Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Didn’t we talk about a better time for you to call, little miss?” 

“What better time than when I’m sure you’re sitting on the couch with your pullout tray eating dinner and watching the discovery channel, with a book sitting right beside you? And didn’t we discuss that I’m too old to be called little miss?” 

Louis couldn’t even think about holding in his laughter. It was no shock that his daughter knew him more than anything and didn’t hesitate to tell him about himself. 

“Well for one, I’m watching Netflix, not the discovery channel, and two it’s 1:00 in the morning over there, and the most important thing, you’ll always be my little miss. Turning eighteen doesn’t change that.”

Claudia may have giggled at that, but Louis knew she had rolled her eyes on the other end of the call.

“Did you enjoy your nap?” Louis asked, pausing the television.

“I did, and waking up to the view of the Eiffel Tower across the way makes it even better.”

Every summer Claudia, his sister, and his mother planned a girl’s trip to different locations around the world. And this summer, after Claudia’s graduation, they were visiting Paris, France. These last few years, Louis usually tagged along for about a week or two during their trip, but this time he would be staying stateside. 

“Aunt Grace said you had something exciting to tell me?” Claudia’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. 

Leave it to his sister to tell her niece something that Louis would have loved to keep under wraps just because he knew exactly how she would react when he told her what he was planning to do.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say exciting, but I was called in for a job that I’m not going to take.”

“Why not? It’s been ages since you’ve been in the bodyguard business. Who’s it for?”

Louis hesitated for a moment before telling Claudia that it was Lestat de Lioncourt, and because he knew his daughter so well, he immediately removed the phone from his ear so the scream he anticipated didn’t burst his eardrum.

“Are you serious!”

Needless to say, Lestat was one of Claudia’s favorite artists. She really loved his music and had probably every album of his ever created.

“Dad, you have too!”

“I already turned it down.You know I’m retired. I don’t need all of that in my life anymore.” And even his words sounded unbelievable to his own ears.

“But you know if you’ve been contacted they need the best and dad, not to boast your head up, but you’re the best.” She tried convincing him. “Plus you’re only thirty five, can you really call that retired?”

“When you’ve logged in as many hours as I have, I could have retired a year after I started.”

It was silent for a moment, but it was Claudia who spoke next.

“Look, just think about it okay, and it’s not because I want an autograph and a chance to meet him one day, but if you truly don’t want to do this because it’s too dangerous then don’t. I don’t want anything happening to you. But if you think you can do this without any issues then I say go for it. I don’t want you sitting around the entire summer doing your normal boring routine. Watching animal documentaries, going to art galleries, and reading the same books you’ve read at least twenty times.”

“Gee, thanks.” He smirked. “And it’s only been nineteen times by the way.” 

“I’m serious, Dad. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m safe here with Aunt Gracie and Grams. Plus, the two men you have tailing us like we don’t notice.”

Busted. Louis may not have been in that life anymore, but he still had connections. And with Claudia, his sister, and his mom vacationing out of the country without him, he needed to make sure they were safe at all times.

“Please just think about it okay?”

“You and your aunt sound so much alike it’s scary.” Because this was literally almost the same conversation he had with Grace earlier.

“Great minds.”

“I’ll think about it if it’ll make you happy. But you got something you want to tell me now?”

He could tell the moment Claudia tensed up, “Whatever do you mean?” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” He smiled. “That maybe you’ve met someone with only being there less than a week? Grace said I should talk to you about it?”

Claudia let out the biggest yawn, “I think I’m getting tired again, we should talk in the morning.”

Louis laughed, “Umhmm I’m sure. I want to hear about this tomorrow, little miss.”

Claudia agreed and after they hung up, Louis looked back at his television. He may not have been watching the discovery channel, but he was watching one of those animal documentaries on the streaming app. 

So, yeah, his daughter knew him well. Sometimes better than he knew himself.

Louis de Pointe du Lac, du Lac for short, was a thirty five year old dad who spent seventeen years of his life protecting other people. Well, because he left the business about four years ago, then it was technically thirteen years. He worked for a small protection service that wasn’t really known for playing by the rules. Most of their work was legit, but the reason they had such a high success rate was because some of the staff, Louis included, took things a little off the books, regardless of the consequences. Louis’ nickname was the enforcer. And there was a definite reason behind that. 

He may have been a bodyguard for many out there, whether it were high profiles like the executives, dignitaries, or even pro bono work for those who couldn’t afford him. But, at times their agency may not have technically brought their harassers to a legal justice. Many times, it ended with someone six feet under. And Louis, well Louis wasn’t a stickler for following the rules. He was an exemplary fighter that has not only ended someone’s life, but he didn’t shy away from the torture aspect of it all. So, yes, he’s done things. Things he could never tell his family. 

His mother, sister, and Claudia only knew that he would spend time away as a normal bodyguard, but they never knew the intricacy of his work. And even though they knew there were risks with the job, he did his best to make sure they never had to worry. 

However, there were times where Louis didn’t come unscathed. He’s had a few cracked ribs, dislocations, stabbed a few times, and shot at more times than he could count, but he was only actually hit a total of five times out of his fourteen years. Which to him, that was nothing. 

Claudia was still so young when a lot of it happened, that she doesn’t remember much and he did his best to keep that away from her. His mom and Grace on the other hand had been beside themselves, especially when one of the times he got wounded was a month after his brother’s death. 

Paul’s suicide really messed with Louis’ head. The sane part of him knew he should have spent every moment with his family so that they could grieve together, but he was so angry and so broken that he got sloppy in his work, which resulted in him getting shot in the chest. Three inches to the right, the bullet could have pierced his heart and he would have died. Not only that, prior to the death scare, he spent time in the ring, boxing his nights away, and letting guys beat him down until he couldn’t feel.

It was Daniel Malloy, a good friend of his, and his partner in the service that had to pull him out of it. 

So, after all of the heartache and getting back on his feet, he took smaller jobs and made sure that Claudia was his number one priority. Meaning that he tried to not get himself hurt and make it home to her everyday unharmed.

Claudia may have not been his blood, but nothing could ever change the fact that she was his daughter through and through. He adopted her at the age of six, when he was only twenty four years old. He had known her since she was born, as he was good friend’s with her mom, but when she took her own life, he vowed he would always be there to take care of Claudia. 

He hadn’t let her down yet and he still wouldn’t. It wasn’t the easiest thing at first, and definitely a learning curve, but Claudia was his heart and he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

It warmed his heart every day to know that she was proud of him. And yeah she may not have known the full gory details of his life, but she knew that her father protected people and that he protected her. 

That was enough.  

After he took his dishes to the sink, he walked over to his countertop that held a folder full of information on Lestat and the case that Daniel dropped by earlier.

“Just think about it, Du Lac. We could use you.” He had said when Louis told him to find someone else.

He just knew that when Daniel knocked on his door it had to be something extreme. He rarely saw him much anymore, just a drink or two once a month to catch up a bit, but now that he was back on the job, those monthly meet ups were nonexistent. 

Looking through the file, he glanced at Lestat’s picture a little longer than expected. He already knew what he looked like because of Claudia. She listened to his music all the time and was ecstatic when Louis got her tickets to his concert last year. She said she had the time of her life attending with her friends and Grace. 

Although he never really gave Lestat much thought, now that he was really looking at his image, he couldn’t help but think that Lestat was easy on the eyes. 

However, Louis didn’t get a chance to think further than that, because he was encased in reading the file. He always kept feelings out of any case, but his heart immediately went out to the French musician. He briefly heard about this years ago, but never knew too much about it. 

Lestat was barely the age of nineteen when that grimy pathetic celebrity agent tried to groom him. When Lestat reported it, it took a long time for Magnus to go to jail and that was because he knew powerful people. He didn’t even spend the required years in jail because those same powerful people were able to pull some strings to get him out and keep things out of the spotlight. And now that he’s released, it didn’t stop the harassing phone calls, showing up randomly, and when Lestat hired the bodyguard service, he became threatening. 

The last message that got through came through in a letter to his home, stating that he was going to take Lestat’s life so no one could have him. 

So, that led to Daniel showing up on Louis’ doorstep instead.

And now, Louis was sitting right across from Daniel at the bar that a lot of people in his profession frequented, run by one of his dearest friends. 

“I’m glad you changed your mind.”

“I haven’t just yet,” Louis took a sip of his drink. “Tell me why I should? You and the team are more than capable.”

“I’m getting up there in age.” Daniel fidgeted with his fingers. “My back isn’t as it used to be.”

“You’re forty five Daniel, and last time we spoke you still had the kind of adrenaline to never want to slow down.”

Louis watched as his friend lit his cigarette and barely made eye contact with him.

“You met someone?”

It was the first time he saw a blush creep onto Daniel’s face in probably ever. And he had to admit, he was quite surprised. After Daniel’s divorce many years ago, he constantly made it known that he wasn’t looking for anything serious ever again. So for him to want to take a step back and reduce some hours means he really cares for this person. 

“It’s new. Sometimes I don’t even know what it is or how it happened, but he wants me to pull back some. Not give every single hour of the day to this. And no, he didn’t really ask, but I can see it in his eyes every time I’m on duty, which has been almost always.” 

That caught Louis’ attention. “Daniel? You and Lioncourt?”

“No! Oh God no.” Daniel said rather quickly. “Not that primadona diva. It’s his best friend. Well, his manager.” 

He watched as Daniel’s smile grew, but Louis still had to ask. “It doesn’t cross the line between professional and personal?”

“At first I thought so, but he just kept… being around. Everytime I work, he’s always there even when he doesn't need to be. And plus, he’s not the client. So, that helps my conscience.”

Louis hummed. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“We aren’t… we’re something I can’t really even give you a definition.”

“Something can be good.”

Daniel smiled and took a sip of his drink.“But enough about me, what’s going to make you sign on?”

“Is Marius still the head of the company?” 

“He is, but you know Marius, doesn’t really get his feet wet unless he has too.”

“No, just makes us do the dirty work and takes all the credit while we risk our lives.” Plus, Marius always gave him the creeps. Not that he was scared of him, and if it came to it, Louis could take him even on his worst day, but there was something about Marius that never sat right with him. 

“Well, his leadership never stopped you before. We know you don’t listen to him anyways.”

“And I’m not going to start now.” Louis gave a brief smile and a thank you to the waitress who came by and dropped off his cigar. “Does he know you came to me?”

“Yeah, he knows. Regardless of what he feels about you, he knows you’re the best.” He then looked down at the folder. “Did you read up on everything?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe they let that bastard Magnus out of jail.”  

“Yeah well he’s in bed with some powerful people, even though some of those powerful people are kicking themselves in the ass right now because of the recent threats on Lestat’s life. Some things have gone public and that gives some of those people a bad name.” 

“Kill on sight or bring him in?” Louis needed to get right down to the point.

Daniel gave him a look that let Louis know everything he needed to know. “Bring him in.” 

But Louis knew that wasn’t what he meant.

“So since it seems like you’ve already spent time in Lestat’s orbit, tell me about him. The file gives the basic information. Rockstar, Magnus preyed on him at a young age, turned obsessive and stalkerish, went to jail, got out a few years later, kept getting in contact somehow. Got his ex boyfriend beat up pretty badly.”

“Yeah, an ex that Lestat hadn’t talked to in almost a decade. Apparently they broke up because Nicki cheated. Lestat ended the relationship, and a decade later when he was already out of jail, Magnus had Nicki beat up to an inch of his life. The guy he had on payroll came clean and said that Magnus did it because it was someone that hurt Lestat, so he needed to be hurt.”

Jesus. Louis thought. “And no one has seen Magnus since?”

“The biggest thing was two weeks ago when he snuck into Lestat’s dressing room before his concert, cornered him and tried….but we got there in time. We have no idea how he slid past our detail. But we need you. We need this to stop. We’ve doubled the security, but they still can’t compare to you.”

“You trying to butter me up, Danny boy.”

“You never gave me a chance to do that.” Daniel chuckled.

Louis didn’t pay him any mind. Daniel used to flirt with him randomly here and there, and even begged to be fucked by Louis when they first met. But it was only ever friendship between the two of them. Louis only saw him as that.

But Daniel still flirted from time to time.

“And Lestat? You called him a primadonna.”

“He can be a bit of a diva. Emotional, wears his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes a bit insufferable…. annoying, but everyone has different impressions of him. Ultimately, he is a good person. Even though sometimes I want to strangle him.”

“So, I'm playing babysitter to someone who is going to make me lose my mind?”

“A gorgeous babysitter who provides a level of protection even the president wishes he had.”

Louis just gave him a look.

“So, what do you say?”

Louis hesitated for a moment, but overall he had already made his decision before he walked into the bar.

“Fine, but only for four months. Claudia is in Paris right now, so it helps that she’s not here during all of this. She’ll be back by then and I don’t want her anywhere near this.” 

“Deal. There’s no doubt we should find him by then. Hopefully even before that. The pay is great too. So you won’t have to worry about that.”

Not that Louis minded. He had enough money where he could do these jobs for free 

now. 

It was two in the morning and Louis had been back home for a few hours. Normally, he would have found solace in getting a good night’s sleep after a few drinks and a nice cigar, but he was restless. 

Restless because he was upset at how excited he was for tomorrow. He hated to admit how much he missed doing this. Being active, getting his hands dirty. And yeah, for the most part he would be doing a lot of following around, and making sure a celebrity didn’t get so much as a scratch, but ultimately Magnus would attempt to make another move and Louis would be the one to execute his death. 

Since he couldn’t fall asleep, he went down to his basement and did a workout which consisted of hitting a couple rounds on his punching bag.

The doorbell ringing pulled him out of his concentration. He immediately went on full alert because it was way too late for anyone to be at his home. When he checked his security cameras and saw who it was, he was filled with an immense amount of frustration.  

Jonah Macon.

His ex fiance'.

In a normal situation, he would question why he was standing on his doorstep,  but his life was anything but normal and this wasn’t the first time he had done this.

Louis had known Jonah since high school, but didn’t really come together and date until they met back up again when Louis was twenty nine. They met for dinner and then ended up in bed. After that, things moved at a decent pace. Louis went into the relationship telling Jonah what he did for a living, leaving out a few things of course, but ultimately he knew a good portion of his profession. 

Louis gave him an out before things got serious between them, but Jonah didn’t want one and about a year later, he was moving in. Claudia was even fond of him during their time together. But then Jonah started to act strange, started to pitch fits because of Louis’ job and that he wasn’t a top priority in his life. They got into arguments here and there, but Louis finally made some big decisions and scaled back on the bodyguard service. And then after much deliberation, he decided to retire from the life altogether. Louis knew he needed to slow down, concentrate more on his daughter and Jonah, putting all of his time and efforts into his family. 

And then a year later, Jonah proposed, and a few months after that Louis found out that Jonah had been cheating on him. He pretty much only proposed to ease his guilt, yet that didn’t stop him from seeing his new lover on the side.

What was even crazier is that Louis found him pounding into some guy from behind in their bed.

His bed. 

Jonah was kicked out that same day. 

Louis wouldn’t even bring up the fact that Jonah was giving , when all he ever did with Louis was be on the receiving end. He never wanted to switch. Well, he tried once and it was pretty much a failure, so Louis always made sure he did his best to bring Jonah to that heightened pleasure. 

Louis was sad, sure, but he wouldn’t fall apart around Claudia. She was extremely pissed at Jonah and never wanted to see him again. And to be quite honest, he was more upset over the breakup because Claudia was hurt over it, viewing Jonah as a part of their little family. 

They’ve been broken up for almost two years now, but that still didn’t stop Jonah from hitting him up randomly and getting in modes where his guilt would eat him alive and he’d show up at his home.

It was harmless and didn’t happen a lot, but Louis was fed up. 

“It's three in the morning.” Louis answered the door. “What do you want?”

“Can we talk?”

“No.” As Louis was closing the door, Jonah stopped him, but instantly dropped his hand from the door when he saw the look on Louis’ face. 

“Lou, can we talk please? I just… you’re the only one I could go too…”

Louis rolled his eyes. “I’m not inviting you in.”

“You won’t take my calls anymore. You won’t text me back. I’m just… I’m sorry for what I did. Sorry I hurt you. You didn’t deserve—”

“You’re sorry you got caught. But I don’t have the energy to talk to you. It’s late. It's been over a year, Jonah. Stop coming here.”

“Lou—”

“Stop calling me that. You’ve apologized already, and you constantly coming around here isn’t going to help anything. You get these moments where you feel guilty so you try to call or text or come by at ungodly hours. Well it stops today. Go home, crawl into bed with your boyfriend, and sleep it off. But, you’re going to stop coming here. This is the last time I’m gonna tell you.” Then he closed the door in his face.

Louis went to sleep that night and surprisingly had a dream about Lestat de Lioncourt.

“Do we really need one more person to follow me around everywhere I go? I mean I am flattered, but our dear Daniel here is doing such a good job.” 

Daniel sighed of annoyance, but Armand was the one to speak up. “You have a threat on your life, Lestat. Daniel can’t be with you every second of every day.”

“Well yeah, because you want to keep your lover boy all to yourself.” He then looked Daniel up and down pretending to flirt, but really just trying to get a rise out of his friend. “Afraid he’ll fall for my charms?”

“Charms isn’t the exact word I was thinking of.” Daniel inserted.

“Let us run away together, Danny and leave my little assistant here.”

“First, my beloved would never leave me for you,” Armand interjected, “Second, I am your manager , not your assistant.”

Lestat stretched out in bed, making sure the bed sheet was hung low around his waist, one wrong move and he would show them what he was sure they both wouldn’t mind seeing.

Armand grabbed one of his pillows and threw it at him, “Get your ass up, take a shower to get the disgusting stench of sex off of you, and get ready. Your new bodyguard will meet us at the recording studio.”

Lestat groaned, and before he could say anything, the woman that Lestat spent the night with came out of the bathroom in one of his robes.

He tried his best not to look annoyed. He had an array of extra towels, robes, and really any other clothing. Why did she have to use his? 

“And the groupie is gonna have to go too.” Armand added, checking some things off of his ipad.

“Hey, I am not a groupie.” Antoinette snapped. “Plus, Les here said he wants to sing a duet with me, so I’ll be going to the studio too.” She then turned to smile at Lestat. “Isn’t that right, Lestat? You said I had a lovely voice and could be a singer.” 

Lestat glanced between her and Armand who he could tell was trying not to blow a fuse. He was aware that he had to stop making promises to people while they were in his bed. Except the difference with Antoinette was that she was a regular of his and he made a lot of promises to her… sometimes just to shut her up.

But, why not invite her. He liked to stir the pot a little.

“That’s right, Netty.” He winked. “She will come with us.”

Antoinette’s loud laughter filled the room. 

Armand then looked over at Daniel, “Beloved, would you be so kind as to show Antoinette to the room two doors down to get dressed? I need to speak with Les here.”

When Daniel walked Antoinette out of the room, who protested the whole way, Lestat stood out of bed, holding the sheet around his waist.

“What can I do for you, assistant ? Thought I needed to shower.”

“Cut the shit, Lestat. This is serious.” Armand was agitated. “Your life is in danger and you act like you don’t even care. You have people, double the people holsted around this place to protect you. And you're being real carless right now. All those people you invited here last night for some drugged out party could have ended horribly.”

“Isn’t that what the protection is for?”

“Not when you had hundreds of people where someone could slip through. No one should be at your actual place of residence. You’re putting yourself at risk, you’re putting the people who are here to protect you at risk.”

Lestat tried to ignore the look of disappointment on Armand’s face.

“Everyone is just fine. I’m not going to play the docile little rockstar and stay cooped up in my room after a show like a child.”

“Then by all means quit acting like one and be an adult. I know you don’t care what happens to you but you do have some people who do. So, stop making it hard on everyone else.” And then he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Lestat stood there for a moment, took a deep breath, and then left to go take a shower. 

While standing in the shower, letting the hot water flow over him, Lestat couldn’t help but let his mind wonder.

He heard Armand. Even if his best friend, well somewhat of a best friend, didn’t think he did. And he knew how he was acting, but could anyone really blame him? He felt like some child getting babysat because some monster still had a level of control over his life. A man who preyed on him as a teen and who was now an obsessive stalker who wanted to literally end his life. 

And no matter how much he thought he was truly over what happened all those years ago, no matter how much therapy he went through to where he truly felt like he was better, it still bothered him from time to time. When Magnus got out of prison and began showing up randomly and getting into contact with him, it was as if he could sometimes feel himself shutting down and living out of his skin.  

He trusted someone at a young age to get him to be a star and that disgusting vile creature manipulated him, touched him inappropriately, and stole money from him, yet claiming he wanted him in a romantic way.

Lestat bent out of the shower and threw up in the trash can, grateful that he made it in there and not the floor. 

He then sat down in the tub and put his knees up to his chest, letting the tears fall.

He may have put on an act in front of others, may have slept around, partook in alcohol and the occasional drug from time to time, but it was never enough to take his mind off of everything. Lestat just wanted to feel normal, wanted to feel like himself again. His music meant so much to him, his lyrics always coming from the heart, and yet for a while he’s always felt numb when performing.

And he didn’t want to let his fans down. He owed the best parts of himself to those that loved him so much.

He just hoped this ended soon, with Magnus twelve feet under.

It’s also the reason why he couldn’t allow himself to get close to anyone. As much as he gave them a hard time, he admired what Armand and Daniel were attempting to build with each other. He knew it was one of the main reasons why Armand wanted another bodyguard to swap out with Daniel at times. 

Yes, he had a lot of security in his detail, but the main one that stayed with him the most was Daniel, and Armand was falling so in love that he was starting to panic at the thought of Daniel not being safe as well. And apparently the only way Daniel would stop being his main guard was if he brought in someone he truly trusted and could protect Lestat better than he could. 

But, regardless of all of that, Lestat was just ready to get his life back. 

An hour later, he was in the studio working with his producer and audio engineer as they began mixing his new track that he had been working on. 

Although he was listening, he couldn't help but glance over at Armand and Daniel. Daniel was standing against the wall in his zone and Armand stood next to him. He may have been looking through his ipad, but he casually kept looking over at Daniel ever so often letting a small smile grace his lips. 

He even noticed how Daniel tried not to smile, but failing nonetheless.

Lestat knew his little gremlin of an assistant was happy, even if he didn’t show it a lot. 

“When do I get to record, Les?” 

He completely forgot that Antoinette was here. Armand was right, he shouldn’t have allowed her to come. He didn’t really care for her, and to be quite honest, he knew that she was just using him to get ahead. 

“He’s here.” Daniel’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

For a split second his heart skipped a beat, thinking he meant Magnus, but he instantly calmed down when Daniel mentioned the new bodyguard had arrived. 

“I’m going to go meet him out front.” Daniel began walking towards the door.

“Want me to go with you?” Armand asked.

“Daniel’s a big boy, Armand. You two can be apart for three minutes.” Lestat joked, 

knowing that they would both ignore him.

Louis didn’t sleep much at all last night. After Jonah left, he got in bed, but instead of falling asleep, he called Claudia first. She scolded him for still being up, but changed her tune when he told her that he was going to take the job. 

