenever the cameras were rolling.

Occasionally, Vincent would lean over and say something in Matt’s ear if he couldn’t be heard properly, and each time, they both would laugh and then smile a bit more warmly at each other than they would if others were around.

But they kept to themselves, and Vincent even lingered near Matt at the makeup station as his extensions were taken out for the night, and then as they were alone, he smiled, touching the other man’s shoulder.

“I’m glad it wasn’t awkward,” said the Australian. “You know…with the whole…”

Vincent pulled his hand from Matt’s shoulder, crossing his arms and leaning against a pole that supported the makeup tent. “I’ve exposed myself in front of the camera before, so you can imagine that kissing a man in front of the camera wouldn’t bother me.” He smiled broadly. “As I said. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Thanks, I guess,” the younger of the two said, giving a quick smile. “I bet we could have gone so much farther, and the producers wouldn’t have said a word.”

Vincent nodded absentmindedly, studying the young Australian’s features, his expression thoughtful. “I suppose so,” he said after a moment. “Listen…would you mind helping me out of these boots? They are tighter than usual, so…”

“Of course. Here, sit there, and I’ll get them off you.” Matt smiled warmly, and Vincent sat in the makeup chair, turning it to face the younger man, extending his leg. “Of course they give you leather to wear,” Matt observed quietly, and this earned him a soft chuckle. As he pulled the first off, he watched his co-star smile, and he nodded as he said something, even though he really didn’t catch the words. The sight of Vincent’s eyes seemed to mute all other sound except for the thoughts in his head, and he remained silent as he removed the second boot as well. “There,” he said, rising. “Better?”

“Much, thank you.”

“Good.” He smiled shortly. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you…”

Vincent lifted an eyebrow ever so slightly, the long brow curving as the skin shifted. “Would it have anything to do with what happened on set today?” He smiled. “It’s alright, you know. I don’t mind. You’ll find that I am not picky.” He smiled again, letting the younger man step closer to him. “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”

Matt’s blue eyes watched green ones before he spoke again. “Yes, well, there is a small sort of pub nearby, and we’ve nothing to film tomorrow, so…”

Vincent narrowed his eyes a little in thought before nodding and smiling. “Alright. Would you like me to accompany you to your trailer?” When Matt nodded, he gestured toward the exit before them. “Lead the way.” Even though they walked side-by-side, the intent of the words was genuine, and as they reached Matt’s trailer, they turned to each other, and Vincent smiled at the younger man. “Was there anything else you wanted to try with me tonight?”

“Not really.” He smiled shiftily. “Just…” Hs gaze flickered to Vincent’s lips, which were curved in an inviting smile, and he couldn’t help but hesitantly reach up to touch the slightly tanned skin of the other man’s neck. Hearing a soft sigh, he licked his lips nervously, and then he allowed himself the simple pleasure of kissing Vincent once more.

Caught off guard, the older man blinked before allowing his eyes to close, and he let his hand press softly against Matt’s cheek, their lips separating for only a moment before uniting once again. “Good night, Matthew,” he said softly. “Come to my trailer tomorrow when you are ready to go out.” He smiled again, watching the younger man’s eyes as he received a nod in response, and then he remained where he was as Matt slipped from his reach, entering his trailer quietly and shutting the door behind him.

And, mollified, Vincent walked peacefully to his own trailer, entering, shutting the door, and then lying down on his bed, falling asleep rather quickly, dreaming only of the occurrences of the day.