She was beyond thrilled, but after a few minutes, she got quiet over the phone. And 

because this time they decided to video call, Louis knew exactly what her facial expression meant. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking. The truth.”

“Just please be careful, dad. I don’t want anything to happen to you. You haven’t done this in several years and I just… I don’t want to worry.” 

He gave her a reassuring smile, “I’m going to be okay. If it helps, it won’t just be me 

working. There will be others and Daniel will be there too. We’ll all have each other's back.”

Louis could tell it did make her feel a bit better.

“Please be careful, okay? Love and miss you.”

“Miss and love you, too.”

After getting just a couple hours of sleep, he got up, had a small breakfast and packed two duffle bags. One filled with clothes since he’d be staying onsite for the first week and the second was full of his weapons. After making sure his security system was still good to go, he headed out. 

He wasn’t in his car for five minutes before he got a phone call. Seeing the name, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Miss Lily.” He answered.

“Louis Du Lac. It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Good to hear yours too. So, are you ready to work with me again?”

“Are you kidding? You were always the best part of my day when I worked for that place.

How’s my girl? Enjoying Paris with the fam?”

“She loves it. She wants an autograph.”

“I can’t believe I forgot she was a Lestat Lioncourt fan. Well at least her dad has an in now.” She then changed the subject. “So, I should be back in town in about a week. Are you still able to hold me up?”

“Yes. Even if I’m not back home then, you’ll know how to get in.”

“Perfect! Once you get settled over at Lioncourt’s, give me a call and we’ll get started.”

Lily was one of Louis’ oldest friends. Her speciality was in all things tech and she was highly experienced, being able to hack into almost anything. She’d be down in the following week, in hopes that they could figure out how to find Magnus. Lily worked for the company as a contractor for almost as long as Louis had, but decided to just be on call and choose her projects instead of working for someone full on. Marius didn’t really care much for Lily and didn’t hire her back for her services, but because she and Louis were close, she didn’t mind helping out this time.  

She may have moved away, but she was always ready to get back on a plane or train to provide her assistance. 

Louis texted Daniel the moment he pulled up to the studio. He looked around the area, not really noticing anything suspicious. As he was nodding to the other bodyguards holsted up in different areas, Daniel walked outside. 

“Just in time.” Daniel held the door open for him. “Thanks again for doing this. Also, bear with him today, he’s in a bit of a mood.”

“Just great.” Louis deadpanned.

They didn’t have to walk far once inside the building, and the moment Louis entered the room after Daniel, he made sure to look around to pinpoint all the exits as well as the people in the space.    

Louis saw Lestat immediately. Well, he saw the back of his head. He was the only blonde in the room, other than the woman who was on the couch looking visibly annoyed as she scrolled through her phone. 

There weren't that many people in the space; one other bodyguard beside Daniel and now himself, the lady on the couch, the two men at the mixing desk, and Lestat talking to who Louis assumed was Armand, due to the picture Daniel showed him.

“Everyone, this is Louis du Lac. He’s on the team now.”

Louis watched as Lestat turned around to face him. His eyes instantly stared into Louis’ and he noticed the musician falter for a moment. Louis had the sudden urge to reach out to him, as if he might fall, but quickly composed himself the moment Lestat straightened up.

He walked towards Louis as if he were in some daze. 

Louis tried his best not to stare at him, but it was hard when Lestat was practically staring into his soul.

Trying not to make this anymore awkward, Louis outstretched his hand and cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lioncourt. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Lestat stood there frozen, still staring, and yet Louis was still having trouble looking anywhere else. It was almost as if they were the only two people in the room.

He watched as Armand nudged Lestat a bit, and even though he finally extended his hand to shake Louis’, he still wouldn’t stop staring.

And he also didn’t let Louis hand go.

“Hi, I’m… I’m…. Lest– I’m in love with you.”

Louis’ eyes widened a bit.

Daniel was the only person to speak up after that, “Oh hell, here we go….”  

Chapter Text

“It’s barely even been three minutes, he’s coming back.” Lestat joked to Armand, while his producer was working at the mixing table. “Trust me, If he hasn’t shied away from the real you, he’s never going anywhere.”

“You tease me, Lestat.” Armand didn’t even bother looking up from his ipad. “But at least I do have someone that admires all of my charms and is here for me, unlike you who needs to be entertained with groupies to make you feel anything but inadequate.”

Lestat rolled his eyes.

“Now, I’ll take this as you being happy for me and secretly jealous that I will no longer be single ever again.”

Lestat couldn’t help but laugh, “Isn’t that quite presumptuous? You two literally just met. So, forgive me, it has not been enough time to fall in love with anyone,” And yet, even though he said those words, he knew just by being around Armand and Daniel that they were apparently the exception. 

“Just because you’re the only one I know to wear their heart on their sleeve but hasn’t found Mr or Mrs right doesn’t mean we’ll all end up like you.”

“Touche.” Lestat acknowledged, but that didn’t stop him from moving his fingers all over Armand’s ipad screen, messing up whatever he was looking at. 

Before Armand could say anything, Daniel’s voice caught his attention instead.

“Everyone, this is Louis du Lac. He’s on the team now.”

Lestat turned to see the new person on his security detail, and it was as if his whole world had stopped. His heart began to speed up and his hands began to feel clammy. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt like he was seeing life clearly. Louis was literally the most beautiful human being he had ever seen, that it almost hurt to stare too long. He couldn’t be real.

He tried acting normal as he walked towards him, but ended up staggering, pathetically so. Almost as if he’d never taken his first steps as a child. His brain literally couldn’t comprehend much of anything else right now and it was becoming a struggle to breathe in his vicinity. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lioncourt. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

His voice. He had never heard such a sound; so lustrous, sultry, hard yet soft. He wondered….wondered what he sounded like when he came undone. Would he ever want to moan Lestat’s name? Hell, did he even find him attractive? 

Not only that, but apparently he had heard a lot about him. But how? Oh yeah, he was famous. 

Get it together, Lestat.

But he couldn’t help but wonder if Louis would be weirded out if he got down on one knee and proposed. Lestat would get him a ring of his choosing.

He just couldn’t believe that this would be the man around him for the majority of his day.

Lsetat finally scrounged up enough courage to shake his hand, and when he did, he felt a spark. Had Louis felt it too?

Speak Lestat, speak before he thinks you're crazy. 

“Hi, I’m…” Putain de Merde , what the fuck was his name? “I’m…Lest–” Lester? No, that wasn’t it. “I’m in love with you.”

Shit, maybe that wasn’t the best first approach. But, regardless of this being their first meeting, Lestat knew without a doubt that he was in love with Louis. He could feel it. 

However, when he noticed Louis’ eyes widened, he realized that maybe he should have waited to express his feelings at another time and not within the first thirty seconds of meeting him.

“Oh, hell, here we go.” He heard Daniel say beside Louis. When had Daniel even come back?

“Lestat, he’ll need his hand back.” Armand snapped him out of it as he let go of Louis’ hand. 

The loss was immediately felt through his whole body, but he did his best not to show any outlandish reaction. Instead, he gave a nervous smile and tucked his hair behind his ear.

What made his heart almost jump out of his chest again was that he noticed a very soft smile grace Louis’ lips; radiant lips that demanded to be sucked on.

“You’ll have to excuse our dear Les here.” Armand looked at Louis as Lestat tried to recover from the miniscule slip up he had. “He doesn’t know how to act in the presence of new guests.”

Lestat watched as Armand shook Louis’ hand and he wouldn’t admit how affected he was by it. How could Armand casually touch Louis and not lose his cool? What if Louis felt a spark with Armand?

He would have to fire his somewhat of a best friend.

“I’m Armand. Thank you for joining.” 

As Armand began going over a few things, Lestat could barely hear what he was talking about. Something about teamwork, availability…. 

“I’m Lestat.” He said abruptly.

Louis, Daniel, and Armand glanced in his direction.

“Right…” Daniel spoke up slowly. “I think we all know that. I’m going to go show Louis the layout of the studio and then once you finish up here, we’ll all head back to your place so he can get the full set up there.”

Louis gave him a brief smile before he turned and walked out with Daniel. 

Lestat moved to follow them, thinking he would be best to give Louis the tour, when Armand stood in front of him preventing him from going any further.

“What was that? Did you forget how to be normal, Lestat?”  

“Did you see him?” Lestat gushed. “He is breathtaking. Do you think he is interested?”

“I mean this with the utmost sincerity, that man is not going to sleep with you.”

But would he take his last name? That was the important question that crossed Lestat’s mind. Louis du Lioncourt? Louis du Lac Lioncourt? Or, Lestat could change his last name to Lestat du Lac. He could totally do that.

However, even though he was taken over by his mini daydream, that still didn’t stop him from wanting to strangle the gremlin for his comment. 

“Why must you say that? What kind of man do you think I am?”

Armand wasn’t even going to entertain that question. “You can’t flirt with the bodyguard.”

“You did.”

“That’s different. Daniel and I are in love.”

“Well, Louis could learn to love me.” 

And yes, Lestat ws being completely serious, and Armand could tell, causing him to let out an exasperated breath, “He doesn’t even know you. And what I’ve heard about him is that he is as professional as they come. He doesn’t mix the personal with those he works for.”

Lestat felt crushed. “You do not know this to be true.”

“Oh, but I do. When Daniel and I were reviewing his file—-”

Lestat’s head whipped towards Armand so quickly, he could have got whiplash, “File? What file? You already knew about him before now?”

He gave Lestat a frustrated look, but Lestat honestly didn’t care. How was the last one to have known that an angel walked this earth?

“Daniel literally left his information for you to review when he was thinking about asking him to join the team. He gave me his file as well and after I read up on him I knew he’d be a great fit. Not my fault you decided not to look at it.”

Lestat rolled his eyes. “Well I have been busy and do not have the time, as you know with performing and all.”  

“Sometimes you practically watch paint dry, Lestat.” He then looked over at Antoinette on the couch. “You also have enough time to entertain groupies.”

It was at that moment he realized he completely forgot about Antoinette even being here. She had her earphones in and was so concentrated on her phone that she had been oblivious to Lestat’s future husband making an entrance.

“Be that as it may. Do you think he could return my affections?”

He waited entirely too long for Armand to actually answer. Lestat cleared his throat to get his attention off that stupid ipad. 

“Oh, you’re serious?”

Lestat nodded. 

“Lestat, you told your new bodyguard that is responsible for saving your life that you were in love with him. Those were literally the first words out of your mouth. If there was an attraction and I mean a big if , I highly doubt there’s one now.” 

Lestat wasn’t going to be dramatic and start hyperventilating because he was better than that, but he needed to make it his mission to give Louis a better impression of himself.

“Plus, Louis is ethereally beautiful, a man like that is probably involved with someone.”

Lestat’s eyes darkened.

“Now can we finish up the set and get out of here. It’s getting late, and unless it’s a concert or an event, you don’t need to be out this late right now.”

Louis and Daniel walked back in at that moment, and Lestat had to wonder if he imagined the way Louis looked him up and down. It was extremely brief so it could have been a lapse in judgment.

“Lestat, how much longer? I haven’t got to record once.” Antoinette whined from the couch.

He literally forgot again that she was still here. 

All Lestat had to do was give Armand a certain look for him to get the picture. No matter how many jabs they threw at each other, his friend was still good at reading him in situations like this.

“Antoinette, we have to close the rest of this session. A very important meeting has come up. Charlie here is going to take you home.” 

Charlie, the other bodyguard in the room, nodded, understanding fully.

“Wait! Les?” Antoinette objected.

“Leave. Now.” Lestat’s eyes were branded on Louis, watching as he looked through a folder that Daniel probably gave him.

Antoinette huffed, visibly annoyed.

“Tell your husband we said hello.” Armand wasn’t looking at her either, causing her to glare and storm out, with Charlie behind her.

“Making the groupie leave, I see.” Daniel said. 

Armand chose to answer, “That’s why you don’t need to bring your fuck buddies to the recording studio.”

Lestat’s eyes widened a bit as Louis glanced back at him. He didn’t want his future paramour to have such a horrible impression of him. “That will never happen again.”

He hoped Louis could read what his eyes were saying. That he was done with the meaningless sex from meaningless people. He was now focused on what lay ahead of him. 

“ Quelqu'un d'autre a attiré mon attention ” (someone else has caught my eye).

It was dark outside when they left the studio. And while Louis drove behind the vehicle transporting Lestat, he couldn’t help but think about how he found the musician a bit cute, being a bit tongue tied and visibly nervous.

The i love you was over the top, but Louis had to hold back a bit from actually letting a smile plaster to his face. If anyone else would have had an outburst like that towards him upon their first meeting, he would have assumed they were a bit touched. But, for some reason there was something about Lestat that intrigued him. Something about him that made Louis have to force himself not to stare. 

However, at the end of the day, Louis always kept himself professional. He never crossed that line of mixing business with pleasure. Things like that could get messy and Louis already had enough mess happen in his life to last multiple lifetimes. He didn’t need to add to it.

It didn’t escape Louis though that Lestat had a tiny crush. Not only did Louis speak and understand French for the most part, when it was time to leave, Lestat all but begged to ride with Louis, giving him some form of bedroom eyes.

Everyone including Louis had told him no immediately, due to the vehicle Lestat arrived in being bulletproof. And Lestat seemed absolutely heartbroken.

“I’ll be right behind you guys.” Louis chose to reassure him, telling himself he was doing so because it was his job to make sure Lestat felt safe. 

His phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts.

It was Grace.

“Hey Gracie, it’s late there, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Mom went to sleep early and Claudia just fell asleep while we were watching a movie. I wanted to see how your first day was going? How is Lestat de Lioncourt.”

“He’s…interesting.” Damnit, he was smiling. Good thing he wasn’t on a video call.

“Interesting good or interesting bad?”

“Just interesting . He’s not what I expected.” Honestly, he expected some flashy diva whining about any and everything, not someone with eyes so intense they could seduce a blind man. 

Shit, what the hell was he thinking? He sure as hell couldn’t tell Grace that. So, he tried changing the subject before he blurted something crazy out.

“Jonah came by the house last night.” He figured that was the only thing that could get her to not probe anymore about his job and Lestat.

Grace scoffed, “Again? I thought he stopped that.”

“Apparently not.”

“You know I could call him? Say some words, get him to stop.”

Louis chuckled. He was not only older than Grace, but a train killer. Yet, his sister treated him like the youngest who she needed to protect.  

“I think I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? You know Lou, I think it’s time to get back out there.”

And here it goes. “You know I don’t have time for all that.”

“Well yeah maybe now, but afterwards, you should think about it.”

“Maybe…” Louis wouldn’t have minded continuing the conversation, but he noticed something in his rearview mirror. 

There was a car tailing him.

And if he had to guess, it wasn’t necessarily Louis that the car was following, but the vehicle in front of him that Lestat was in. He couldn’t let whomever was in that car follow them back to his home.

“Gracie, I have to go, I’ll check in later.” After hanging up, he immediately called Daniel. 

“There’s an alleyway one mile from here, turn into it.”

“What?”

“We got a tail.”

“Shit. Okay.”

“I know it's bulletproof, but the moment you pull in, make sure Lestat and Armand are down on the floor.”

“You got a plan?” Daniel asked.

“More or less.”

He watched as they pulled into the empty alleyway, stopping because it was a dead end. Louis drove past it and stopped his car, watching from the rear view mirror as the other car turned down the alley as well.

Louis circled back. He thought of how much he was going to miss his car right before he slammed it into theirs. 

When he grabbed his gun, and got out, he ducked down immediately. He saw Daniel get out too, along with Charlie, who hid behind their own doors.

The two people in the other car instantly stood out guns blazing. 

Louis was still behind his opened door, but was able to shoot when he could. What got them was Charlie shooting and shattering the window of the attackers’ vehicle. In that moment, they were distracted and Louis got the upperhand, making the kill shot to one of them in the head. 

The moment the other one ducked, Louis ran towards them, with Charlie and Daniel pointing their gun, and that’s when the fight ensued. 

The guy took a couple punches, but missed most of the time because of Louis blocking him. When Louis delivered a few punches, he got the gun out of his hand.

Louis then put his gun down, so it could be a fair fight, plus he didn’t want to kill this one yet. He rolled up his sleeve and then motioned for him to come on.

They fought and Louis kept getting the upper hand, punching, kicking, yet blocking his attacks. 

“Show off.” He heard Daniel say, earning a sly smile from Louis. “I could just shoot him.”

“I want him alive.” Or he would have already been dead.

The guy then pulled out a knife.

“Watch out mon cher !”

Louis’ eyes connected with Lestat sticking his head out of the car. It only distracted him for just a split second, but it was long enough for the guy to slice into his arm. 

Louis didn’t really have time to mask in the slight pain, because he ended up headbutting the guy, safely grabbing the knife and then stabbed him right in the neck, his eyes staring into Lestat’s as he did so. 

Lestat’s mind was racing. All he could picture was the way Louis stared at him as he took that man’s life. It was as if his insides were on fire as he palmed his length in the shower. Those eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes with specks of green, staring at him so intently as blood splattered all over him.

It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Louis had literally just killed two people for him and all he wanted to do was lay him back on his bed and thank him properly.

Right now, he imagined Louis joining him in the shower, to wash off all that blood. Lestat would immediately fall to his knees, swallowing him whole until he released down his throat. 

Lestat was stroking himself to the point of pain and he loved it. He wondered if Louis would be okay with being taken on his back, allowing Lestat to sink himself so deep inside that he would immediately know what home felt like.

Would Louis be a screamer? Would he want him to go slow and sensual their first time or be okay with Lestat pounding into him without abandon? 

Lestat was so close.So very close. 

Would Louis kill someone else for him, save his life, and then allow Lestat to rip off his blood soaked clothes with his teeth? Hell, he honestly didn’t know what Louis preferred when it came to sex. If he were a top or liked to switch, Lestat couldn’t think of anything better than taking a step back and having Louis bend him over, pounding his shit to oblivion. 

He leaned forward under the shower water more, bracing his hand against the wall while his other hand continued to tug himself to completion. Would Louis want to swallow his cock too? Staring up at him, making Lestat come undone instantly the moment their eyes connected.  

Then all of a sudden, an image popped in his mind of Louis riding him as if his life depended on it, moaning his name until he went hoarse in the throat. 

Lestat came so hard that he almost blacked out.

He knew without a doubt that he needed Louis every which way possible. 

But first he needed to apologize for distracting him earlier. Watching Louis fight had been such a turn on, but seeing someone lay their hands on him gave him such an unimaginable fear he just couldn’t explain.

The two guys that had been killed by his hand were of course two of Magnus’s henchmen. When they got to Lestat’s home, Louis and Daniel contacted Lily, who was able to crack open their phones and trace the last number back to a burner phone left at an abandoned house. 

“These two were top hitters.” Lily had said after finding out everything about them.

“Apparently not good enough with the way Louis took them out.” Daniel replied.

Louis would have provided a smile, but he couldn’t. “That also means that he’ll continue to send more.”

It was decided upon them that they would make sure anytime they traveled there would be double the security on Lestat. Three to four in the same car with him and then two following in a car and two ahead in another vehicle. That didn’t include who would already be doing a sweep of the house and any other location before they got there.

Magnus would not get the upper hand on this.

After that, Armand gave Louis a tour of the house. When they were finished, he showed him to his room, where he realized he would be staying the closest to Lestat. And other than Daniel, the rest of the crew shared an open space in the luxury pool house.

Armand offered to help Louis with the cut on his arm, but he declined letting him know as long as they had a first aid kit he would be fine.

After he left, he took a shower, got dressed, and was in the process of bandaging up his arm, when Grace and Claudia called him freaking out because their phone calls and text messages had gone unanswered.

This was another reason why he didn’t want to originally take this job, because even though they pushed him towards it, his daughter and sister could be very anxiety driven and could spend moments worrying about him nonstop.

“I wouldn’t have said anything to Claudia, but she woke up and heard me leaving you a voicemail.” Grace said.

Claudia grabbed the phone and looked at Louis through their video call. “I’m glad I woke up when I did. Dad, be honest, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay.” Louis reassured her with a smile, making sure he didn’t put his right arm into view. “I promise.”

He couldn’t talk with them for too long but made sure to tell them that he would check in everyday when he could.

And now here he was standing on guard outside of Lestat’s room. His shift would be for a few hours before he could switch out and get some sleep, but there was a recliner where he could go from standing to sitting, letting him rest his feet if needed. This was actually more comfortable then other jobs in the past, where he’d gone standing almost twenty four hours without sitting. 

Now that he was alone for a bit, his thoughts reflected back to the shootout. He got distracted out there. His plan was to keep the second guy alive and torture him until he told him where Magnus was located. But, the moment Lestat yelled for him to be careful, he lost his concentration, the man got the one up on him and cut him. That shouldn’t have stopped Louis from still going through with his original plan, but no, he got too angry and took the knife and stabbed him square in his carotid. All the while keeping eye contact with Lestat. 

And honestly, he couldn’t say why he did that. But, the moment he did, and maybe he was reaching by thinking this, but he had to wonder if Lestat got off on him performing that act. And what was even crazier was that Louis somewhat liked that he saw him do it.

It was safe to say that maybe it was time for Louis to get laid. On his next day off, he probably needed to find someone to hook up with just to scratch an itch.

Otherwise, he would imagine Lestat in a way he shouldn’t.

After Lestat got dressed, his plans were to go to Louis’ room and apologize for earlier. He made sure he put on the new cream color silk pajamas he just bought. He decided to keep his hair down instead of the ponytail he would normally keep his hair in before bed. He also sprayed a little bit of this fancy new body spray he was given. It smelled really divine, and he hoped Louis would take notice.

The moment he opened the door, he wasn’t expecting Louis to be standing outside of it. 

“Oh, Louis. Hello.”

“Mr. Lioncourt.” 

Louis’ voice was like a literal siren, pulling him in, making Lestat want to do anything he asked of him. 

He had to pause for a moment to make sure he didn’t have another case of word vomit. He didn’t want to scare him off.

“ S'il te plaît , call me Lestat.”

When Louis didn’t say anything, a part of him thought maybe he should walk away and let him do his job, but then he saw blood seeping through Louis’ shirt from his arm.

“ Mon cher , your arm.” He grabbed his hand and held his arm up, seeing Louis wince a bit. “D ésolé .”

“It’s okay.” 

“ Non , follow me, I’ll clean it up for you.” He watched as Louis hesitated for a moment, but then he let Lestat lead him to his bedroom.

“Really, I’m okay, I’ve had worse.”

Lestat could have thrown up hearing his future husband was hurt worse than this before, but he tried not to let his face show it. 

“You must tell me one day. Have a seat.” He pointed to the end of his bed for Louis to sit down. 

Lestat was trying not to internally lose it, as he thought of Louis allowing him to hold his hand. He tried not to show any pain on his face, when he had to let him go. 

After grabbing the supplies to clean his wound, he sat down beside him.

He helped Louis roll up his sleeve, and noticed the tattoos on Louis’ arm.

Lestat could have came.

Focus, Les. Focus. 

“May I?” Lestat stammered, wanting to remove the bandage.

Louis nodded and Lestat got to work, making sure he didn’t hurt him. “Do you think you need stitches? I have a doctor I can call to come here.”

“It should be fine.” He winced a bit and Lestat continued to be gentle.

Lestat dabbed some antiseptic on the cut. “I am sorry for what happened, it is my fault. I just did not want you to get hurt.”

“I appreciate that, but it’s my job to keep you safe. You can’t do what you did out there again.”

Lestat placed a clean bandage on him.

“Understood, mon cher. ” 

Louis looked at him a little longer than Lestat expected, and he couldn’t help but try not to blush and get lost in his eyes.

“You should really get some sleep after the day you had. I have more than enough people here to watch over me.”

“That’s not how this works.” Louis stood up. “But, thank you for this. And uh… thank you for worrying.”

“You could stay in here tonight. I do not snore.”

He didn’t imagine it this time. Louis looked him up and down with a level of seduction in his eyes, and Lestat couldn’t help himself but stand a little closer.

“Look, I’m sure you’re…..but, I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

Lestat couldn’t help but smile, and spoke his next words in french. “ I can be very pleasurable .”

Louis smirked, and Lestat almost fell to his knees. “I’m sure, but not for me.”

“Ah, you speak French?” Lestat felt a tad bit embarrassed but also turned on even more. “Such a handsome man with the most agreeable disposition.”

He noticed that Louis tried to not look in his eyes, but failed. He was making him nervous and Lestat found it incredibly cute.

“Well, the offer still stands. My bed is very comfortable.”

“I’ll pass.” Louis turned to walk away.

“I think we are going to be very good friends, Louis.” He called after, marveling in the way he paused a bit.

“Goodnight, Lestat.” 

“ Bon nuit, Louis.” He said right before Louis closed the door.

Lestat immediately fell back on his bed, sighing with content.

 Yes, he was in love.

Louis was in trouble. That’s the only thing he could think of, because in what sane world was he attracted to someone he was protecting. It wasn’t like him. It wasn’t professional. And last night, as Lestat changed his bandage, he felt something. Something he didn’t think it was possible to feel. The way Lestat looked at him, the way he smelt. The way he took care of him. His hair. He’s never dated anyone or fucked anyone with long hair. And his neck, his neck looked so enticing that he wondered in another life if he would let Louis yank on his hair and tongue his neck until he left marks.

And when he did finally get a few hours of sleep, he cursed the dream that popped in his mind of Lestat taking him. For once letting someone else be in control, to be handled like he so desperately craved.

Yeah, he needed to get laid. But Lestat was off limits.

Not only that, when he woke up this morning, Lestat had his on-call doctor come to the house and stitch up Louis’ arm. He couldn’t even touch on how he felt after that.

And now here he was, the next night, watching as Lestat signed autographs outside for his fans, at a charity event he would be performing at. 

It was heartwarming to see how many people loved him and how he showed that love right back.

But even as Louis’ eyes were on Lestat, they were also on their surroundings. Several of the crew had already done a sweep inside, and Daniel was partnering up with him to stand closer to Lestat. Well, Daniel was mainly watching Armand, but he knew his friend would jump in at any given moment if needed. 

“Lestat we love you!!!!” People screamed.

Paparazzi were there, snapping pictures, and out of nowhere as Lestat was signing another autograph, it started to get a little more crowded, and Lestat was pushed forward a bit. Louis immediately got to Lestat, grabbed his hand gently and pulled him from the crowd, ignoring everyone else but him. 

“I got him.” Louis spoke in his ear piece. “Headed to the dressing room.”

Louis didn’t even realize he was still holding Lestat’s hand until he felt it being caressed. That’s when he looked behind him, and noticed Lestat smiling at him.

When he got him in the dressing room, he released his hand, feeling an immediate loss.

“You good?” Louis asked, doing another check around the small space.

“This is the second time you’ve saved my life.” 

Lestat’s damn smile was a masterpiece and it almost bothered Louis for thinking that way.  

“Yeah, well um…. it’s my job.”

Lestat then turned to stand closer, a little too close, and Louis should have moved. “I could be more than a job to you, Louis.”

“That’s not how this works.” He found himself repeating what he said last night.

Before Lestat could say anything further, Daniel and some guy walked in, causing Louis to step back, probably making the scene before them look like something it wasn’t.

And yet Lestat had a shit eating grin on his face.

Louis cleared his throat, and looked between Daniel and the unknown guy. He tried not to think about the smirk that was displayed on Daniel’s face, which made him realize he heard Lestat’s flirting through Louis’ earpiece.

“Who is this?” Louis questioned.

“One of Lestat’s hairstylists.”

Louis nodded and walked over to stand next to Daniel. And even though Daniel was talking about something or another, Louis couldn’t help but stare at Lestat laughing with the guy as he touched up his hair.

He then watched as the guy stood in front of Lestat, and began to fix his hair that way, all the while flirting heavily with him. 

“Did you do a background check on this guy?” Louis asked, no doubt interrupting what Daniel was saying.

“Yeah, everyone who works for him gets background checks. He’s clean.”

He didn’t even bother justifying the look Daniel was giving him. 

When Lestat practically giggled at the guy, over something he was sure wasn’t even funny, Louis had a bit of a reaction.

“Alright, playtime’s over. His hair looks good. Daniel walk him out.”

Daniel just looked between Louis and Lestat, the latter had a twinkle in his eye and the biggest smile on his face.

Once the door was closed, Louis turned off his earpiece for a moment and walked up to Lestat. 

“You think my hair looks good?”

Louis tried his best to ignore that smile. 

“This isn’t a game. You need to take this seriously. You can’t have random people coming in here.”

“Steve is one of my hairstylists and has been doing my hair for years. He is harmless.” Lestat put his head behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah, until he isn’t.” Okay maybe Louis was being a bit irrational.

“Louis, do you know how insanely attractive you are when you are angry.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re insufferable.”

Lestat grinned, “I’ve been called worse.” 

Louis made the mistake of glancing down at his lips. He was thankful that Armand walked in followed by Daniel, causing him to step back.

He didn’t miss the look on Armand’s face, the same look that Daniel gave earlier. He just tried to ignore it. 

“It’s time Lestat. Stop making Louis uncomfortable and let’s go.”

Lestat just continued to grin, with a level of seduction in his eyes. Louis was sure people could be hypnotized by those eyes, and he was also sure that if he didn’t keep it together he would end up falling into a well with no bottom when it came to him.

“See you soon, mon cher. ”

He really needed to tell him to stop calling him that. But, the moment Lestat walked by him, his scent infiltrated his nose. It was the smell from last night and his eyes closed on their own accord, as he soaked in the scent. 

When he opened his eyes, he noticed Daniel still in the room smirking at him.

Damnit .

“Not you too.” Daniel laughed.

“Not another word.” Louis walked past him to follow after Lestat and Armand.

Chapter Text

“Over two years? Oh Louis… you need to go catch a dick.” 

Louis couldn’t help but laugh at his best friend’s candor. Leave it to Bricktop to be up front and tell him how it is. 

“You’re laughing, but you’re wound up tight and now you’re having dreams about mister blonde musician. If you’re not going to sleep with Lioncourt, then you need to bounce on someone else.” She poured him another drink.

“I wouldn’t even be having dreams about him if he wasn’t constantly staring and hitting on me while I’ve been working.”

“Is it such a bad thing to have a celebrity, especially one as fine as him, want to wine and dine you and make you open up and say ahh?”

“I don’t need to be wined and dined by no celebrity, especially one who’s under my care.”

“Well then fuck him and tell it can’t be more than that.” 

Louis couldn’t do that either. It had only been two weeks and as crazy as it sounded, he’s grown a bit fond of Lestat. Honestly, Louis didn’t mind the staring, the blushing, or even the terms of endearment. Such a short amount of time, and the majority of his thoughts were filled with him. And not just because he was under his protection.

“I can’t do that.” 

“Why not?” Bricks’ questioned, refilling his drink, as well as pouring one of her own. “It’s clearly been forever since you got laid.”

When her eyes finally caught his, Louis knew what was coming. Bricks was always able to read him no matter how much he tried to deny it. 

“Oh… oh my God. Louis de Pointe du Lac, you like him?”

He hadn’t heard his full last name in years. 

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“You know not to lie to me, Louis.”

Louis would blame it on the alcohol the way he leaned to the side in defeat, taking a deep breath, while Lestat’s gorgeous face immediately flashed through his mind.

“Oh you really like him.” 

“Maybe just a little.” Louis admitted.

“I’ll need to meet him.”

“It’s not like that.” His smile was a dead give away, that it in fact was like that.

“You’re blushing,” she teased.

“He’s got…. he’s different.”

“Different?” She leaned forward, “That’s what we’re calling it now.” 

“You know I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

Bricks rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, if you won’t break your little rule for monsieur rockstar. Why not someone here?” She looked around. “What about Damick? Didn’t you two used to mess around?”

Louis looked behind him to see about four members of his team, who also had the night off, enjoying themselves. Damick was one of them. It’s not that Louis didn’t get along with them, but on his off days he’d like to wind down without the people he worked with. 

When it came to Damick, they were younger, probably around twenty one or twenty two, and were out at a party drunk and on some blow. They were dancing through the night and the next thing he knew, Damick’s mouth was plastered to Louis’ and that led to Louis’ lips being attached to his neck, sucking like he was some vampire in need of a fix. It never went anywhere beyond that. 

“Yeah that was one time so long ago, it was barely anything. Plus, he’s married now..” And even if he wasn’t married, Louis just wasn’t interested.

“Okay makes sense.” The corner of Bricks’ mouth lifted upwards into a smile.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“See that guy over there? Blue dress shirt.” She nodded over and Louis turned and saw as the guy held his drink up to him. “He’s been checking you out since you walked in. And he’s good people.”

“Bricks….tell me you didn’t.”

“I technically did nothing. But, he asked about you, and since you haven’t been by in a couple weeks with the new gig, I said next time you come back in here, I’d check and see if you’d possibly be interested.” 

Leave it to Bricks to try to fix him up, and yet as much as he wanted to say no, maybe this was for the best. Maybe this would get him to stop thinking about Lestat, because even if he does have a small crush on the celebrity, nothing could ever come from it.

“I don’t know.”

“How about this, take him a drink.” She poured a glass of what the guy had already been drinking on and handed it to Louis. “And just go and see where his head’s at. If he’s looking for a quick fuck then maybe you guys could come to an arrangement. If he’s looking for more than that, then you’ll know to keep it movin’.”

Louis gave it some thought, and then decided to just go for it. It was his night off, and with Daniel on duty tonight, he wasn’t as worried about not being at Lestat’s. He deserved a little fun.  

“Okay fine, yeah, This is good. I’ll do this.” He finished his current drink and then took his new one and the one for his potential hook up.

“Go get em tiger. And if it works out, name the baby after me.”

Louis laughed.

It hadn’t even been a full twenty minutes and Louis felt like he had lost all of his brain cells. Bricks was lucky that he loved her with everything and that she was practically family to him, because this set up was definitely not what he was expecting.

Gerald, or whatever his name was, may have been good looking, but that was literally it. He was extremely annoying and didn’t have an off switch. The only thing Louis was able to do during this interaction was introduce himself and after that Gerald barely took a breath between his words. 

They weren’t even on a date and Louis had known everything about this man without having to do a background check. He was about to get up and walk away, but his phone vibrating broke him out of his thoughts.

It was from Lestat.

Louis would be embarrassed if anyone found out just how quickly he opened it.

Enjoying your night off?

Honestly, Louis shouldn’t entertain this. He should really only be talking to Lestat when he was at work. 

Nevertheless, he found himself texting back.

I’ve had better.

Do you miss me, Louis?  

Lestat responded rather quickly, and Louis’ heart may or may not have skipped a beat. 

I’m not answerin’ that. And yet Louis couldn’t help but smile

I miss you.

Lestat.

I can picture you saying my name in the way I love so much.

Here you go.  

Louis looked up from his phone to see the guy still talking, yet he was now eating food sloppily, and he couldn’t help but notice how some of it was dripping out of his mouth. 

He had to have known Louis was no longer paying attention.

Would you like some company? I can come to you if you’ll have me.

Why did Lestat have to text that? Now Louis was turned on and he really shouldn’t have been.

You can’t do that.

Daniel and Armand will accompany me and a few other bodyguards who are here.

It’ll be easier if I come to you.

Louis could say he debated responding with that message, but he’d be lying. He sent it immediately. 

Will you come for me, Louis? ---

—-- I mean to me…..

Louis knew exactly what he did there and if he didn’t have any self control he would probably tell him yes. If Lestat was able to handle someone who hadn’t gotten any in over two years, then he would definitely give him the greenlight to try and make him come.

But of course, Louis would never text him that back, so instead he wrote:

Not gonna stay too long, just comin’ to check on things.

Magnifique. I can not wait.

The moment Louis stood up, Gerald stopped talking for the first time since he took a seat in front of him. 

Louis told him that he had to go into work early so he needed to get some sleep. He pretended like he didn’t hear him when he asked for his number, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to let this man have any further contact with him. 

On his way to Lestat’s, Louis’ mind drifted to how he met Bricks. He was fairly new to the bodyguard role at the time, and because Bricks’ bar mainly housed people like him, law enforcement, first responders, even secret service from time to time, Louis found himself stumbling in one night a little worse for wear. Claudia’s mom had just overdosed. He had found her dead in her home, while a six year old Claudia was still asleep in her room. 

He kept imagining if Claudia would have woken up in the middle of the night and saw her mom slouched in a chair, face down on the table with a needle protruding out of her arm.

Louis felt like he failed her because she had been clean. She even told him that she wanted to stay clean for Claudia. He should have known. He should have seen it. But because he couldn’t be with her 24/7, he missed her struggling.

At that time, he had already seen so much death, by his own hand at that, but Claudia’s mother’s death, his very good friend, was one of the hardest.

Claudia didn’t understand at first, asking for her mom every single day, crying all the time, and Louis felt helpless during that transition.

So, the night he stumbled in the bar, as Grace was watching Claudia one night, Bricks had taken a liking to him, and really helped him that night, providing a lending ear without judgment. 

Two months after meeting her, he offered to give her a ride home one night when she closed up the bar late. Well, when he walked her to her door, regardless of her protests, he realized why she was so hesitant for him to do so. The man on the other side looked rough with a horrible attitude.

“You good Bricks?” Louis never took his eyes off the man, not flinching as he glared at him.

“She’s fine. Get the fuck off my porch.”

Louis would have taken the guy’s life that night, but because he saw the look in Bricks’ eyes confirming she was good, he refrained. But, he wasn’t stupid.

He waited. 

The next time he saw Bricks’, she was covering a black eye with makeup.

Louis offered to kill him, but she said no.

She said no every single day until one day when she didn’t show up to the bar to open, he found her on her kitchen floor bloody and bruised, falling in and out of consciousness.

“Bricks…Bricks, it’s Louis, can you hear me?”

“Louis du Lac….is that you…”

She tried to smile through it like she hadn’t been almost beaten to death.

She was sent to the hospital immediately.

And Louis found her waste of space boyfriend, tortured him in an unknown warehouse, while he made him stare at a picture of  Bricks. He had been planning it for quite some time, and let’s just say he made sure that before he took his life no one would miss him, not even the family he had left.

“Take a long hard look at this beautiful woman. She’s going to be the last face you ever see.”

And then he slit his throat.  

Louis sat by Bricks’ bedtime and visited her every day until she was fully healed. They only talked about what happened once.

“I don’t know why I stayed. I don’t know why I…. I kept letting him… I…”

“Ssh ssh ssh, it’s not your fault. He was a monster, and sometimes, sometimes it's hard to leave something you’ve known for such a long time.” He then caressed her hair. “But I promise you Bricks, he’ll never hurt you again.”

And when her eyes connected with his, she knew what he had done.

“Good.” 

He smiled at her and then gave her a hug as she cried in his arms.

“Thank you, Lou.”

“Anytime.”

They had been close ever since.

Louis pulled up to Lestat’s home about fifteen minutes later. 

The moment he walked towards the dining area, where Lestat said he was, Daniel and Armand were walking out. 

“Hey Du Lac, let me know when you head out and I’ll go back to being posted up.”

Before Louis could say anything or even come up with an excuse as to why he was here so late, Armand led Daniel down to one of the rooms and closed the door. He heard the sound of laughter from them before his attention went elsewhere.

He’d still talk to Daniel later to explain himself, and make sure he didn’t have the wrong idea as to why he was here so late on his day off.

The first thing Louis noticed when he entered the dining room were candles lit everywhere and the table was set for two. Lestat was standing near the table, with a jaw dropping suit on, staring him down like he was the last person on earth.

Louis felt like his world was stopping.

“What is this?” He tried to sound as normal as possible.

“Do you like it?”

“Lestat….” 

“Since you chose to come here on your only day off, I figured I owed you dinner.”

He should really turn around and leave, but instead he looked at the table again, fully paying attention to the food that was displayed.  

“You cooked?”

“Attempted,” He chuckled. “If it tastes bad, then we’ll say Armand did it.” 

Louis smirked. “Well, it smells good.” 

He saw the smile on Lestat’s face grow wider as he took a seat. 

“It’s a spinach lasagna. Usually when I get a little downtime before I start my concert series, I attempt to try something new. So, cooking was on my hit list this time.” 

Louis took a bite, savoring the taste. “Well, if you decide to retire from music, I think you found your next calling.”

Lestat’s face didn’t hide how happy it made him to hear Louis say that. “Here pair it with the wine.”

“Even better.” Louis smiled after taking a sip.

“Oh Louis, you please me so.”

Louis tried not to blush. “You know, I much prefer you doing this on your downtime, than having parties at your house every night. For your safety and all.”

“You are quite right, mon coeur .” That was a new term Lestat had never used before, and Louis’ own heart did cartwheels. “I love that you worry about me. I figure it is time to settle down, keep my night solo until someone decides to take me up on my offer of keeping my bed warm with me.” 

Louis chose his best to ignore that, and would ultimately blame it on the wine at the fact his cheeks began to feel warm.

“So, you sing and you cook. What else should I know about you?”

“I am an open book, Louis. Ask me anything and I’ll tell you.”

For a moment, Louis got a little distracted at the way Lestat was eating. Yeah, he was definitely horny because he could not believe he was getting turned on by him putting food in his mouth.

“Thanks for this,” He chose to say instead of asking. “After the night I had, I could use actual food instead of a stomach full of alcohol and meaningless conversation.”

“Well, I’m glad I could make your night special with my food in your mouth.” 

Louis caught the double innuendo. 

Lestat then looked as if he were lost in thought before he decided to say, “Were you on a date, Louis?”

Louis’ eyes caught his, and he could have sworn he saw Lestat’s eyes get a bit glassy as he cleared his throat and shifted a bit in his seat. 

“I wouldn’t call it that.” he took another sip of wine. “But the women in my life seem to think I need to get back out there.”

Lestat leaned forward, intrigued. “As in get laid? I would be happy to oblige your women, is it?”

Louis chose to ignore the first part, “My best friend, sister, and daughter say they want what’s best for me.”

“And if I say I want what’s best for you too. What would you say to that?”

“I would say, you don’t know me well enough to want that.”

He was falling down the rabbit hole.

“And if I want to get to know you. If I think you and I could be something real?”

Louis leaned back in his chair, “I would say again, you don’t know me. And once this is finished, you know we probably will never see each other again.”  

He tried his best not to notice the small ounce of fear that passed through Lestat’s eyes. And did it make it any sense that Louis felt a bit weird after saying he’d never see him again? 

“So, um you have a daughter?”

“Yeah, my Claudia. She loves your music by the way. Practically blew my eardrum out from screaming when I told her I’d be on your case. She convinced me to do it. She’s your biggest fan.”

“Does your daughter know that I’m her biggest fan? Especially if she is the reason our paths have crossed. Claudia will be invited to all of my shows. Backstage, whenever she wants. She can bring her dad too….anytime.” Lestat glanced at his lips.

“I think after a while you’ll get bored with whatever it is you’re feeling for me right now.”

“I don’t think one can get bored of being in love.”

“Lestat.” With the way Louis was feeling right now, he couldn’t hear Lestat’s declaration of fake love.

“Who hurt you, Louis?”

That caught him off guard. “Why would you think I’ve been hurt?”

Lestat’s eyes were intensely looking into his. “Your family wants you to start dating again. So, I am only assuming. My apologies if I have overstepped.”

“No…” Louis took a deep breath, knowing that he was breaking every rule he ever made when it came to his job. “I had a fiance’, he cheated, I ended it. Simple.”

“I guess we are alike when it comes to our past significant others stepping out on us.” 

“Yeah well…” Louis paused, knowing he probably shouldn’t say anything else, but of course it felt like Lestat was practically staring into his soul. “Nicki was stupid for cheating on you.”

“Ah, yes.” It was Lestat’s turn to lean back. “However, maybe I didn’t give him the vow he needed to stay committed to me. Maybe I wasn’t all in like I should have been.”

“Doesn’t mean you should be cheated on.”

“And doesn’t mean he should be beaten up to an inch of his life for it either.” He spoke softly, while looking down. 

Louis nodded. He couldn’t wait to feel Magnus’ life slipping away from his bare hands. 

“You know I could kill the guy who cheated on you.” Lestat broke him out of his thoughts. “Make it look like an accident.”

Louis laughed, “Finding my ex in my bed with someone else doesn’t deserve a killing. But thanks for the offer. Plus, between you and I… you’re not a killer.”

“I could be, in your honor.”

Lestat gave him a shit eating grin and then took their empty plates over to the sink. Louis joined to help him wash the dishes.

“You do not have too, mon cher .”

“You cooked.” He leaned over and nudged him with his shoulder. “I can at least do this.”

Once they finished up, Lestat asked the question Louis felt would come eventually.

“How many people have you killed?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“But I do.”

“I guess I should say, you don’t need to know.” And it was true. Finding out how many lives he took would turn him away….not that he cared if he turned away.

“Well, however many it is, I’m sure they all deserved it.”

He wasn’t expecting him to say that, and it turned him on even more.

“I guess you’ll need to get going?” It was a question that Louis could tell Lestat regretted asking.

“I should because I'll be back here tomorrow afternoon.” Louis caught himself gazing at Lestat’s eyes and then his lips. “But I mean… I could stay … for a little while if you want me too.” 

“I so desperately want you too.” Lestat was damn near begging. “Would you like to go to my room?”

“Just to talk.” Louis made it clear.

“Just to talk.” Lestat assured him.

And that’s what they did for hours. Talk about any and everything. And laugh. Louis was laughing and Lestat was falling so desperately in love with him. He knew it had been sudden, but was the timing really that important when you’ve found the person you could spend the rest of your life with? 

It was easy opening up to Louis, sharing things he hadn’t really shared with anyone else. And it warmed his heart that Louis had broken his rule of mixing business with pleasure, and was opening up to him, trusting him to keep his information safe. 

Lestat wouldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t a bit heartbroken when Louis had revealed he was on a date before he came here. Well, it wasn’t an actual date, but someone got to sit across from the most beautiful man to ever exist and share conversation, no matter how awful it apparently was. Luckily it hadn’t gone well, because otherwise, Louis could have ignored his texts and gone home with the loser, making Lestat sick for days.

And now Louis was at home with him, in his room, and lying at the foot of his bed. Granted, he was still fully clothed and all they were doing was talking, but this was a big step that Lestat would ultimately treasure forever.

Finding out Louis had a daughter was a bit shocking, but he loved the way he talked about Claudia. He could tell he was a good dad and that he had a family that loved him. It would have been nice to grow up like that.

“It wasn’t always good.” Louis admitted. “It took my mom awhile to come around to my lifestyle, and not the bodyguard thing. She couldn’t come to terms with me being a gay man. We finally built a relationship when I adopted Claudia. And it took a little over a year for me to feel comfortable with her even being in Claudia’s life as well as mine again. It took a lot of healing. But we’re all in a good place now.”

“That’s incredible Louis.” It really was. Anything to do with a decent family was remarkable to Lestat. Especially with how he grew up and with everything that happened; everything he was somewhat still going through until things were fully taken care of.

Lestat had revealed his homelife to Louis growing up.

“My mother wasn’t always there. She tried to be a good mother when it counted, but I think when my dad died, and she was finally free, she took the opportunity to go any and everywhere. It didn’t bother me so much because I was just getting into all the fame, but then this whole Magnus thing happened.”

“Did you tell her when…when everything happened?” He could tell Louis was hesitant to say much, not wanting to make him uncomfortable and he really appreciated that.

“Not at first, but when I finally did get the courage to speak up, I called her, told her everything. She came back, spent a few years being a mom again, but then one day she was gone again. I think at first it bothered me, but I got used to it. And that’s our relationship now. She’ll visit for a while and then she’ll be off to some new adventure. She does call more often as the years have gone on though.”

After talking about his mother, it led into his history with Magnus. About how it all started with him, how he paid for things, fed his ego. How he came into his life the moment he turned eighteen. How after six months, light touches happened, and on his nineteenth birthday, he shoved his tongue down his throat. Lestat was able to push him off. And he apologized the next day, claiming he was drunk. 

But then things just kept happening. 

Then one day they had both been drinking at some industry party, and Magnus came in while Lestat was just pulling his pants up from using the bathroom. He came in, closed the door, and started touching him above his clothes. He tried pushing him off, but at the time the alcohol impaired his strength, making him feel weak and confused,

He was grateful Armand heard the commotion. Magnus ran out immediately after that. And the next day, instead of apologizing, instead of feeling any remorse, he told him how he was in love with him and couldn’t be without him. He would tell Lestat that he had his best interests at heart. That he was the only one that saw the real him.

And Lestat believed him for a while. The light touches still happened, the invading his personal space, and something similar to the bathroom incident happened one more time before he finally got help. 

But, Magnus was still claiming to be in love. And unfortunately, he had a lot of powerful people in his back pocket, so jail didn’t last as long, and now here they were. He was still a threat.

He told Louis that a lot of therapy happened for him to even get to this point of being okay. Maybe not one hundred percent, but he wasn’t scared of him anymore. He didn't feel like he deserved it and he didn’t feel like he was nothing anymore.

Louis listened to him, never breaking eye contact, and somewhere along the way, his hands intertwined with Lestat’s squeezing ever so often, providing a level of comfort Lestat didn’t realize he needed.

Not only that, Lestat hadn’t realized he had tears coming down his eyes, until Louis gently wiped them away. 

“I want you to know this.” Louis caressed the side of his face, “I will make sure that bastard pays for what he did to you. I will kill him.”

Lestat leaned into his touch. “Can I watch? Better yet, can I do it?” Because a part of Lestat felt like he needed to be the one to end Magnus to finally put that waste of space officially behind him for good. 

He could tell Louis understood why he asked. “I can’t make that promise to you. Your safety is important to me. I would never put you in harm's way.”

“Because it’s your job.”

Louis hesitated and his hand went back to intertwine with Lestat’s. “No. Not just because of that.”

“Hmmm.” Lestat couldn’t help but smile, and then Louis laid on his back, resting his hands behind his head. “Are you going to tell me how many people you’ve killed?” 

“I don’t think you want to know. Might turn you away from me.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted.”

 “I didn’t mean to say that.”

Lestat grinned. “I think you’re starting to like me, Louis.”

Louis just closed his eyes and smiled, and Lestat took that smile as all the answer he needed.

They continued to talk for another hour until they both fell asleep. And somewhere in the middle of the night, they had both curled up into each other’s arms.

Later on that night, Daniel woke up and immediately jumped out of bed where he was lying naked with Armand. He quickly got his clothes on and left the room to stand outside of Lestat’s bedroom door. 

Louis must have forgotten to text him to let him know he was leaving, so he’d just talk to him later today.

It was very interesting to see Louis be so accepting of Lestat because the latter was for sure coming on strong. But, surprisingly his good friend seemed into it. 

He was one hundred percent positive that Louis wouldn’t admit it now, but Daniel could tell that he was falling for Lestat. 

One thing Louis hated were meetings. He knew sometimes they were needed, but sitting in a room, while Marius sucked up all the air by running his mouth was really annoying the dog shit out of him right now.

They were only having a meeting because Lestat got another letter this morning. He hadn’t received one in a while. Almost to the point that everyone thought the letters were over.

So you have someone new. That’s okay, when I find out exactly who it is, I'll ruin him so you’ll have no one and then I’ll show you how much I love you before I kill you. Be seeing you soon, my love---M.

Louis’ knew the letter had been about him, and not that he and Lestat had crossed any boundaries before last night, but because Lestat hadn’t been hiding the fact that he was smitten with someone. His instagram stories read like love poems. 

And yes, Louis had browsed his social media… for work purposes. 

Needless to say, it triggered Magnus and now he was making more threats.

When Louis looked towards Daniel, his friend was already staring back at him. Of course he would be, especially because he caught him this morning coming out of Lestat’s room.

He remembered Daniel’s eyes widening the moment Louis opened the door, but the shit eating grin came immediately afterwards.

“Don’t.” Was all Louis had said before he left without looking back.

And now here he was in a meeting that was legit making his skin crawl. And it wasn’t just the letter that pissed him off, but now Marius was going to be getting more involved. Someone who was just as much of a creep at times as the man they were looking for. And maybe that was Louis’ own view of him because he really didn’t like Marius, but his opinion still stood.

Yes, Lestat was extremely important and more protection was always better, but Louis and the team had it under control. No, they weren’t any closer to finding Magnus yet, yes a new later came in that probably wasn’t going to make things any easier, but at the end of the day, Lestat was safe and Louis would continue to make sure of that. He didn’t need the head of the company to just get in the way. 

Once the meeting concluded, Louis and Daniel were talking to one another when Tom Anderson, one of the bodyguards who had been with the company for many years now, walked up to them. 

“Du Lac, I feel like we haven’t had a chance to catch up.” Tom clapped his back.

“That’s by choice.” Louis moved away from his touch.

Tom laughed obnoxiously, scarfing down the few snacks that were provided. “Louis, Louis, always the comedian. Did you hear?”

Louis sighed with frustration. “Hear what, Anderson?”

“I’m going to be on Lestat’s immediate team now? So, it’ll be between you, Daniel, and now myself. I’ve been promoted.” 

Louis looked between him and Daniel, and he could tell that Daniel was feeling the exact same way Louis had been. Pissed as hell at this new information.  

He ignored whatever else Tom was saying and walked over to Marius to discuss this stupid ass decision.

“Marius, you got a second?” 

“Du Lac. By the look on your face, I can tell Tom told you the good news?”

“Good news?” Louis spat. “He’s going to get Lestat killed.” 

“He’s going to be a good asset, moving from guarding outside the house to right on Lestat’s main detail. And if you and Malloy were able to do your job a little better in finding Magnus, we wouldn’t have to add an extra person.”

Louis had to count to twelve before he punched him in the face. “It’s only been two weeks since I’ve been on.”

“Two weeks is entirely too long.” 

Louis rolled his eyes, “Bullshit. He’s still alive so we’re doing something right.”

“I’m not getting into it with you, DuLac. Anderson is on your immediate team with Daniel. Deal with it. Thought having you back would be for the better, but clearly you’re not the same as you used to be.” Marius turned away from him, “And make sure when Lily gets into town, all her findings go directly through me now.” 

It took Daniel placing a hand on Louis’ shoulder, to prevent him from following after him and doing something rash. 

“Don’t listen to him, he knows you’re the best.” He then said low enough where only Louis could hear. “Plus, you and I both know Lily is already here and she would never answer to him before going to you.”

Louis took a deep breath and then looked at Daniel. “But, maybe he’s right.” He couldn’t believe he was actually admitting that. “Maybe I’ve been distracted. I should be actively out there trying to find Magnus.”

“Our job is to eliminate the threat when presented. We’re watching Lestat, keeping him safe. When Magnus comes out of hiding we’ll be ready for him.”

“Will we?”

As they walked out of the facility to get back to Lestat’s, they didn’t even bother to wait for Tom. 

“Be honest Daniel. Should I remove myself from this?” 

Daniel just gave him a look. “Absolutely not. Don’t let Marius get inside your head.”

“It’s not just what he said, but I don’t know, I’m….look, what you saw last night wasn’t….”

“It’s none of my business.”

Louis didn’t say anything further until Daniel broke the silence. “But if you want my advice, you two look cute.”

“We don’t need to look cute.” It was like a reflex, the way those words escaped his lips, however it didn’t stop the small smile that came with it.

“Hot then? Armand and I would totally watch.”

Louis couldn’t even dignify that with an answer. Sometimes he forgot or maybe chose to forget some of Daniel’s lifestyle. 

“He’s just… I don’t know…I don’t know what it is. But I know that whatever it is or was, I need to stop and stay focused.” Because if Louis were being honest with himself, he would admit that he wanted to kiss Lestat so badly last night it was almost painful. That it was the best sleep he had in a while, and when he woke up in his arms this morning, he wanted to stay there forever. His mind was on Lestat more than it should have been and not for the right reasons.

However, no matter what he was feeling for him, he had to put an end to it. Magnus already suspected Lestat was involved with someone and he just couldn’t be the reason Lestat kept getting harassed or worse, hurt. He couldn’t let himself be distracted from keeping him safe. 

Daniel glanced over at him as he pulled into the parking spot at Lestat’s. “Oh Louis Du Lac, I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Like what?” He questioned.

“In—”

“Do not even finish your sentence.”

Louis wasn’t sure why he thought Lestat would be okay with him telling him that they couldn’t make last night a habit and that they had to keep it professional from now on. He really thought for a moment he understood where he was coming from, but then he chose to exemplify what being a brat meant.

And that included but not limited too, ignoring Louis. 

Saying Louis could travel in another vehicle, when they left out that night, even though  Lestat didn’t get to make those decisions, was just one of things he did. However, on the way to a very upscale club, it was Daniel and Tom sitting in the back of the limo with Lestat and Armand, while Louis had to sit up front while another bodyguard drove. Not only that, but that woman that was in the studio with him the first day he got on the job, was back there too.

Louis tried not to let it bother him, but it didn’t help that the partition was up and he couldn’t see anything. Yet, he sure as hell could hear Tom and Antoinette laughing like some hyenas. It also didn’t help when Lestat joined in, making his chest feel like it flopped through his stomach. 

If anything Louis wanted to blame Lestat for all of this. But, Louis was a grown man. He was the one who came over last night and had dinner, he made the mistake of sleeping in his room. And he didn’t necessarily stop Lestat’s advances every time he hit on him.

Louis couldn’t deny the pull he felt towards Lestat. He couldn’t deny that he was physically attracted to him and that his mind was so intricate to Louis that he could just lose himself in him.

It scared the hell out of him because as much as Louis wanted to chalk these feelings up to needing a good lay, he knew that he had legit feelings for Lestat. Stupid ass butterflies coursing all through him.

In the matter of two weeks. Two stupid weeks. It just didn’t make any sense to him.

And yet, instead of being completely put off that he was getting shut out, he wasn’t. No, it just made him want Lestat even more. 

Damnit.

And now Lestat was in VIP sitting with not just Antoinette, but a few other women and men he invited in. They were all drinking and dancing around him, and touching all over him. Louis was actually glad that he was standing just on the other side of the rope, doing his best to keep his back towards them, as he watched the crowd full of people out in the open. 

Daniel was at the other end, and Armand stood close to him, speaking in hushed tones even though the music was increasingly loud. Tom was in the actual VIP section, standing in the back, looking around, but also sneaking in a few drinks. And there were others on their team in other areas of the club and outside near the limo.

Honestly, Louis wouldn’t have preferred this outing, but Lestat scheduled this a month ago that he would come to the grand opening and be their special guest.  

Even though it was loud and there were bodies dancing everywhere, Louis’ eyes may have been focused ahead of him, but he couldn’t help but follow Lestat’s voice through all the noise.

Every time he did glance inside VIP, Lestat would be staring right at him. Louis wouldn’t let it bother him because Antoinette was on his lap while another guy had his arm around his shoulder.

Louis wanted to push them both off of him. 

“Lestat, your bodyguard is hot as fuck. You think I can shoot my shot?” One of the men said.

Louis pretended like he didn’t hear it as he did another glance towards VIP, and he immediately saw Lestat glare at the guy. “He is off limits. He doesn’t mix business and pleasure.”

“Pity.”

He stopped listening the moment Damick walked up, and leaned in close to his ear, “There was motion in the back, but it was just someone taking a leak. So far everything looks good to go. My radio’s been acting up, so I wanted to come in and tell you.”

Louis provided a small smile and nodded. “Good work, Damick.”

Once Damick left, Louis was about to look back over in VIP, but Lestat was now practically storming past him. 

Daniel was about to follow him, but Louis held his hand up, issuing him to stay put and then he went after Lestat. 

“Lestat!” he tried yelling over the music.

He followed Lestat through the back of the club and through an entrance that led to a hallway. Right when he was about to enter the bathroom, Louis grabbed his arm gently, trying not to pay attention to the way he looked him up and down.

After Louis checked in the bathroom to make sure there would be no ambushes, he moved aside and let Lestat in, surprised that no one was in here at all. 

Louis followed him in and closed the door. “Lestat, you can’t just walk off without one of us.”

“I didn’t, you’re here aren’t you.”

Louis rolled his eyes and turned to face the door while Lestat relieved himself.

“What’s your problem?”

“Problème? I have no problem.” He said as he finished up and washed his hands.

Louis turned around and moved out the way, to let him exit first, but instead of opening the door to leave, Lestat locked it and turned to face him. 

“But if you must know, I find it quite interesting that you spend the whole night with me, and not only do I wake up and you are gone, but you come back just to say none of it should have happened, and now you flirt with some man right in front of me.”

What man? But instead of saying that, he took a moment and just let out a breath of frustration. 

“You really are a brat aren’t you?”

“And now you flirt with me and I get nothing to show for it.”

This man was acting crazy, Louis immediately thought. Leave it to Lestat to think calling him a brat was Louis flirting. But hell, for some odd reason, maybe it was. So, what did that say about him?

“You not checkin' for me, Lestat. It’s a silly crush that you’ll get over.” And maybe what came out of Louis’ mouth next was Lestat’s word vomit. “Plus, it seems like you’re doing just fine with Antoinette and those other people all over you in there.”

“Oh, so you care?”

Louis watched as Lestat’s eyes looked him up and down. 

“They do nothing for me, mon cher .”

And that stupid nickname that Louis wished Lestat didn’t constantly call him. Okay, the nickname wasn’t stupid, but he didn’t like the effect it had on him. Because now Louis was glancing at Lestat’s lips, and the next thing he knew, his hands were cupping his face, and pulling him in to cover his mouth with his.

Louis practically moaned in his mouth, the moment Lestat’s hands gripped onto his waist and moved to where his back was now against the door. It was the level of control that Louis so desperately needed for once.

Their tongues may have battled for dominance, but Louis was damn near drowning in Lestat. 

He couldn’t stop.

He didn’t want to stop.

And Lestat pulled his waist even closer, which he didn’t think was possible, but he immediately felt his need against him.

“Malloy to DuLac, over.” His radio went off, making him pull back.

They were both trying to catch their breaths from the intensity of the kiss. He would be lying if he said it wasn’t the best kiss of his damn life.

“Go for DuLac.” His eyes never left Lestat’s and Lestat was looking at him like he was everything.

“Get Lioncourt out through the back, we’ll meet you there. There’s some suspicious activity. We don’t want to cause a scene. Charlie’s bringing the vehicle to the exit door back there.”

“On it.”

He then held onto Lestat’s hand. “I need you to stay close to me.”

“That’s not going to be a problem.” 

“I’m serious.” He placed a strand of his hair behind his ear. “Stay close to me so we can get you out.”

He unlocked and opened the door, making sure to look out before he left. The only person down the hall was a guy on the phone seeming to be in an intense conversation.

“Okay, let’s go.” 

And right before they passed the guy on the phone, it was like Louis’ senses kicked into overdrive, and he immediately noticed a knife sliding down his sleeve into his hand. Louis was able to push Lestat out the way before he could be stabbed.

Louis was able to overpower him and get the knife out of his hand. He punched him a few times and then headbutted him, knocking the man unconscious, took the knife, and then grabbed Lestat again to rush him out the back exit. 

As soon as he did, an alarm went off, but not because of them. It was a fire alarm, someone must have pulled and then they heard gunshots.

“Get down!” He yelled, making sure Lestat was crouched down and out of harm's way.

The limo almost tipped over, the way it rounded the corner quickly, but the moment it got to them, Daniel jumped out the passenger seat and threw Louis a gun. 

Louis got Lestat into the back of the limo.

“Get him out of here.” 

After that, everything happened so quickly. A few assailants came out of the back, wearing full on black attire with masks, not only that, but the civilians from the club started running out the same exit, preventing the limo from going anywhere.

A fight took place, and even though Louis and his team had the upper hand, making sure they didn’t get someone innocent hurt was proving to be a challenge. He did his best to cover one of his teammates who was trying to move them along. 

Once the club goers were out of sight, Louis and the rest of the team’s guns came out, shooting without asking questions. Right after he shot one of the masked guys in the head, and put a knife through another one’s neck, Louis wasn’t prepared to block the blow to the back of his head.

It halted him for only a moment before he turned and grabbed the idiot who had done it. He was about to take his gun and pistol whip him a few times and then shoot him, but then he felt a weird level of pain in his right shoulder.

Louis remembered shooting the guy in front of him, right between the eyes, and the next thing he knew there was so much commotion. He didn’t know if it was Daniel yelling or if he heard Lestat’s voice, but it all sounded far away. 

He felt like he was practically pushed in the back of the limo. His head was throbbing and his shoulder was starting to hurt. He honestly didn’t know what the hell was going on.

He tried moving to sit up, but Lestat’s voice stopped him.

“Careful, mon cher , you have to stay still.”

“Lestat? When did you get here….?” Louis' voice didn’t sound right to his own ears. It too sounded far away.

Louis heard Daniel on the phone talking a mile a minute, but he couldn’t decipher what was being said. He then felt soft hands gently caressing his forehead, causing him to look up to see Lestat with tears in his eyes.

Why was he crying? What was going on?

He then felt what was probably a slight touch to the back of his head but it felt like a train had slammed into his skull. He noticed Lestat lift his hand up and it was covered in blood. 

“Speed the fuck up! We need to get him to a hospital now!”

After that, Lestat’s lips were still moving, issuing that he was saying something, but Louis couldn’t hear it.

And then everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Louis fighting was one of the most mesmerizing events Lestat had ever seen in his life. The way he embodied a lethal power yet moved with such a graceful skill, it was hypnotic and left Lestat breathless. However, with that being said, it was also extremely terrifying. He may have not known Louis long, but it pained him to see such a man, regardless of how good he was at his job, put himself in danger… especially for him.  

Lestat could count on one hand the most terrifying things he’s witnessed in his life, and Louis getting shot was one of them. He tried his best to leave the vehicle the moment it happened, but Armand and whomever else was in the backseat with him held him back. He never felt more helpless.  

While they were on their way to the hospital, Lestat touched all over Louis’ face, trying to make sure he kept his head still in his lap, while they sped through every red light and speed bump known to man. And as he was trying to provide any amount of comfort he could, it was Louis who brought his hand up to wipe the tears that had fallen to Lestat’s cheeks. 

“Les, why are you crying?”

Was he really asking him that? How could Lestat not cry? How could Louis be worried about him at all? He was the one with a bullet wound. He was the one hurt yet still felt the need to be worried about him.

After that, everything else happened in a blur. The blood from the back of Louis’ head on his hands, him falling unconscious, them getting to the hospital and helping the medical staff place Louis on a gurney. 

He was only able to watch as they raced inside with Daniel alongside, because Armand blocked him from going any further. 

“Get out of my way. I need to be in there with him.”

“You need to put this on first.” Armand handed him a hat and glasses to disguise himself.

Lestat didn’t care about any of that right now.

“You go in there huffing and puffing and trying to blow the waiting room down, everyone will know you are here. It draws attention that you do not need and then that leads to a level of unsafety for yourself and for Louis.” 

Lestat took a frustrated breath. He knew Armand was right, but it was hard to think clearly right now. 

And before he could form any more words, that’s when he noticed all the blood- Louis’ blood- all over his shirt. Which was somewhat weird, being as though there wasn’t that much when he discovered his head wound. 

Daniel walked out at that moment interrupting his thoughts. “He’s in surgery. It was more than just the head and shoulder wound, but he was hit in the side as well.They’re—”

Lestat didn’t hear anything else after that. He was too busy rushing to the nearest trash can, throwing up everything out of his system.

He barely recalled Armand trying to help him before his eyes looked straight into Daniel’s. “I want him moved to a private room and wing in this hospital. I want my security to be his security too. Nothing is to happen to him, are we clear?” 

Lestat was protective of those he cared about, but there was a look of menace in his eyes that even Armand had never seen before.

And that look put a level of fear in Daniel’s eyes that he was unaware that the rockstar could give, so he nodded and spoke to his team. 

Several hours had passed before Louis could have visitors. After the surgery was complete, they moved him to a private room to get his rest and work on healing. 

The doctor who performed his surgery informed them that the hit to Louis’ head gave him a concussion, the gunshot wound to his shoulder was through and through, and the wound to his side was another gunshot, but luckily they were able to get the bullet without lacerating any arteries. He would be in the hospital for about three days before they released him and after that he would need to be on bed rest for two weeks before he could resume his job.

Although Lestat was relieved that Louis was okay, he couldn’t stop himself from breaking down, damn near hyperventilating as he cried his eyes out.  

He heard Daniel speak up to some of his team members that were present, “Why don’t you guys go take five. Get some coffee or something. We’ll be fine.”

He then rubbed on Lestat’s back, “Hey bud, Louis’ gonna be okay. This is nothing. He’s been through way worse and was back to doing his normal routine within a week.”

Normal routine? Back to doing? A week? That didn’t really sit right with him. He knew Louis had been through a lot working in this field, but this was too much. He shouldn't have to get hurt, especially because of him.

Currently, Lestat was standing outside of Louis’ hospital room, trying to gain the courage to walk inside. The object of his affection was staring out the window, and all Lestat could think about was how beautiful he looked. So damn beautiful it almost hurt to look at him.

When Louis turned and took notice of him, a small smile graced his perfect lips, and Lestat’s knees almost buckled. 

For someone to have such an effect on him in such a short amount of time, told Lestat everything he needed to know. He was desperately and fatally in love with Louis. 

It felt like both of their eyes never blinked as they stared at one another, and once Lestat finally got his legs to work, he found himself making his way inside.

He didn’t get far, because out of nowhere, someone rushed past him, almost knocking him over with a nurse following close behind.

“Sir, you can’t—!”

“I’m his fiancé’!” A man shouted as he bent down at Louis’ bedside.

Lestat staggered back as he witnessed the scene before him. It was safe to say that his heart practically fell out of his chest. This man, Louis’ fiance, well ex fiance’ was crying and touching all over his future husband. Lestat wanted to pitch a fit and push him away, but instead he took the mature approach and walked away, leaving them alone.

And that nearly killed him. 

Louis was angry.

Not only did he let someone get the run up on him and hit him in the back of the head, but he got shot. Twice. And to top it all off, he fainted. He fucking fainted. He’s been shot a few times before, stabbed in areas that should have killed him, and not once did he just pass out. Even when it was close to his chest, he still held consciousness until they put him under.

Hell, he was more embarrassed than anything. How was he supposed to be considered some boogeyman enforcer that people in his line of work feared if he was getting taken out so easily. 

And now he had to stay in the hospital for three days on top of being on bedrest for a week. Well, the doctor may or may not have said two weeks, but he knew his body and what he could and could not do. 

But ultimately, even though he was upset over the whole thing, it did bring him a sense of calm to know that Lestat was okay. The moment he noticed him standing outside of his hospital room, his heart immediately skipped a beat. He was so good looking that sometimes he couldn’t help but fantasize about him even though he shouldn’t. 

He tried his best to keep down the level of sheer excitement that flowed through him the moment Lestat walked into his room. He had shown up for him and that meant a lot. 

But the wave of euphoria instantly shattered, the moment Jonah appeared, running into his room, and practically pushing Lestat aside to get to his side.

“Louis, baby, I’m really glad you’re okay.”

Louis really couldn’t process what twilight zone he had walked into as he stared at Jonah. What the hell was he even doing here?

His eyes focused back at the door, but unfortunately, Lestat was gone. 

And yes, it upset him.

“Jonah, how the hell are you even here right now?”

“When the doctor called me, my heart almost stopped. Louis, I know we’ve had our problems, but this really puts things in perspective for me. You still kept me as your emergency contact. And I know that means you still care; that you’ve forgiven me for what I did.” Jonah then grabbed onto his hand, “But we can move past this. I’m here. For you.” 

Before Louis could even fathom what to say, a nurse walked in to do his routine check up. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a headache is coming on.” It was the honest truth. Jonah being here spitting out bullshit and Lestat disappearing, was giving him a migraine.

“That’ll be common for a little while with your head injury.” She began inserting more meds into his IV. 

After she checked his blood pressure and vitals, she told him she would be back in a couple hours.

“Louis?”

His attention was brought back to Jonah, but fortunately for his ex, the morphine was kicking in quickly.

“Look,” Louis cleared his throat, “I appreciate you comin’, I do. But you need to go. I forgot to remove you from my emergency contact so this wasn’t intentional. I can’t stress this enough Jonah, but I don’t want you in my life anymore. You wanted an out when we were together, you know that. Now you have it. It’s over. It’s been over. And you can’t be goin’ around tellin’ people I’m your fiance’. I haven’t been that for a long time. So please… I need you to leave.”

Jonah’s facial expression changed from kindness to irritation instantly as he stood up. “You know you’ll never find someone as good as me. All you’ll have is this job and you already see what that’s doing to you.”

Louis didn’t say anything as he left. There was a part of him that couldn’t blame Jonah for feeling like he had. He did put his job first, but at the end of the day, Jonah had cheated. He didn’t just leave. He decided to form a relationship and sleep with someone else. And ever since Louis found out, he constantly tried to come back in his life because of what? He felt guilty? Well, Louis was done. That chapter closed a long time ago and he had no reason to reopen it again.

“Look who’s awake.”

Louis gave a soft smile, knowing immediately whose voice entered his ears. Once Jonah had left yesterday, he slept for the remainder of the day, only waking up when the nurses came to check on him. 

“Miss Lily.” He shifted to see her sitting near the window, laptop in hand. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Embarrassed.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “I just knew you’d go there.”

“A gunshot wound to the shoulder Lily. I fainted.”

“Fainted? Louis you got knocked over the back of the head. You have a concussion, honey. And let’s not forget you got hit on the side.”

“Don’t remind me.” He sat up slowly, wincing at the pain.

“Want me to call the nurse?” She closed her laptop and sat it down.

“No it’s okay.” He gave a reassuring smile.” The pain comes and goes. Been through worse.”

“Remember several years ago in Paris?” She asked.

“Ah yes, Santiago.”

Lily chuckled, “Crowbar through my shoulder into yours. We were stuck together for an hour.”

“It was like fifteen minutes Lil, and that’s because you were trying to take it out where the end would have ripped us to shreds.”

Lily smirked, “Yeah yeah yeah, not one of my best moments. It was fun catching him again and putting that same crowbar right between his eyes.”

Louis remembered that moment like it was yesterday. Lily didn’t mind getting her hands dirty when necessary. When she was out in the field, she was just as lethal as he was. So, where Santiago was concerned, he was a little more difficult to track down and after he got the one up on them, Lily found him one night unexpectedly, surrounded by his group of people, walked right up to him and stuck a crowbar into his skull. 

The fight broke out after that was intense, but Louis and Lily held their own.

“Fun times.” 

They stopped talking when the nurse came in to check on him, but as soon as she left, Louis opened up to Lily.

“I’m expecting bullshit from Marius after this. From everyone to be honest.”

Lily sighed, “Lou, you’re still known in our world as the big bad enforcer. This isn’t gonna change that. Marius can shove it to be honest.” 

“He already has some vendetta against me.” Not that he cared, but he could do without his interference which he was sure would happen moving forward.

“That’s because he’s jealous of you. You’re stronger than he’ll ever be, and everyone likes you while they tolerate his ass.”

Louis couldn’t help but let out a small bit of laughter. Leave it to Lily to tell him how she really felt. 

When he held onto her hand and gave it a squeeze, she wiped a tear that formed.

“Hey don’t do that. We don’t cry.”

“Oh please,” She joked. “I was cutting onions earlier and I guess it’s just now hitting me.” 

Changing the subject so they both wouldn’t start sobbing, Louis said, “Who told you I was here? No one should know.”

Lily just gave him a look. “Look who you’re talking to. I got tracking on you and when you didn’t check in for 24 hours, I pinged your location to this hospital and then I got into the security cameras and saw them bring you in.”

Louis’ laughter filled the room. “You could have just called to see if I was admitted. Or, reached out to Daniel.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Before Louis could say anything else, Lily beat him to it. “So, speaking of hot celebrity rockstar blondes…”

“Were we?” 

“I could have sworn we were.” 

Louis closed eyes shut for a moment. “Go ahead. Say it.” 

Lily’s grin was huge. “I got here about an hour and a half ago and he’s been by your room at least four times. He’d probably be in here now if Daniel didn’t take him home to shower.” 

Louis tried remaining stoic, when internally his stomach was doing some insane fluttering at the moment. 

But, he cleared his throat nonetheless, “He really shouldn’t be here.”

“Trust me, it took the jaws of life to get him to leave. Plus, when I got here and met him, he barely glanced at me when he spoke. His eyes were on you the entire time.”

“It’s not what you think.”

And of course Lily didn’t buy that. “When you said he developed a crush, I didn’t think mans had practically fallen in love.”

“He’s not in love.” His response came out quickly.

Lily laughed, “And by the looks of it, you seem to like him too.”

Louis sighed. He knew he couldn’t really hide anything from Lily. “I may have kissed him…before all of this happened.”

“Louis du Lac!” Lily squealed. “Really!” 

“You know I’m in the wrong for this, why do you sound excited?”

“Oh come on. What is so wrong about it?”

Louis shouldn’t be surprised that she didn’t see the problem in all of this.“I could give you a list of reasons, but the main one, he’s a client. This isn’t some romance novel.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Okay but when was the last time you got out there? Since Jonah right? It’s okay to be open to something. It’s not forbidden to fall for the client. It’s happened before with others.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t happen to me. I’ll get distracted. I could fail at protecting him. Plus, it hasn’t even been that long.”

“Oh come on. I fell in love with my husband on day one. Granted we didn’t officially start dating until a while later, but we’ve been married for years and it still feels like we’re in our honeymoon stage. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’ve known someone for a day, two weeks, a month, three years, or even two hours. Sometimes you just know.”

Louis thought about that for a moment. “Regardless, I… I probably shouldn’t have kissed him. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never been this reckless before. Kissing him because of what? He had people all over him and it made me feel…..” He wasn’t even going to say the J word. “You know that's not me.”

“It’s not.” Lily agreed. “But, maybe it could be. Maybe it’s time to look for something real. And not how it was with Jonah. You two weren’t good together anyways, and I can say that now. You may not have realized this, but I think you really like him. The way you’ve talked about him these last two weeks have been way more than just client interaction.” Louis could barely glance in her eyes because she was ultimately right. “And if you don’t think you want to pursue an actual relationship, I say see if he’s open to some friends with benefits action and give him the ride of his life if he agrees. You’re wound up too tight.” 

“I could have sworn I’m the one laying in a hospital bed with a concussion and two gunshot wounds.”

“You’ve had worse.”

“I missed sensitive caring Lily.”

“Oh I am super caring, Lou. you know I love you.”

Right before Louis could say anything else, Lestat knocked on the open door. 

“Sorry to interrupt.” His eyes were solely on Louis’ as he entered.

“Hey.” Louis barely blinked as he stared at Lestat. 

They both didn’t notice Lily as she looked between them. “Actually, I may be the one interrupting. I’m going to go get a coffee and finish up a few things and go find Danny. I’ll come check on you in a little while.”

She gave Louis a light hug and smiled at Lestat before she left.

Lestat took a seat beside Louis. “How are you feeling, mon cher .”

“I’m okay.” He gave him a reassuring smile. “This is nothing.”

Louis saw the tears as they formed into Lestat’s eyes and instantly grabbed his hand. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

“This is my fault.” He choked on a sob.

“It’s not.” 

Silence fell between them as Lestat traced his finger along Louis’ hand.

“You tried getting part of the hospital blocked off for me?” 

Lestat nodded. “Sadly it could only be one room, but I would have given you a whole hospital to yourself if I could.”

Louis chuckled, “You didn’t have to–”

“Nonsense, mon cher .”

Louis wanted to be called mon cher and other terms of endearment by him for the rest of his life. Okay, why the hell did that breach through his thoughts?

“Lily told me that you were here earlier while I slept?”

“I just had to make sure you were okay….I was worried. I’m sorry if….”

“No. Don’t be. It’s just that…it's not safe here. You should be at home.”

“I’m safe here at the hospital. Your team is here and not just for me… for you as well.”

Louis smirked. "Trust me, it’s just for you. They're just waiting to throw jokes at me for someone getting the one up on me.” 

“I’ll fire them then.”

Louis knew it was a joke, but he’d never admit out loud how his heart felt touched at Lestat’s immediate response. He wanted to blame it on the morphine, but he knew he couldn’t keep doing that. And now, they were staring at each other again. Louis couldn’t help but map out Lestat’s intricate features. His blue eyes, his nose, the scar at his mouth, his kissable lips.

Damnit, he was down bad. 

“You didn’t have to leave earlier.” He held his gaze, needing Lestat to know that Jonah meant nothing to him anymore.

“Yes, well, I wanted to give you privacy with your…. fiancé’ .” 

Louis could hear the distaste on that last word.

“He’s not.” 

“Yes well—”

Louis then grabbed his hand again, caressing his thumb over his knuckles, looking deep into Lestat’s eyes; almost getting lost. “He’s not.” 

The smile Lestat gave was enough to make Louis want to stick his tongue down the man’s throat. 

“What does this mean Louis?” When Lestat caressed the side of Louis’ face, he couldn’t help but lean into his touch.

But Louis couldn’t answer his question, because honestly, he didn’t know. But he knew how he felt right now. The pain that had been coursing through him lay dormant just by Lestat being here. As if he were the morphine that the doctors pumped through his veins. 

“I–”

“Dad?”

Louis’ eyes immediately left Lestat’s and focused towards the door where Claudia and Grace stood. 

Lestat backed up as Claudia rushed over to Louis and held him in a tight embrace. 

Louis’ grunted a bit.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry, am I hurting you?” She was about to lift up, but Louis held her in place, issuing that he was okay.

“You never could.” He closed his eyes, grateful for the feeling of his daughter in his arms.

“I was so worried.” Claudia sniffled.

He then looked over to see Lestat standing near the door, along with Grace who was looking between them both trying to be subtle. Lestat, however, was looking all over the place, trying his best not to continue their staring match. 

“I’m okay. I promise.” He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He then looked at Grace, “Who called you?”

“Daniel.”

Louis was going to kill him. He knew not to call his family unless it was urgent.

“And before you get upset, you always check in once a day even if it’s a voicemail and when you didn’t, I got worried when your phone was going to voicemail. So I called Daniel. He wasn’t going to tell me but Claudia got on the phone and you know how your daughter can be.”

Claudia laughed yet hiccuped from the tears.

Grace walked over and stood closer to Louis’ bedside. 

“You both didn’t have to fly back.” 

They both gave Louis the same look like he was absolutely and utterly crazy. “And mom should be here in a few. She’s talking to the doctors trying to get them to show you all your scans and what not.”

That was Florence for everyone. She wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t read a scan to save their lives, but that was her child and she needed to make sure one hundred percent he was okay.

His eyes then found Lestat’s again as he stood near the doorway a bit awkwardly.  He could tell he was trying to take everyone in without intruding.

“Claudia, Grace. This is Lestat. Lestat this is my daughter, Claudia, and my sister, Grace.”

Claudia finally turned to take Lestat in, her eyes rimmed red. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

Grace nodded, “Nice to meet you.”

Claudia tried providing a smile.

“I would scream right now, but I really can’t process anything right now but my dad in the hospital.” 

Lestat’s eyes briefly found Louis’ again. “I think we can both agree on that.” He then gave a warm smile to all of them. “I am going to go and give you time with your family.”

“You don’t have too.” The response came out so quickly, Louis almost didn’t decipher what he said. There was a part of him that should have nodded and let him walk out. Strictly keep this professional from here on out, but he felt this lump in his throat and a small pain in his chest at the thought of him leaving. 

“It’s not safe.” Louis thought that would make his plea for him to stay sound better, but in all reality it probably didn’t, due to the fact he had already told him it wasn’t safe to be in the hospital. 

Lestat gave him a knowing smile. “I won’t be too far. I’ll be okay.”

Louis still looked apprehensive but nodded and watched as he left. He then focused his attention fully on Claudia and Grace making sure he provided reassurance that he was okay.

It was raining. The sky had opened up and the rain was blinding as the thunder sounded through the air. It was a day where all one would want to do is stay in bed all day. But unfortunately, with the way Lestat’s nerves were set up, staying in bed wasn’t even on his radar.

Almost forty eight hours had passed since Louis had been released from the hospital. And Lestat wasn’t in his right mind because he hadn’t laid eyes on him since then. If he were sane, he’d be going by his normal routine as Armand and Daniel suggested, but he couldn’t.

Which led him to be sitting in the backseat of his vehicle with Daniel in the driver's seat, as they sat outside of Louis’ home.

“I won’t be long.” He opened the car door.

Daniel got out as well. “If you think I’m going to let you go in by yourself.”

“It’s Louis’ home.”

“Exactly. He’s wounded. Which, to be honest, is the only reason I’m going up there with you. After the last attack you can’t go anywhere alone. Also, don’t tell Armand or anyone else I did this. Louis’ probably going to pull a gun on me—”

Lestat ignored him after that as they walked to the front door. He did his best to act normal and not skip along his driveway. He had spent the last two days practically losing his mind, worrying about Louis. They texted a few times here and there, but he didn’t want to bombard him with text messages when he needed his rest. 

However, he did have something important he needed to discuss with him, and it was best to do it in person.

His daughter, Claudia, answered the door after he rang the doorbell. 

“ Bonjour , Claudia, is your dad—-”

“Holy shit!” Claudia tried covering her face a bit to hide the clay mask she was wearing, all the while touching her wet hair. “I don’t normally look like this.”

“Claudia, who’s at the door?” It was Lily who walked up behind Claudia. He remembered her from the hospital.

“Oh, shit.” She then noticed Daniel behind him, “Oh, you're in deep shit, Daniel.”

They both moved aside and let them walk through.

“Hi, uncle Danny.” Claudia gave him a hug. “I made a new face mask, you’re gonna have to try it.”

“Did you add that mint smell this time?” 

“A light dose but it still smells like it.”

Lily cleared her throat, “Daniel—”

He took off his jacket, and sat down to let Claudia begin the facial mask treatment. “You try dealing with someone who wouldn’t shut up every five seconds. If I didn’t bring him here I was going to lose it.”

“I’m literally standing right here.” Lestat interrupted.

“Don’t worry,” Daniel spoke up. “Charlie and Damick are outside in the car behind us, and we made sure we weren’t followed.”

“What’s going on?” It was Grace who walked up next, with a wine glass in her hand. When she saw Lestat, a knowing look crossed her features. “Ah…” 

Lestat cleared his throat. “I um… wanted to come check on Louis. Just to see if he needed anything.”

Grace smiled. “Here, I’ll take you to his room. He’s still resting, but I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”

Lestat nodded and followed Grace. He tried his best not to smile when he heard Claudia’s voice when he left the room. 

“Okay, why wasn’t anyone going to tell me that there’s something going on with my dad and Lestat de Lioncourt?”

He then heard their hushed tones a bit before he focused on the door he was standing in front of.

Lestat took a deep breath.

“If I wasn’t so tipsy right now, I’d be having a fangirl moment, asking you to sign a few autographs.” Grace knocked on the door.

“Anytime, mon ami .”

“Lou, you awake?” 

“Yeah.” 

When she opened the door, he noticed Louis in bed, no shirt on, sling on his arm, with his phone in his hand.

“You have a visitor.”

Louis’ eyes immediately locked onto Lestat’s as he tried sitting up, placing the phone down in the process. He looked a bit shocked, but the soft smile he gave let Lestat know he didn’t have to worry too much about showing up unannounced.

“I’ll leave you two.” Grace walked out, closing the door behind her.

And then they both had a competition of who could stare the longest. 

“How did you—”

“Daniel brought me—” 

“Not that I mind, it’s just—”

“Don’t shoot him though, I practically gave him no choice.”  

The grin Louis gave as a response to them both speaking at the same time was enough to make the tears form to Lestat’s eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

Lestat instantly burst into tears. “How can you ask me that when you're—” He took a deep breath trying to keep it together, even though he was clearly failing. But, ultimately,he came here for a reason and he needed to stick to it.

So, after clearing his throat, he said, “You’re fired.”

He didn’t expect Louis to laugh a bit. “Yeah, okay.”

“You are relieved of your duties.’

Louis realized he was serious. “Stop.”

“No, you will not be—”

“You can’t fire me, Lestat.”

“Then I’ll talk to the head of the company. Anyone can be on my immediate detail. But not you mon cher , not anymore.”

Louis struggled to sit up more and moved his blanket off of him to try to get out of bed. Seeing more of his bare chest and the grey sweatpants that he wore, made Lestat’s breath catch in his throat. 

“No, no do not get up.” He rushed over and stood in front of him, preventing him from standing up. 

The position they were currently in almost took Lestat’s breath away, because now he was standing in between Louis’ legs, and Louis was looking up at him.

“Apparently I need to since you’re sounding crazy right now.” 

Lestat was prepared to have a serious conversation but Louis staring at him right now made him want to fall on top of him and lick into his mouth. 

“It has to be this way, I will make sure you are paid in full, and—”

“Quit it.” 

“You could have died, Louis.”

“But I didn’t.” He continued to stare up at him. “This was nothing. I’ve been through worse than this… way worse actually.”

Lestat couldn’t believe Louis thought this was funny. “I don’t see anything comical about this.”

“Lestat….”

“No. You really think saying that will make things better? Make me feel better that you were hurt?”

Louis sighed, “This isn’t supposed to make you feel better. This…me… you have to separate it.”

Lestat gave him a look. “It’s a little too late for that don’t you think? Do you think any of this matters if you die? Do you think—” He choked on a sob. 

“Les,” Louis tried soothing him.

Lestat continued to cry as he knelt down on the floor in front of Louis, not being able to help himself as he laid his head down on Louis’ thigh. 

“Hey, look at me.”

He took a moment, but when he finally looked up, Louis used his free hand to cup Lestat’s chin.

“I promise you, I’ll be okay.” And when he caressed the side of his face, Lestat leaned into him. 

“I still don’t know that.”

Louis then did something that Lestat wasn’t expecting. He placed a chaste kiss to his forehead, his cheek, his nose, and then his lips.

“And what about now?”

“I could use a little more convincing.”

“Oh could you?”

“If you want—”

Louis then kissed him again before he could finish his sentence and Lestat melted into him.

It was around one in the morning when Louis woke up, after falling asleep in Lestat’s arms. They had spent a few hours talking…well, talking and kissing one another, before Louis had to take more medication that knocked him out. 

As he stared at Lestat sleeping peacefully, he couldn’t help but trace his hand over his face, mapping out what Louis couldn’t help but think was perfection. 

He would worry about all the rules he had broken with Lestat in the morning because right now, he couldn’t even care. 

With anyone else he would have been bothered if a client showed up to his home, especially unannounced, but with Lestat, he had been more relieved to see him than anything. He had been trying to find the right words to text him when Grace had knocked on his door, so seeing him put his mind at ease.

If he were bothered by anyone at the moment, it was Daniel. He knew his friend was trying to play matchmaker, but he knew the rules, plus he could have at least let him know ahead of time so he could try to look more presentable. 

Getting out of bed slowly in hopes he didn't wake him, Louis put his robe on as best he could, looking forward to the day the pain from his wounds would cease. He looked at Lestat one more time before he left his room to stretch his legs a bit.

Daniel and Lily were sitting at his dining table, Lily on her laptop and Daniel looking through some files.

He even noticed Armand sleeping over on the living room sofa.

“You’re up.” Daniel spoke up. “Didn’t think you’d be leaving your room for days.”

Lily giggled but kept typing into her computer.

“You’re funny, Danny boy. And when did my couch become a bed for your boyfriend.” He said as he sat down, grunting a bit in the process. 

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” Lily commented. 

“I needed to stretch my legs.” He then looked back at Daniel.

 “Don’t look at me. Between Frenchie and Armand, I don’t know who’s worse. Lestat was going insane not talking to you the last couple of days and when Aramnd found out I wouldn't be coming back to the mansion tonight, he started mouthing off. They both drive me nuts.”

And yet the way he looked over at Armand asleep on the couch showed Louis just how much Daniel was in love with him.

Before Louis could say anything, Daniel continued, “Plus, your home is one of the safest and we have people posted up outside.” Louis gave him a look, “Trusted people.”

Which was good, because he didn’t need everyone in his business.

“I could still shoot you in the face for not letting me know first.”

“You’re threatening me, that means you’re feeling better.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “So, what do we got?”

“Do you really think you should be working right now, you did just—” Lily let it go when she saw the look on Louis’ face. “Fine but any mention of a headache, I’m going right in there and telling your daughter.”

“Now I’m the one getting threatened?” Louis chuckled. Claudia didn’t play about his safety. “But, I’m okay. Bring me up to speed.”

Lily began to explain about the attack at the club, and how she was able to decipher what the guy, who had been on the phone, standing outside of the bathroom that Louis and Lestat were in there for a few minutes.

“Luckily there was a security camera close by and I was able to hack into it to get vocals, silencing the around sound. Based off how he was talking, his conversation didn’t seem like he was talking to Magnus but—”

She played the recording and as they listened in, the guy said, “Just because you gave us this entail doesn’t mean you’re one of us.”

Damnit.

“We have a mole.” Lily stopped the recording.

“We have a mole.” Daniel repeated.

Louis looked between them and sighed, “We have a mole.”

Great, just great.

“And the only people we can trust are those inside this house and Charlie and Dammick outside. We have to assume everyone is a suspect until we can figure out who is who.” Daniel said.

Before Louis began looking through some of the files Daniel had, he made sure to say, “I want Claudia, Grace, and my mom back on a flight tomorrow. And they’re not to come back until all of this is over. I can’t risk them.”

Daniel nodded. “I’ll call now to make sure the private plane is gassed up ready for tomorrow.” 

Louis’ phone went off immediately afterwards. 

Louis held up his phone to show Lily and Daniel that it was a private number. When he answered, he placed it on speaker for them to hear.

There was heavy breathing on the other end; obnoxiously so.

“I know it’s you Magnus.”

When he didn’t say anything, Louis continued, “You should turn yourself in, because it’s only going to get worse for you.” 

He heard his slimy laugh on the other end, almost like nails on a chalkboard. ”He will come back to me before that happens.”

Louis saw red. “Make sure you use the same gun one of your lackeys shot me with and save the last bullet for yourself, because I’m going to cut your neck open and watch you choke on your own blood before he ever goes back to you.”

Louis hit end on his phone so roughly that he almost knocked it to the ground.

He then looked between Lily and Daniel. “Too much?”

Lily laughed. “Not nearly as much as I would have said.”

Chapter Text

“ Again .” Louis commanded as he blocked Daniel’s punch. “ Again .” This time when he did it, Daniel was barely able to block him. However, the roundhouse kick he swiftly performed next knocked his partner on his ass. 

After helping him up, Louis winced a bit at the slight pain on his side.

Daniel took notice, “This is your first time back. Don’t over exert yourself. Plus, if we’re being honest, it’s almost like you never left.”

All Louis could do was give him a look. He knew his best friend was trying to be encouraging, but Louis didn’t feel like himself. He felt like he still needed to be better. Two weeks of being on bedrest was way too long for someone like him. Even when he took a break from his profession for a while, he still made sure he kept his exercise up and going. But, he made a promise to Claudia that he would listen to what the doctor recommended and work on healing for two weeks instead of one. 

He and his daughter had a heartfelt talk the day he sent her, Grace, and his mom back to Paris. It was the day after Lestat had come to visit, and he had just told them they would be on a flight that night. He could see the expression on each of their faces that they weren’t exactly too pleased, even though they understood.

It was Claudia who spoke on it a few hours before they left for the airport. Louis found her standing outside in the backyard, lost in thought. 

“You know sending me back to Paris is a low blow.” There was no sugar coating it when it came to Claudia. If she had a problem with something, she was going to let you know. “Not when you were literally just in the hospital from two gunshot wounds and a blow to the head.”

Louis sighed, “Claudia.” 

“Dad.” She turned to look at him, staring up into his eyes with the same look of ferocity he had given when he was younger. “Look, I know this is your job. I know you’re the best at what you do, but I guess I just didn’t expect….”

The tears came to her eyes and Louis immediately brought her into a hug.

“I’m gonna be okay, lil miss.”

She held onto him tighter, softly crying. “But you weren’t. Dad, you could have—”

“But I didn’t.” He kissed the top of her head. “Trust me, you’re never going to get rid of me.”

Claudia hiccupped, “I know I was the one who wanted you to do this so you wouldn’t sit and rot all summer, but when I heard you got hurt…. it was the longest plane ride back in my life. Seeing you that way...” She wiped her eyes, “ Dad I don’t want anything to happen to you. I know as a child you wanted to keep the bad parts of your job hidden, but I’m an adult now and I have this huge urge to keep you safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t want you to die.” 

The tears were forming in Louis’ eyes now, but he knew he had to keep it together and be strong for her. 

“Oh, Claudia, I’m not going to die. That’s one thing I’m going to promise you.” 

“But you can’t promise me that.”

Louis wiped the tears that had begun streaming down her face. “You’re right, I can’t, but baby girl I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and yes, I got hurt this time, but I’ve been hurt before and nothing is going to keep me away from you okay?”

She nodded, “Do you think, after this, do you think this could be it?”

Louis didn’t know how to answer that right away, but then finally said. “It’s something that I’ll definitely consider… if it’ll make you happy.” 

“I don’t want you to stop your life because of me, especially when I leave for college, but I guess this time my eyes are more open and I don’t want to be worried about you. I don’t want to be afraid that I’m going to get a phone call or someone showing up at my door saying you didn’t make it.”

“I understand. After this job, let’s talk more about it, okay?” Because Claudia was right, Louis didn’t want his daughter to go through the pain of losing him.

As they stood there for a moment, just looking out at the yard, Claudia broke the silence. “You know, Lestat de Lioncourt wants you safe as well.”

Louis could hear the playful tone in her voice. “Ah, there it is. Is that what you two were talking about when I walked into the kitchen this morning?”

“More or less.” she smiled. “I finally got to talk to one of my favorite musicians, and come to find out he’s completely head over heels for my dad.”

Louis tried not to let the grin form on his face. “That's what he said?”

Claudia smiled, and nudged him. “No, but a girl can tell.” 

“So you like him? Lestat? And not because he’s your favorite performer.”

“Are you asking if I like him as a potential boyfriend for my dad?”

Louis didn’t meet her eyes this time, “ Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m asking. But if anything were to come from this in the near or far future, would you be okay with it?”

Claudia laughed, “Dad, you’re horrible at trying to be secretive with this. If you like him and you’re happy, then I’m happy. And not just because I’m invited backstage to every concert now.” she joked. 

Louis laughed as well, “ Well that’s good to know. But since we’re on this topic, I still don’t know much about this Madeleine person.”

Claudia blushed, “You will. As soon as all of this is over, we can finally get some time to have a movie night and spend the evening catching up.”

“Umhmm, you just make sure you’re being careful in Paris. Listen to your aunt and grandmother and don’t try to run off from your bodyguards.”

Claudia’s eyes widened.

“You thought I wouldn’t find out?”

She gave him a sheepish smile, “Madeleine and I just wanted some alone time. Plus, we’re more than safe on the other side of the world.” 

Even Claudia knew how that sounded. “We won’t run off again.” 

“That’s more like it.” 

“You know I can’t believe I’m getting scolded when we were having a moment.”

Louis couldn’t help but laugh, “You started scolding me first.”

She then gave him another hug, “I love you, dad.”

“I love you too.”

Louis didn’t know how many rounds he had gone through on the punching bag while he was lost in thought. He had to be strong and ready for what was to come, and he couldn’t let anything happen to Lestat, but he also couldn’t let Claudia down. With his recent injuries, this was the first time he felt as if something serious could really happen to him. 

He knew he wasn’t some immortal being, but every other time he felt like he couldn’t be touched, regardless of the few wounds he encountered throughout his time. He always knew he would be okay, but this time, moving forward he couldn’t help but be a little worried. And maybe it had to do with this being the first time Claudia had seen him so badly injured, and the look on her face pained him.  

And then there was Lestat. The way he was with him; the way he looked at him, Louis had never felt such warmth and care from another man.The first night Lestat had come to his home, they talked most of the night, shared a few soft kisses, and it just felt… right. 

He wanted to blame the painkillers the way his heart fluttered when Lestat entered his room that night. Normally, he would have been upset that a client showed up to his home unannounced, but all Louis could do was sigh in relief. He wanted him there.

And it was clear because Louis allowed him to stay two nights in a row, when in all reality he should have told him to leave. It didn’t need to get out that Lestat had stayed the night with him. People talked and if certain members of his team found out and it got back to Marius, he would for sure attempt to pull Louis off the case. And now with there being a mole, it was best that the only people who knew about him and Lestat were those he trusted. No one outside of his immediate circle needed to know how close they were. Hell, Louis barely knew how close they were with each other, but one thing he did know was that Lestat was someone that made him feel things he had never felt before. 

Talking to him brought him a sense of calm, even if Lestat loved to talk… a lot. It was something that would have annoyed the hell out of Louis with anyone else, but it was endearing to him now. He could listen to Lestat talk for hours and never get tired.

He did have to draw the line when Lestat offered to take a shower with him. Louis may have been out of commission for a while, but he could still shower by himself. Even though he was really close to letting him in one night, he would never admit that out loud to anyone. 

Louis did let him help change his bandages and bring him food. And if Lestat offered to feed him from a fruit platter his mom prepared for them, and Louis let him, then that was neither here nor there to discuss. 

But ultimately he and Lestat were still in some sort of limbo of what they were to each other. Louis still felt like he couldn’t cross too many bridges just yet, but it was just getting harder and harder to deny Lestat’s advances. Ultimately, he did say he would follow Louis' lead, but it was clear that Louis may be falling for the rockstar.  

Lestat had slept over two more times during those two weeks Louis was at home, and that last day, he had pulled Louis in and kissed him with everything he had.The kiss was so hot and hungry and desperate, that Louis was sure he saw stars. 

“The next time we kiss like that you’ll initiate it and then you’ll beg me to get on my knees and worship you like you deserve.”

Louis’ was hard for almost three days after that.

“Lou du Lac!” Louis rolled his eyes as he heard Tom’s excessively loud voice breach his thoughts. He really wasn’t in the mood to tolerate him today. “Glad to have you back!” He had the nerve to slap his hand along his back with a big condescending smile.  

Louis did his best to hold it together as he looked at the hand now on his shoulder. Tom seemed to receive the silent message because he moved it away quickly. 

He barely noticed the look Daniel and Charlie gave each other. If there was one thing everyone on the team knew is that you didn’t put your hands on Louis, especially someone like Tom. 

“So this is the big bad du Lac?” 

Everyone in the training room cut their eyes to the new guy, Felix, who started working on the team, the day after Louis’ accident.

“Doesn’t seem like the boogeyman I’ve been hearing all about.”

It earned a laugh from Tom but Louis chose to ignore it, and try to be the bigger person and continue his workout. 

“Why don’t we take a break.” Daniel spoke up to anyone who’d listen.

No one listened.

And Felix, who apparently had a death wish, chose to lift weights right next to Louis. The moment he dropped his weight to the ground, he chose to nudge Louis, hard. 

“Damnit,” Daniel cursed.

“Five bucks says he knocks him out.” Charlie whispered to Daniel.

Louis was still going to let it go, because he had too much to worry about, but then Felix made the mistake of doing it again, which caused even the other guys training to give apprehensive glances. 

And of course, Louis wasn’t one to let it go a second time, so he grabbed Felix by the back of the neck, and yanked him down where his face was staring towards Louis’. He prevented him from dropping to the ground just yet, as he  punched him three times in the stomach. 

“ Don’t . Fucking . Touch me .”

He then lifted him back up, kicked his legs from under his feet and watched as he fell hard to the ground. 

Louis used one leg to stand on top of the area on Felix he just punched, and looked around. “Let me make this clear to you and anyone who comes at me like this idiot just did. Don’t . I may have been out of commision for a little while, but don’t fuck with with me.” He looked back down at Felix. “Now get up and hold my bag steady.”

Felix held onto his stomach, groaning in pain as he attempted to stand up. There was fear in his eyes as he did what he was told. 

While others were snickering, Daniel was full on laughing. “You should have trained your little sidekick on who not to mess with, Tom.” 

Before Tom could say anything, Louis cut him off. “Wait, who’s on Lioncourt’s detail right now?” Because if he and Daniel were here, then it should have been Tom leading a few other people.

Tom held up his hands in defeat. “Don’t look at me, Marius put David in the group too. Take it up with him.”

Louis just looked at Daniel.

Great, just great.

A week had passed and Louis was back to being the number one guard in Lestat’s case. It took a lot of convincing to Marius, some yelling, and a favor that Marius gets to cash in whenever, but ultimately he gave in. 

And thank God for that, because that meant that David didn’t really get to be alone with Lestat anymore. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Louis didn’t really care for David. He could tolerate him more than Tom, but he wasn’t someone he’d want to stay in a room with for more than five minutes. 

Nonetheless, David was harmless for the most part. The main thing that rubbed Louis the wrong way was his obsession with the rockstar Lestat. He apparently was his number one fan and loved his music more than anyone. And he made sure he told everyone who would listen or who didn’t want to listen. He even told Louis how he envisioned it not working out with Antoinette, and maybe Lestat could find it in his heart to do a bodyguard client forbidden love scenario, and then they’d get married.

Louis wanted to punch him in the face for even suggesting that.

So, needless to say, it was the first and last time he would ever partner with David on anything.

Which was great, because today would be a very long day, and he didn’t have the patience to work with anyone but Daniel. Along with a photoshoot and interview, Lestat also had a concert tonight in an arena that was sold out to thousands. 

Currently, Lestat was trying on a few last minute outfits to decide which pieces he wanted to choose for the photoshoot. It was just Louis and Daniel taking guard inside, a few fashion designers moving about, and Armand eyes glued on his ipad all the while telling others what to do.

As they were keeping watch, Daniel was telling Louis how he wanted to take Armand on vacation when this whole Magnus thing was over, and even though Louis heard what he was saying, it was as if his friend was speaking far away.

That probably had to do with the fact that Louis’ eyes were branded in Lestat’s direction. He was currently standing behind one of those privacy dressing screens, and even though he couldn’t be outright seen, Louis could still see his silhouette, and it was making his mouth water. 

He then noticed Lestat pick up what was probably his phone, and not even five minutes later, Armand announced, “Everyone take five.”

While everyone else left but he and Daniel, Armand walked up to them, “Louis, Lestat is asking for you.” He immediately looked away and began smiling at Daniel. “Any plans after the concert?”

Louis ignored them as they flirted with each other and walked over to Lestat.

“Ah, Louis.” Lestat gave a shit eating grin the moment Louis stepped behind the divider. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Louis did his best not to look Lestat up and down but failed, because his shirt was open and his pants were hanging extremely low.

“You asked for me.”

And of course his eyes followed Lestat’s as he looked him up and down.

“You know I have to stand guard, what do you need?”

“I’m in dire need of help.” He feigned ignorance. “For some reason, I can’t button this shirt and I need assistance.”

“I think you’re more than capable of dressing yourself.”  Even though Louis was two seconds away from asking Lestat if he could remove his shirt with his teeth.

Lestat’s smile set Louis’ insides on fire. “ Oui , but well, these buttons are quite a challenge.”

“Lestat.” Louis sighed, trying to sound annoyed, but it came out almost desperate. He really needed to check himself.

Lestat stepped closer, even though they were already too close for comfort. 

“I guess I should get someone else to help me then.”

Louis rolled his eyes, yet immediately reached his hands out and began to button up his shirt, all the while making eye contact with Lestat who had a smirk on his face.

“Take that look off your face. I’m just doing this because you’re in a time crunch.”

“Hmm. Is that all it is, mon cher ?”

Louis made the mistake of staring at Lestat’s lips, his hands slipping a bit because he was doing the same.

“Don’t even think about it. I’m not kissing you here.”

“We’re in private.”

“No we’re not.” But then Louis remembered that fast that yes there were. With the exception of Daniel and Armand who were probably staring at each other without blinking.

Louis finished the last button and smoothed down his shoulders. They continued to stare at one another, and the heat flooding through Louis had to be radiating off of him and onto Lestat. The way his eyes penetrated into him; being looked at like that was making his skin flush all over. 

“Should I leave my hair down or pull it back?”

Of course leave it down, he almost exploded out of instinct. Louis wasn’t able to stop his hand from pushing a strand of hair behind Lestat’s ear. He knew by now that Lestat didn’t particularly like his hair in his face if it weren’t necessary.

Louis cleared his throat, damn near stuttering, “L-leave it down.”

When he was about to remove his hand, Lestat grabbed it gently instead, and placed a light kiss to it, all the while maintaining eye contact. 

“You like it?” His voice was a little above a whisper.

Louis tried not to look anywhere but his eyes, but again, he failed. “You know I do.” 

Lestat bit his lip, trying to contain himself, yet that didn’t stop him from whispering along the side of his face as he stood even closer.

“I need to kiss you, Louis. Will you let me?”

And now their foreheads were touching and Louis felt… he felt warm all over. It was just Louis and Lestat, and in his mind it was the way it should be.

When he finally nodded, Lestat practically attacked his lips. He kissed Louis so intensely that he was sure they would both combust if they tried to come up for air. The kisses they had in his home during those two weeks were soft, light, friendly almost, but this… this was desperation. This was needing each other and dying if they couldn’t have each other type kissing.

The moment Lestat held onto Louis’ waist, pulling him closer, Louis pulled back, flinching a bit at the stupid stupid pain that coursed through him at the worst possible time. 

“Are you okay?” Lestat’s reaction was incredibly genuine and the concern etched along his face was enough to almost make Louis fall into him. It touched his heart at the fact that Lestat continued to worry about him.

Louis nodded against his lips.

“Are you sure?” You could hear the fear in Lestat’s voice.

Louis then trailed light kisses over Lestat’s eyes, then his nose, his chin, and back to his lips.

“Kiss me again.” Because Louis felt like he would fall apart if he didn’t.

“Lou–”

Louis' lips were on Lestat's, this time taking charge, needing him like he needed to breathe.

“I gotta call them back in now.” They heard Armand say, knocking against the dressing divider. 

Louis almost forgot anyone was around, and although they couldn’t be seen, he knew Armand and Daniel were probably having a field day, staring at their outlines. 

This time it was Lestat who broke the kiss, eyes never leaving Louis. “We need five minutes.”

Louis knew Lestat needed those extra minutes to check on him. “No, we're good. They can come back in.” 

When he turned to walk away, Lestat grabbed his hand tenderly, turning him back around, “Louis, are you sure you’re okay? It’s only been a few weeks and—”

It was damn near automatic the way Louis lifted Lestat’s hand in his and placed a kiss to his palm. 

“I’m okay,” He assured him, hoping he could see the truth behind his eyes.

Louis then pushed Lestat’s hair behind his ear again and stepped away as the others began trickling back in. 

Truth of the matter was, Louis was technically okay, but he had been over exerting himself a bit during training. 

As he stood back next to Daniel, he didn’t miss the sly smile on his face. 

“You got it bad, Du Lac.”

All the times Louis had a comeback to deny those accusations Daniel would make, this was the first time he had nothing to say. 

Even a blind person could see that Louis de Pointe du Lac had it bad for Lestat de Lioncourt.

Lestat felt like his mind was all over the place. He had a lot going on today, and yet the only person he wanted to concentrate on right now was the reason his heart continued to beat. 

Louis.  

He knew that anyone with eyes could see that he had strong feelings for his bodyguard, but Lestat had never felt this way with anyone. Not Nicki nor any of those he had engaged with in the past. 

No one held a candle to Louis. 

Being around him was like coming home. It made him feel whole. And the fact that when Lestat did go to his home, Louis and his family had welcomed him in with open arms. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes every time he thought about it. 

Holding Louis in his arms while he slept had been the highlight of his time over there. To be honest, Lestat could have spent every single day with him, clinging to the looks Louis gave him, but he knew he didn’t want to overstay his welcome and never be invited over again. When in reality, he was just waiting for the day Louis asked him to move in and they could live together forever.

He kept that part to himself though, but one could dream.

Lestat felt honored that Louis allowed him to take care of him those few days. The crazy part was that Louis was the one who was hurt and yet he had to consol Lestat at times. Seeing Louis wounded was enough to make the tears fall at random moments. If he could take away all of his pain he would. 

While he was in the process of trying on different outfits, he was grateful to know Louis was now back on his immediate detail. Apparently, he had been pushed behind a few of the others for awhile, so he wasn’t able to see him quite as often as he would like during the last week. But now, everything was back to the way it should be. Which was good, because one of the bodyguards, David, somewhat freaked him out and that Tom fellow didn’t seem like he knew how to do his job very well. 

But, that was neither here nor there. Louis was back and everything felt right in the world again. 

When Lestat tried to get Louis alone for a few minutes, it probably wasn’t the best idea because he hadn’t expected Louis to look so turned on. It made Lestat almost lose his mind if he didn’t get a chance to have him soon. His every being called out to Louis, and all he wanted to do was take him somewhere where they could be alone and fuck him into the mattress. 

Louis really didn’t realize the power he held over him, because Lestat was very close to falling into him during their kiss, and it made craving him even more profound. 

In all honesty, he knew that Louis wasn’t completely ready for all of him yet. Lestat knew that he was crossing the line with the morals of his job, but at this point he would take anything Louis could give him. 

While Lestat was enjoying the taste of Louis’ lips, he stopped the moment he felt him wince. He knew Louis had to still be in pain. And although he hadn’t known him long, he knew that Louis would try to be strong and tell the whole world he was okay, instead of admitting that he was hurt. 

His daughter all but confirmed it the next morning from when he slept over the first time. Lestat had woken up around five that morning and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water when he noticed Claudia at the table on a video call.

When she noticed him, she told the woman on the other end she would call her back later. 

They said a few terms of endearment and then hung up and focused her attention on Lestat. 

“I did not mean to interrupt.”

The smile she gave was soothing, “You weren’t interrupting.”

Lestat returned said smile.

“Since you’re up, and you’re alone, I figure it's a better time than any. Why don’t you have a seat.”

Lestat may or may not have broken out into a sweat, but he took a seat regardless.

Meeting Claudia for the first time in the hospital and even now, he could tell how warm of heart she had, but he could also tell she was not one to mess with.

“You like my dad?”

Oh, right to the point.

Lestat cleared his throat, “I do.”

“He’s your bodyguard.”

“He is.”

Claudia nodded, “Look, I’ll cut to the chase, I wanted my dad to get back into this field this summer because I didn’t want him to decay on the couch while I was away.”

Lestat couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“And I know doing this makes him happy. It brings him content, I know that. I don’t know everything my dad does, because he tries shielding me as much as he can. I mean clearly I know some things and he’s taught me how to defend myself if I’ve ever needed to, but seeing him in that hospital bed…seeing him that hurt, I—” She cleared her throat to prevent the tears from falling. “I know this is more than just a job to him, but there is this big part of me that wants him to stop. And I hope that after he kicks this guy's ass that’s been messing with you, that he can officially retire and stay that way. I just don’t want him to get hurt again and I don’t think you do either.”

“Definitely not.” Lestat nodded. “Especially not for me.”

“You’re my favorite music artist. I don’t know everything but I know some things and I’m glad it’s my dad protecting you. And if he’ll let you, can you just make sure he’ll be okay. He’s trying to stop his recovery after one week but I managed to convince him to do the actual two that the doctor requested. I know interfering with my dad’s job is not my place, but—”

Lestat reached over and grabbed her hand gently, “I would never want your dad to put himself in danger for me. I know it’s his job, but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he ends up staying alive and safe. ” Even if that meant Lestat wouldn’t. 

They stared at each other for a moment in mutual understanding. 

He could tell it took a lot for Claudia to talk with him, and it meant the world to him. Louis was lucky to have a daughter like her, to have a family as great as his. Just being in this home, around his family, it felt pleasant and right. It felt like it was something Lestat hadn’t realized he had been missing, and yet something he would love to gain if Louis chose to keep him in his life. 

“Lestat?” Claudia broke him out of his thoughts. “My dad may not admit it right away, but he likes you, you know. I mean I’m still going to give him hell for not telling me about you two, but I know him and I can just tell.” She drank a bit of her water. “But that’s enough about that. I’ll leave that between you two. So, now that we’ve got the sentimental moment out of the way, let's talk about these concert tickets.”  

Both he and Claudia laughed at the same time. Yeah, he could definitely get along with her.

“You are always welcomed to any concert. VIP backstage passes.”

Claudia smiled, “I am extremely appreciative. What was one of your most favorite songs you wrote and performed?”

Lestat smiled. They talked for about two more hours, only halting a bit when Louis woke up and walked out to see them laughing.

Claudia even gave him a hug before she left.

He tried not to notice the light and adoration that shone in Louis’ eyes at that moment. Because he was sure that it mirrored his own.

And now here he was, at a photoshoot getting his picture taken, but instead of fully being invested, he was throwing daggers with his eyes at his photographer. 

When it was time to take a break, he couldn't even concentrate on the make-up artist and hairstylist all over him, because he was wishing the camera would fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. And the only reason why that was, is because he was practically throwing himself at Louis. 

What made matters worse was that Louis was actually smiling at him. And okay maybe Louis was staring at the camera and smiling at that, and during the photoshoot his eyes had been solely on Lestat, but that wasn’t the point. 

Lestat wanted so much to tell everyone to clear the hell out so he could have Louis in every which way possible. He wanted so badly to drop to his knees and shove Louis’ cock so far down his throat, Louis would forget anyone he had ever been with. 

Yeah, he definitely needed to try and think of something else, before the entire room saw his erection.

Louis’ laughter broke him out of his thoughts, and seeing how close that man was standing to the love of his life, made him see red. 

“Really Lestat? Control it.” He didn’t even see Armand walk up to him. 

He briefly glanced at him before he went back to looking at the scene before him. Maybe he could put a hit out on the guy. Right after breaking his camera.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You have to get through this photoshoot, an interview next, and the concert tonight. You don’t need to let some petty jealousies get in the way because your photographer is flirting with your bodyguard.”

He wouldn’t be his photographer for long.

Armand sighed, “Don’t do anything crazy, because we don’t have time. Vincent is actually nice.”

He heard Louis chuckle.

“What the hell is so funny? ” Lestat ignored Armand and stood up. It was taking every ounce of self control to not go over and break Virgil’s camera over his head. The beautiful sound of laughter was escaping Louis’ lips for some other man and it drove him feral.

“Please don’t do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing. We don’t have time for childish games.”

Lestat just gave him a look. Armand was the last person who should be talking about childish games when the games he used to play were almost psychotic. 

When the laughter happened again, he barely realized that his feet were moving until he was standing right in front of Louis and Victor, or whatever his name was. 

“Ah, are you ready to continue–?”

“I am done for the day.” He cut Vance off and then walked away. 

He briefly heard Louis say something to Vaughn, and then he was following after him.

They weren’t completely alone when Lestat turned around, but the people in the room weren’t close enough to hear him.

 “You can stay. I’m sure you’ll want to continue flirting with Von. I have an interview to go too.”  

He turned away again before Louis could say anything, and followed two of the other bodyguards to his vehicle.

By the time he was in the back seat, he was waiting on Armand and Daniel, now that Louis would no longer be riding with him. However, Armand never came and neither did Daniel.  

What was going on?

That thought ended when Louis opened his door and scooted in beside him, eyes almost lethal, yet still very fuckable. He then watched as Louis looked at the two men sitting up front.

“Leave.”

They immediately nodded and left.

Okay, that was sexy as hell. 

“What the hell was that in there?” Louis asked, his voice almost majestic even though he could tell that he was a bit frustrated at the moment. 

“I have an interview to get too.”

“You have forty minutes and it takes fifteen to get there. We have some time.”

Of course Louis had to know his schedule in detail.

Lestat finally gave him his full attention and damnit, why was his lips so plump and kissable looking. 

“It’s nothing.” He crossed his arms and looked out the window.

“Really? Cause it kinda feels like you stormin’ out again and jumping to conclusions like that night at the club.”

Lestat turned to look at him and cleared his throat, “If you must know, no one could concentrate with you giggling with Vicky every five minutes.”

“Vincent.”

“Oh so now you’re on a first name basis?”

Louis rolled his eyes and it was actually refreshing to see a small smile trying to break through.

But of course Lestat couldn’t stop himself. “I guess someone has a crush. Has he given you his number or something?”

“Really?” Louis laughed. “You think I was flirting with your photographer?”

“Well, he was flirting with you and I could tell you liked it. Especially since you know his name.”

“So, let me get this straight, you’re jealous because someone who wasn’t actually flirting with me, found out I held interest in photography and showed me his camera?” He began laughing again. “And you should know his name as well, he was taking your picture.”

“It’s easy for you to laugh right now when you can openly talk or flirt or show interest in someone but when it comes to me it has to be private.”

Louis sighed, “Lestat you know why that is. And I wasn’t flirting with anybody.”

“Yes, yes, our relationship is not ethical.” He then locked eyes with Louis. “Feels pretty ethical to me when your tongue was down my throat earlier.”

“Your tongue was down my throat if I remember correctly.” Louis made appoint to say. Even though both their tongues had practically been comfortable with each other's tonsils. “Look, you know its not only just because of our positions, but it’s not going to help with Magnus—”

“He has taken almost everything from me!” Lestat cut him off. “He has ruined my life and now what? I can’t even have you because he….”

Lestat took a breath and they both remained silent for a while, both unsure how to continue. 

It was Louis who broke the silence between them. “You don’t have to be jealous.” 

“I am not jeal–” Louis just gave him a look as he continued, “Well, I do not like sharing. Not that we’re together. You don’t owe me anything.”

Louis cut off Lestat from rambling, and leaned towards him letting his lips caress his ear, “You know when he let me look at your photos I couldn’t help but appreciate how good you look. So no, I wasn’t flirting with your photographer. He gave me some pointers and I was smiling at how I wanted to be the one to take you like that.”

Lestat closed his eyes and leaned into him. 

“Is that a double entendre?” Wanting to take his picture and take him to bed.

Louis gave him the most beautiful grin he had ever seen, but he didn’t say anything. And then he signaled for the driver and the other guard to get back in the car. 

Lestat was five minutes away from proposing.

If it had been anyone else, Louis may have been rubbed the wrong way at the jealousy that had come from Lestat, especially with it being his second time over something very similar. But for some reason Louis actually didn’t mind it. 

What did that make him that he actually liked the fact that Lestat was a bit jealous over him? It wasn’t necessarily over the top. And hell, could he really blame Lestat? The first time he saw his hair stylist flirting with him, what felt like ages ago, Louis imagined making him extinct but instead resulted in a very thorough background check. So thorough that he knew what he ate for breakfast two years ago. Also when Lestat told him that he would no longer be entertaining Antoinette again, he dreamt of a future with him that night. 

He knew Lestat was a brat. Louis had picked up on that in just the short amount of time that he’d known him, and it wasn’t that much of a surprise that it turned him on. It was clear as day that Lestat had this pull on him that Louis had happily accepted regardless of everything going on right now. 

However, Lestat did need to control it when it came to his reactions. At least right now. The moment the wrong person found out, it could make things worse. When all of this was over, and Magnus was in the ground, Louis would make sure Lestat never felt like he was keeping him in the shadows again. Well, that was if they both decided to make something work with each other. Even if his celebrity lifestyle wasn’t something Louis thought he would ever have to get used to.

But if this was real between them, then he would. 

As Louis stood next to Daniel and watched as Lestat sat in for an interview, he couldn’t help but stare at every part of him. His hair, his eyes, his nose, his eyelashes. All were perfect. Lestat was truly beautiful… mesmerizing. 

The way he answered question after question, Louis couldn’t help but listen and feel so much emotion flow through him just by his voice. .

“So, Lestat, as we wrap this up, I have to ask about the rumors that have been going around about you and Antoinette. Do they have any truth to it?”

“Feels like ages ago,” He answered, “But Antoinette and I are just old acquaintances. Nothing more.”

“So is there someone else who has captured Lestat de Lioncourt’s heart? Or are you still one of the most eligible bachelors out there?”

Louis ignored Daniel nudging him, but what he couldn’t ignore was Lestat’s eyes on him, and because he was standing behind the interviewer, it didn’t look as if his eyes drifted too far to be noticeable.

“Well, Claire, to be honest, I am a man in love….” His eyes never left Louis’. “With an incredible person.”

The interviewer gave a big smile, “Will we get to meet this lucky person?”

“Hopefully. Real soon.”

“Well, you heard it here folks, Lestat de Lioncourt is off the market. Who is this mystery man? Thank you for joining us, Lestat.”

Daniel’s smile was too wide for his face as he leaned in and whispered, “Did you know he was going to say that?”

“No.” 

And yet, Louis wasn’t upset. Far from it. Instead, his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.

The concert was going strong. Louis was standing next to Charlie, and his immediate team was closer to him at the front of the stage, while Daniel, Tom, and David were with their respective teams throughout the venue.

Although Louis was enraptured by Lestat’s performance, he was still on high alert. They all were. A concert venue with thousands of people was probably like candy to Magnus and his people.

They did a full sweep of the venue last night and this morning, and bags were checked upon entry. Currently, Lily was tracking and viewing everything back at Louis’, and so far nothing was out of the ordinary. 

 While Lestat was performing, Armand walked up to Louis, still with that ipad in his hand.

“Hashtag Lestat’s mystery man is trending on social media.” He leaned in close to Louis, yelling above the music, yet Louis was the only one who could hear him.

He didn’t get on social media like that and he probably wasn’t going to start now.

“You’re good for him.”

Louis finally glanced over at him. “Do you think it’s the best time to be talking about this? I’m trying to concentrate.” Between making sure there weren’t any surprises that could potentially pop off and also trying to pay attention to Lestat perform, he really didn’t have time to listen to Armand talk about anything right now.

“I tend to think it’s best to have these conversations when I think of them. My beloved thinks it's an endearing attribute.”

Even though Armand was somewhat strange to him, for some reason he and Daniel worked. And he had been a good friend to Lestat for years, regardless of the times they would talk pretty aggressively towards one another. So no matter what Louis thought of him at times, he was okay in his book.

“Now if you decide not to pursue this long term with Lestat, then my Daniel and I would be happy for a third.” 

Why didn’t Louis think that was coming? Daniel had practically hinted at him joining them a while ago. Those two were clearly made for each other.

The expression on Louis' face told Armand everything he needed to know.

“Figured I’d at least try. Lestat will probably kill me for asking, but it was worth it.” He smirked. “Until later, Louis.”       

Louis just shook his head. It was never a dull moment in his life that was for sure. 

After scanning the areas once more, Louis found his eyes being pulled back to Lestat almost like a magnet. And as he was performing, Lestat was staring at him with the same intensity, if not more. 

Louis' breath caught in his throat.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see him right before he went on stage, but he did leave him his favorite flowers and a note that he really hoped he liked.

For a moment as they continued to have a staring contest, it was as if no one else was in the venue but them. As if Lestat was singing his music straight to him.

It happened so fast after that. The commotion pulled Louis’ eyes away, as two people breached the stage from the far side, one of them knocking Lestat down in the process. 

The team that was backstage rushed forward and Louis didn’t even realize he had left his post and made his way on stage, so quick, he almost thought he imagined it.

The one that didn’t tackle Lestat had what they thought was a weapon, but ended up being a phone to take a picture of Lestat up close and personal. Before they figured out what it was, Louis had already tripped him to the ground, while Damick held onto the other guy.

When they realized they were just some crazed fans, Louis made a note to talk to those who were supposed to be guarding the side of the stage they entered from, tomorrow. 

Not even really thinking, Louis rushed over to Lestat, while the others took the two fans away, and made sure he wasn’t hurt.

“You okay?” His hand began roaming along his face.

Lestat nodded, “Yes, mon cher , I’m okay. Are you?” His hands instantly went to his waist while Louis was still checking his face and hair and rubbing up and down his arms.

“Yes, but I’m more so worried about you.” Louis leaned forward, resting his forehead against Lestat’s. 

And when the noise started coming back to both of them, Louis looked out towards the audience, who were all screaming with excitement. 

Lestat cleared his throat a little hesitantly, but finally said through the microphone, “My savior, everyone.” 

Needless to say Louis knew he put his foot in it by doing what he did on stage in front of thousands of people, at a concert that was recorded by everyone and no doubt all over social media right now. 

He even knew that tomorrow, well later today, he would have to meet with Marius, but until then he ignored his call. He turned off his main cell phone not wanting to be bothered for the rest of the night, and just kept his emergency phone that his family, Daniel, Lily, Bricks, and now Lestat only had the number too.

And right now, at four in the morning, Louis was at some off the grid cabin that Lestat owned, in the middle of nowhere. He let Daniel know that Lestat was safe and if asked by Mairus or anyone on the team to say that he was fully capable of protecting him alone for one day. 

After his shower, and the few calls he made, his last call was to Lily. She told him it would take some hours, but she could scrub the internet clean of what happened on stage and get into the phones of the people that attended tonight. He appreciated Lily for the suggestion, but at this point and time, Louis decided to just leave it and deal with the consequences. That was a lot of work on Lily, and at the end of the day, Louis chose to do what he did.

When Lestat finished his shower, he walked into the kitchen, just as Louis was ending the call. He looked delicious as ever with his hair pulled back and a white shirt and light grey sweatpants. His outfit practically mirrored his own.

“How much trouble are you in?”

Louis shrugged, “Nothing I can’t handle.” And it was the truth. 

“I’m sorry that I caused all of this.”

Louis looked at him and saw the melancholy in his eyes, causing him to stand closer, grab his hand, and place a chaste kiss to the inside of Lestat’s palm. “No, don’t apologize. This isn’t on you.” 

“I don’t want you to regret this. I mean I know we aren’t… but I don’t want you to hate me for this….”

“Lestat,” Louis cupped his chin. “I think we are past the point of me ever being able to hate you.” He then pressed a light kiss to his lips. “Don’t let that be the first thing you think of when something happens, okay? I don’t want to hate you and I don’t.” 

Lestat nodded, and then kissed Louis’ forehead. 

It felt like the room had increased by eighty degrees.

“I’m sure you’re tired.” Louis cleared his throat, their foreheads touching again. Almost as if they needed to do that action to get back to base; to restart. 

“I’ve never been more awake.” Lestat said so quickly, Louis couldn’t help but chuckle, causing Lestat to do the same. 

“God, I love your laugh.” Lestat began pulling the drawstring of Louis’ sweatpants.

“Yeah?” Louis panted, eyes closing as Lestat traced along his covered erection. 

“ Mon cher , you need to tell me.” His voice nervously raising a bit, caused Louis to open his eyes. “If you want me to go and just sleep, I’ll obey you. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but if you don’t want me to go then I’ll get on my knees in front of you and worship you like you deserve. I mean if you allow it because I–” 

Louis licked into Lestat’s mouth, savoring as their tongues fought for dominance. It took them both a moment to gain enough strength to come up for air.

“You talk a lot, you know that?” 

“What's the phrase? You say potato, I say tomato”

Louis chuckled, “Sure.”  And then he kissed him again. 

For someone who constantly had control in his everyday life, he was ready to relinquish that control, and submit to Lestat.

“Take me to bed, Les.”
 

Chapter Text

Louis felt a tad bit embarrassed. The moment Lestat’s tongue breached his opening, such a loud noise escaped his lips that he barely recognized his own voice. The feeling coursing through his body was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was as if he were floating on cloud nine as Lestat’s mouth attacked his hole like a starved man. 

Lestat was such a sensual lover whose main goal was to make him feel comfortable. The moment Louis had asked him to take him to bed, he pulled him in; slowing taking off his clothes and kissing every inch of him. Louis shuddered under his tongue as Lestat displayed sweet torture along his skin. Starting with his mouth, licking into it until he was damn near hitting his tonsils, then moving to his neck as he stayed there kissing deeply as if he never wanted to stop.

When he moved down to his chest, stopping to latch on so he could get as close to his heart as possible, Louis felt it. He felt so much in his heart, so much that he would never be able to describe at the moment.  And then he was moving down, placing soft kisses along his stomach, taking extra special care at his almost healed wound. Lestat was at his thighs next, savoring every inch. And then he had kissed the tip of his cock, leaving Louis desperately begging to be taken all in. But, instead, Lestat had moved lower allowing his tongue to fully submerge inside of him. 

And that’s where they currently were now. Louis panting and shuddering at Lestat’s skillful tongue. A tongue he never wanted anyone else to know but him. He knew Lestat was smiling against him as he slurped and ate him up, and Louis was glad that no one had ever had him like this. That no one else ever would. 

Although Louis was ready and knew that Lestat’s number one goal was to take care of him in the safest and most satisfying way possible, he had to admit that he was nervous. Nervous when it was time to take all of Lestat. Between the number of times Louis had been intimate with someone, he had always been on the giving end, except for two times he had been the one receiving. Those two moments were never enjoyable so he just stopped that way altogether. But now, he so desperately needed to feel Lestat inside of him. 

And if it were anything like the way he was being treated with his tongue, then Louis knew he would probably explode in a matter of seconds. Even though right now, at this moment, he could feel himself about to come. 

“You taste so good, mon cher .” Lestat licked him. “I want to do this to you nonstop. My favorite meal.”

Louis definitely couldn’t handle dirty talk right now. Lestat’s voice was already sexy as hell, but listening to him implement sweet torture with his words, explaining what he wanted to do to Louis and Louis alone was going to make him…..

“Lestat, I’m going to—” He would come untouched for the first time in his life if Lestat kept this up. He tried to control his breathing while concentrating on not coming just yet, but his tip was glistening.

“Do not hold back Louis.” 

And before Louis could process anything, Lestat took him fully in his mouth causing him to cry out.

He gripped onto the bed sheets first, but it was so overpowering that before he realized it he was fisting Lestat’s hair pretty tightly. When he heard a strangled sound come from Lestat’s lips, he was about to unclench his hair, expecting to ride out this pleasure without holding on, but Lestat let it be known that he wasn’t disgruntled. No, he liked to be handled like that. He begged for Louis not to stop all the while taking him deeper. 

He got his wish, because Louis almost pulled Lestat’s hair out when he chose to insert a finger inside of him. Even though Louis was slick and dripping, there was still a bit of pressure during the intrusion, but it was like nothing he’d ever experienced. He absolutely loved it.  

When Lestat stuck a second finger inside, while still deep throating him, Louis couldn’t hold it together anymore, he came. Hard. And watching Lestat swallow all of him, tasting him like he needed to be full of his spend just to breathe, was enough to almost bring tears to his eyes. 

No one had ever handled Louis like that.

Lestat moved back up over him, kissing his mouth greedily, letting Louis taste himself against his tongue, and then kissed a tear that had escaped his eye. 

“Are you ready for me, Louis?”

Louis nodded, and watched as Lestat grabbed the lube and the condom. They had already talked about how they’ve played it safe and had been tested recently, so Louis touched his hand right before Lestat could open it. 

“I’m okay with it… if you are.” 

He saw the tears form in Lestat’s eyes and when he reached up to wipe them, Lestat leaned into his touch.

“I want nothing more than to feel all of you.”

Louis was so hypersensitive at the moment, but he was completely ready. After putting on a healthy amount of lube, Lestat lined himself up and began to shove inside slowly. Louis couldn’t help but clench up a bit.

“Relax, mon cher, I’m gonna take care of you.”

Just the sound of Lestat’s voice made him feel calm, allowing him to continue to inch inside.

“Open your eyes, mon coeur . Look and see what I’m doing to you. Watch how well you take me.”

Louis’ eyes opened quickly as he watched. However, Lestat stopped mid way, sucking in a breath, all the while his predatory gaze never left Louis.  

Lestat took a breath, “I need a moment. You’re so damn tight that I’ll come before I can fully….” 

Louis had grown hard again which usually didn’t happen so suddenly after he came. And before he could even fathom anything else, Lestat was bottoming out, and they both groaned out so loud both of their voices almost sound the same.

Lestat gripped onto Louis’ waist and began picking up the pace.

“You feel so fucking good, Louis.” 

“Yeah…?” Louis panted. He wanted to say more; wasn’t surprised Lestat liked to talk during sex, but listening to his voice as he pounded inside of him was about to start making him speak in tongues. 

“Yeah.” He confirmed.

And the moment Louis felt his cock twitch as if he were about to come undone, Lestat pulled out. Louis opened his eyes so quickly, he was sure he looked insane right now.

He was about to question it until Lestat lifted Louis’ legs up more and pushed them back to where his knees were at his chest, damn near bending Louis in half. His hole fully exposed and on display. 

It made Louis feel shy even though Lestat was literally just down there feeding on him like he was some vampire starved for blood he hadn’t had in centuries.

“You’re so flexible, mon amour .”

And yet, Louis had never been in a position like this.  

Lestat slid back inside of him so smooth, it was as if he fit like a glove, like he belonged there. As if Louis had found the one who fit inside of him like a missing piece to a puzzle.

Louis was losing it as Lestst pounded inside of him. He tried to control the moans coming out of his mouth, but he couldn’t.

“Les…” He couldn’t even say Lestat’s whole name as he tried to catch his breath. But, hell, he didn’t care about breathing if it meant he could feel like this with Lestat forever.  

“Keep saying it,” Lestat’s voice was strangled, and Louis knew he never wanted to stop.

He had Louis’ hands above his head now, as he continued to let Louis know who he belonged to, and if anyone were to ask, Louis would gladly say he belonged to Lestat.

Lestat’s mouth was touching his ear now, whispering sweet nothings, yet nibbling at his ear, all the while driving so deep into him, he was hitting Louis’ prostate.

He was about to come.

“I love you, Louis. I love you so fucking much.”

Louis came hard again. Untouched. He was sure this felt even more than the high those got when shooting black tar heroin in their veins.

Lestat was still thrusting in and out of Louis so poetically, he couldn’t help but bring his face forward and kiss sloppily into his mouth.

When Lestat came, he pushed forward so deep, crying out with an intense amount of pleasure. Louis rested his legs back down as Lestat collapsed fully onto him, enjoying the feeling of him emptying himself exactly where he belonged. 

When Louis felt a kiss to his chest, it felt as if Lestat was trying to get as close to his heart as possible. For a moment he felt himself tearing up again, but he tried his best not to let the tears fall because he didn’t want to scare Lestat off by crying over the best sex he's ever had. 

When Lestat was about to move off of him to give him some air, Louis halted him. 

“You don’t have to move.”

The look of shock immediately touched Lestat’s face and the tears began to fall soon after.  “Louis… I…” He choked on a sob.

Louis nodded, not needing him to say more because he understood. He held onto Lestat as he lightly sobbed into the crook of his neck, and the tears also began to fall from Louis' own eyes as well. He held onto Lestat for dear life, afraid to let him go. Afraid to let this moment go.

Louis was falling for him. Well, in all actuality, he had already tripped and fell head first into a well with no bottom. And he had no intention of getting out of it. 

It was three in the afternoon when Louis’ eyes opened slowly to the sunlight shining through the window. This was the second time he was waking up for the day and this time, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. When he first woke up, he reached for Lestat, who took him again in a way that made Louis grin right now just thinking about it.

Currently, he was laying on his chest, just listening to the way Lestat’s heart beat in sync with his. It was the best sound to Louis’ ears. Not even a minute later, he felt Lestat’s fingers trail along his back, lightly caressing his ass. He couldn’t help but shudder and move closer to him. 

“ Bonjour, mon amour .” He didn’t have to glance up at Lestat to know that he was smiling. 

“I don’t think I’ve slept this long in a while.” Louis admitted, placing a kiss to his chest.

“We didn’t really do a lot of sleeping.” 

It was on the tip of Louis’ tongue to ask Lestat about what he said earlier while he had been inside of him, but he refrained. Right now, Louis wasn’t ready to talk about his feelings just yet. The way he felt for Lestat was too much to decipher right now and they had very little time left together today. 

However, when Louis shifted to look at him; staring into his eyes made his heart begin to race. He wanted to crawl so far into Lestat that they would look like they were one. Maybe it was the best time to talk about it, regardless of how much these new feelings were scaring him. 

“Lestat, I—” His phone went off.

Just like he predicted. He knew their time together was going to be cut short today. Knew that the stunt he pulled last night had to be faced eventually.

When he saw that it was Daniel, he picked up. 

“Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Be out in a minute.” He hung up right after.

He could feel Lestat tense up a bit and hold onto Louis a tad bit tighter. 

“He’s here?”

“Yeah, him and Armand are pulling in now.” Louis sat up, noticing the melancholy expression on Lestat’s face.

“We could run away, you know?”

Louis smiled, “After my meeting today, I may end up taking you up on that offer.” Because he knew this meeting with Marius was about to be the equivalent of hell on earth.

As he stood up and turned around to look at Lestat, he watched as his eyes traveled along his body.

“You can’t look at me like that, not right now.”

“It’s hard not too.” Lestat was damn near salivating as he moved forward and grabbed Louis’ hand, pulling him back on the bed.

Louis knelt down in front of him, eyes attached to his, staring at each other like they haven’t done that ten times over in just the matter of minutes. And then Lestat began touching along his cock, probably assuming that he couldn’t seduce him from just his look alone.                                                                             

“Lestat…” He breathed. “They’re about to come.”

“I only care about you coming.”

Lestat was stroking Louis’ shaft just right, that his eyes drifted close on a moan.

“Don’t, Louis. I need you to watch me as I choke on it.” 

He barely got a chance to fully look down before Lestat was sucking him greedily. And Louis was falling into such a level of euphoria that some people would never get to experience in their lifetime.  

But, fortunately for Louis, he was getting the opportunity right now to feel it all. To feel everything.  

He really didn’t even think he had enough in him after earlier, but it was as if his whole body responded to Lestat. He wanted him in ways that he couldn’t describe. It was passionate. Carnal. 

Before Louis could comprehend anything further, he was coming down Lestat’s throat. It was so intense that he almost collapsed straight back on his ass. 

Lestat was on top of him after that, licking into his mouth with so much need and desperation, causing Louis to grab onto his face with the same amount of need, allowing their tongues to fight for dominance. 

It told Lestat everything that he needed to know, because now he was maneuvering himself in between Louis’ thighs, lifting one of his legs around his waist. Louis lifted the other leg, while Lestat grabbed what was left of the lube and dumped the last bit on his cock and Louis’ hole. He then eagerly shoved himself inside to the hilt, not even a second later. 

Lestat wasn’t able to hold back and Louis took all of him, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. By the way Lestat’s mouth was all over him and the way he was moving inside of him, Louis could tell that he was trying to stake claim to him. He didn’t want this day to end; didn’t want Louis to leave today, and hell, Louis felt the same way. 

“Please Louis…” Lestat begged, “Please let me be the only one. I can be so good for you. Please let me have you, Louis…”

It took Louis a moment to get his words together, but when he did, he cupped his face to stare in his eyes, so Lestat would believe him. “You do… you have me…. keep having me. Don’t stop.”

Lestat was so deep, Louis could barely hold it together. He tried keeping it down because he practically screamed his voice hoarse from their lovemaking earlier, but he couldn’t. Lestat was moving in such a sensually intense way that Louis wasn’t even able to grasp a hold on his reality.

“I’m gonna come, mon Louis.” Lestat groaned against his ears. “Tell me to pull out this time.”

Louis almost gave him a look. He was stuffed with so much of Lestat’s release, they could have injected it in his veins. To say he wanted Lestat to finish inside of him would have been an understatement.

“I can… this…. time….if you…want me too….” Lestat struggled to say.

Louis kissed him again, looking at him deeply. “Come inside me… please.” And then Lestat was snapping his hips forward, coming inside Louis with everything he had. 

As he was coming back down to earth, Louis cradled Lestat’s head to the crook of his neck, providing whatever light kisses he could give him in their current position, and then he spoke up, just a tad bit above a whisper.

“You can always finish in me.”

He felt Lestat relax against him, “You can’t just say that and expect me to let you out of this bed.”

Louis’ soft laughter filled the room, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get a word out because he was interrupted. 

“Are you two finished in there?” Daniel asked on the other side of the door. 

“Or, invite us in and we can watch.” Armand added.

Louis just rolled his eyes at their laughter. He forgot that fast Daniel and Armand had arrived. 

“Armand has a key.” Lestat finally moved off of Louis and sat up beside him. Louis felt the loss like a severed limb.

“We could just be quiet and pretend we’re not here.” Lestat smiled and kissed his shoulder.

“I’m sure they’ll just bust through the door if we do that.” Louis kissed him once more before he got out of bed.

Louis was showered and dressed and ready to head out. Well, not exactly ready, because he really didn’t feel like facing Marius today. In all honesty, he’d rather stay off the grid with Lestat for a little while longer. 

After grabbing his bag of weapons and everything else he needed, he walked over to Lestat who was standing near the front door.

“I could make you breakfast. Or, lunch. Dinner even.”

He tried not to show how touched he was that Lestat was trying to get him to stay. “The pastries Armand brought were good enough.” 

Lestat’s glare towards Armand was not missed, although the latter was not paying them any attention. 

Louis then grabbed Lestat’s hands gently in his, “You’ll be safe with Daniel. He’s going to take you straight home and then you’ll be surrounded by the others that I trust to keep you guarded.”

“It’s not about that.” Tears came to the forefront of Lestat’s eyes. “I won’t see you tonight will I?”

Probably not. But he chose not to say that. “I’ll check in with you okay?”

Lestat nodded, but the melancholy was radiating off of him in waves. Louis would never admit out loud how it was killing him too to be away from him after what they just shared. And that scared him.

However, that didn’t stop Louis from grabbing Lestat by the collar and pulling him into a kiss. It was soft, gentle, and he hoped Lestat could feel what he felt right now.

He then looked at Daniel over Lestat’s shoulder, because both he and Armand were now staring at them, “Don’t let anything happen to him. And keep me updated.” He left right after that without looking back at Lestat. 

There were too many emotions that he couldn’t give the bandwidth to feel right now, especially because of what Marius was about to put him through. He had to be mentally and physically ready for that.

The moment Louis walked out, Daniel broke the silence, “He’ll be fine, blondie. This is just protocol.”

He noticed Lestat looked visibly shaken up as he turned around and faced them.

“Oh, please tell me you’re not about to start crying.”

“I need a minute,” He sniffled, as he walked back to his room.

Daniel glanced over to his boyfriend, and Armand just shrugged. “Has he ever acted like this over anyone before?”

“This would be the first.” 

Lestat had come to the conclusion that he did not care for Armand and Daniel. Well, he didn't necessarily hate them. They were both annoying individuals when they were apart, but when they were together they were on his last nerve. 

He knew he had it bad for Louis starting out. He was just so delectably irresistible that anyone would be obsessed with him. And the fact that Lestat now had the pleasure of being inside of him, it just amplified his feelings even more. 

So, Daniel and Armand could make all the jokes they wanted, but they didn’t understand and he didn’t feel the need to explain himself.

Plus, they were technically the ones who had it bad as they sat in the front seat holding hands, stealing kisses ever so often. 

With all that being said, Lestat had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was a possibility that he may not see Louis for a couple of days and not just the remainder of the night. Apparently, them being together was frowned upon in their service, so they went through an extensive process to make sure he could still be on the team and that he wasn’t compromised in any way.

Lestat only found that out because he overheard Daniel on the phone with Louis before they left. It was needless to say that Lestat was erratic when he found out. 

Daniel informed him there was nothing he could do and Louis was prepared for whatever he had to be put through. It still didn’t sit right with him. Not only that, but it frustrated him even more that Armand and Daniel could freely be together since Armand wasn’t the immediate client.

So, while he was in the backseat, he decided to just put on his earphones and play some music for the remainder of the ride to block out the rest of the world. 

Almost instantly, Lestat’s mind drifted to earlier today when he had Louis a second time. The way his body conformed to his was enough to make Lestat want to weep.

Thinking back on it felt like it was happening all over again and Lestat couldn’t help but let his mouth water as he replayed every detail.

Louis reached for him a couple hours after their first time together, his arm sliding around his waist; caressing him in a way that Lestat had felt such unattainable bliss.The fact that Louis seemed so eager for him, touched his heart in more ways than one.

He remembered the way Louis took him so well for him not to have been on the receiving end of pleasure in such a long time. It should be a crime not to worship every inch of that man. But luckily for him, those before him who didn’t get the opportunity, were just a distant memory now. 

And to be honest, if Lestat were ever asked, he wouldn’t hesitate in saying that Louis was the best he ever had. Because it was the honest truth.

Louis had taken that moment to prop himself up and began kissing down Lesat’s chest and stomach; licking and nipping, that Lestat had to practice every ounce of control not to just come from that.

The moment Louis got to his cock, he licked a stripe down his length and Lestat forgot how to breathe. 

“Oh, Louis….” he moaned, his voice betraying just how turned on he was. 

He looked down and watched as Louis’ skillful mouth went to town on him, his hands gripping onto his waist, and swallowing him whole like he was starved. 

“Want to come inside you, mon …I’m going to come if you don’t…”

Louis immediately stopped, his cock popping out of his mouth.

“You want to come inside me again…?” Louis nipped him again on his side and then rose up and looked for the tube of lubricant they had thrown on the bed earlier. 

He watched as Louis put a generous amount along his shaft, and then put a generous amount along two of his fingers, inserting them inside himself, just for Lestat to watch. 

Was it insane to be jealous of Louis' own fingers? He wanted to be the one to do that to him again. But watching Louis as he worked himself open a little bit more, was enough to make Lestat literally drool. And the fact that Louis looked at him the whole time, he honestly didn’t know how he was going to last the moment Louis chose to sit on top of him. 

When Louis was done, he raised up, and slowly inched himself onto Lestat. The fact that Louis even wanted to ride him meant everything.

“God, Lestat….” He continued to inch down, and Lestat’s mouth watered. 

Lestat was on the verge of forming some type of sentence when Louis sat down abruptly and took him all the way in, causing them both to groan out. 

Louis began to rock back and forth, their eyes connecting as if they were the only two people in the world and at this point in time they were. There was no one else. No threats, no crowds, just them. 

Lestat knew it was Louis’ first time riding, and he was honored that it was him he could let himself lose control on. As he picked up the pace, he held onto Lestat’s pecks and began lifting up just enough to where he almost slipped out, causing Louis to sink back down at just the right time, taking all of him again. Lestat almost lost it. 

“Oh, mon cher …” he moaned, not being able to take his eyes off Louis as he took his pleasure. “You take me so well.”

He touched the precum forming at Louis’ tip and placed his fingers in his mouth, savoring the taste. Euphoria and Ambrosia all mixed into one.

That little action must have turned Louis on even more, because he whined out, “Oh God…” And almost collapsed forward on Lestat.

Lestat took that as his cue, and pulled Louis close to him where their chests were touching. He held onto his back as if he were afraid Louis would float away, and began drilling into him from underneath.

The sounds of Louis’ voice so close to his ear as he rested his head against his neck, made Lestat lose it and go even faster.

Louis was panting non stop and Lestat could tell he was trying to control it, but he didn’t want him too. He wanted his Louis to come undone, wanted him to fall head first into his pleasure that he deserved so much. He deserved to know exactly what it felt like to feel as good as Lestat was feeling right now.

And as he continued to thrust up harder, the scream that escaped Louis’ lips was so damn pleasurable and so beautiful, Lestat wasn’t sure if he could hold on much longer. 

“Lestat, you feel so g-good… I-I’m g-going … c-come….” And then Louis moved where his face was in alignment with his and kissed him filthily, their tongues dancing so brutally, he wasn’t sure where one started off and the other began.

Louis whimpered as Lestat continued to rail into him from underneath, and as if they were in sync, they both came at the same time. 

As they were both getting control of their breathing, Louis let out a small laugh, “I’m gonna move in just a second. I don’t think nothin’ works right now.”

Lestat chuckled as well, “I’d prefer if you didn’t move. It’s the most comfortable I’ve ever felt.” Louis on top of him was right where he belonged. 

“Well, if you say so, I think I may need to close my eyes for a minute.” 

And before Lestat could respond, Louis had dozed off, and Lestat followed suit, knowing that they both just practically passed out from the intensity of their lovemaking. 

When they pulled up to his home, Lestat immediately jumped out of the vehicle and ran to his room to tug himself out. That memory had turned him on so much, and he definitely didn’t need Armand and Daniel to notice.

After he had taken care of himself, he checked his phone and noticed there was nothing from Louis. He knew that it hadn’t been that long since he left, but it didn’t stop Lestat from worrying about him. 

Not only that, but now that the public knew that Louis was the man he was in love with, the media was having a field day with it. He was grateful to his publicist and Armand for controlling all of his social media. It had barely been a full twenty four hours yet, and he was trending on all social media platforms, with Louis’ face right along with his. The hashtag being #LestatsMysteryMan .

Armand had let him know that there had been a great take to Louis. People were complimenting him left and right, expressing how insanely beautiful and sexy he was. For some reason, it began to bother Lestat, and not because he didn’t agree with what they were saying, because Louis was easily the most beautiful man to ever exist. But now the public was salivating over him? He couldn’t help but wonder if Louis would be opposed to being locked in some bell tower or something, because it was no secret that Lestat didn’t like to share. 

Armand ignored him when he mentioned it, and Daniel laughed as if he were joking.

Hours had gone by and he still hadn’t heard from Louis. Every time his phone went off, which felt like every minute, he’d look embarrassingly fast, but always ended up being disappointed when it wasn’t Louis’ name flashing on the screen. He knew he shouldn’t worry; knew that Louis would check in when he could, but his mind was racing everywhere.

Any other day, he’d be preoccupied doing something. Nights like this he’d usually be out at some club, men and women all over him, but he didn’t want those people. No, he wanted to stay in and wait for Louis. Hell, who knew if Louis would even be coming here tonight when he was done. 

When Daniel was on shift to stand outside of his door, he asked if Louis had contacted him. When he told Lestat no, he added that Louis would be okay and once he got the opportunity to reach out, he would.

Lestat accepted his answer even though he didn’t like it.

Right before he could close the door, Armand appeared out of nowhere, stopping him. He should have known that he was close since Daniel was here.

“Since you’ve decided to hold yourself up in your room for the foreseeable future, I should take away the phone you use solely for social media.”

Lestat rolled his eyes. “I am only going to be working on my music, I’m not planning on looking at anything else.”

Armand nodded, not looking at all that convinced, but decided to leave the room anyways, closing the door after him. 

Thirty seconds hadn’t even gone by yet, before Lestat was sitting on his bed going through his social media accounts. Immediately, he was hit with a slew of posts about him and Louis. People had snapped photos and took videos of last night at the concert. And even though Lestat had experienced everything first hand, seeing it from someone else's view, of Louis cradling his face, checking to see if he were okay, was something else entirely. It was such a beautiful heartwarming moment, and it made Lestat want to cry. 

He wanted to be on the receiving end from Louis’ eyes all the time. There were moments during their lovemaking earlier today where Louis would look at Lestat as if he were the only one in the universe. 

It prompted Lestat to confess his love multiple times, and it had been true, regardless if Louis hadn’t felt that emotion just yet.

Many people on social media were saying how Lestat’s mystery man had been shown, a lot of people happy and engaging with how they looked together. And then there were some tweets he should have been more prepared for.

‘Lestat’s new man is finnnneeeeee’

‘Okay, so I’d never let that man go.’

‘You think they’d be interested in a 3rd?’ “No, no we would not be interested. Louis is mine.” Lestat said to his phone.

‘Does anyone know his name?’

‘Oh I’d get on my knees for him anyday.’

‘Can Lestat fight?’ Lestat rolled his eyes.

‘They look so good together.’ Lestat smiled at that one.

‘I bet Lestat don’t even know what to do with all that.’ Lestat didn’t know why he saw red at that moment. Of course he could handle Louis. Louis was underneath and on top of him begging and taking what Lestat was giving. Lestat worshipped Louis and would continue to do so. So, without thought, he began typing a reply.

“Actually, I do know what to do, and my Louis loves the way I–” He immediately stopped typing, erased the message,  and then closed the app, shutting his phone off altogether.

Sighing, he stood up, and was about to go to Armand’s room to give him his phone, but the moment he opened his bedroom door, Armand was standing outside of it with his hand outstretched.

Lestat handed over the phone without speaking one word. Armand just continued going through his iPad as he walked away.

He shut the door immediately after.

More hours had passed, and Lestat had been in the process of writing some new lyrics when his phone went off. He picked it up so fast you would think he was some supernatural vampire or something. He immediately frowned when he saw that it was a message from Antoinette.

He chose to ignore it. Lestat had already ended things with her, so he really didn’t have a need to speak to her right now.

All he wanted to do was talk to Louis.

No one knew anything. He was even tempted to ask that Tom guy who was standing on rotation outside of his door, while Daniel took a break. But, he chose not to. No need to get anyone else involved.  

After playing the piano for a while, incorporating his new lyrics, another message came through.

And unfortunately, it wasn’t Louis

No, instead it was someone he definitely wasn’t expecting.

Magnus.

It had been sixteen hours, and Lous was beyond exhausted. He hadn’t even remembered the last time he was up this long without so much as a five minute energy nap to get him through the day. He had trained his body to stay up for long hours if needed, but that was when he was younger and more into the game than he was now. 

But, after the long and exhausting ‘meeting’ with Marius, he was still able to stay on Lestat’s case and got the generic line: “One more mess up then you’re fired.” However, that didn’t really follow through because Louis told Marius right afterwards that he wanted out of this life once Lestat’s case was closed. And he didn’t want to be called on years from now for a big job. If he was going to be out this time, then he was going to be out.

The look on that rat bastard’s face held surprise yet menace, and Louis knew what that meant. Within their specific group, because they didn’t necessarily do things by the book, it was simple, you had to fight your way out and go through a bunch of extensive ‘tests’. So, for all intensive purposes, Louis was put through the ringer. 

And he had the busted lip, cracked rib, and bruises to prove it. However, at the end of it all, he was the one walking away with a smile on his face.

He was only able to reach out to Lestat once, but other than that he couldn’t really be on his phone.

“I expected this from anyone else but you, Du Lac. Fucking a client, sure? But falling in love and risking your cover, I didn’t think you had it in you.” Marius smirked.

Louis chose not to say anything.

“No response, good. So, now I can yell.” And yell he did. Annoyingly so.

If Louis were being honest, he didn’t take Marius seriously. He may have been his boss, but he didn't respect him. 

And once he was done, he said, “So, what? You think you’re going to run off into the sunset with the rockstar? People know what you look like now? You’ve compromised this whole operation. Then you go off the grid. When Magnus gets Lestat, it will be your fault and yours alone, because you decide to fall for the guy. Be serious DuLac, you did this.”

Okay that was enough. “First and foremost, Marius, I’ve compromised nothing. I can and will still do my job. Magnus isn’t going to touch a hair on Lestat’s head. And those people, my track record is clear to the public. Whatever they find is just that I’m a bodyguard working at a legit company. We’re too good to have the truth on the books. But regardless of all this, I want out. I have for some time.”

“Yeah, okay. You know what that requires. And as much as I would be happy to fulfill your wish,” Yeah, Louis thought, just so he could get a couple rounds in. “You’re not leaving.”

“Not now, no. But once I kill Magnus, I’m out.”

“Yeah and you really think you can do it. You’ve pissed him off. You know he’s seen all of this now that it’s everywhere. We asked you back because—”

Louis rolled his eyes and sat forward, “You didn’t ask me back, Daniel did, because I’m good.”

“Watch it, Du Lac. Because when you go through this, I can make it even worse for you.”

“You can bring on whatever you want as hard as you want. As petty as you are, I wouldn't expect anything else.”

“You’ve always been one cocky SOB.” Marius snapped. “So you want out? Well, you know what happens. One of the guys is gonna escort you to the basement. You won’t sleep, you won’t eat, you’ll be provided just a bit of water every hour. You’ll be verbally tested, answering every question honestly, and then at the 15th hour, well….you know what happens then.”

Yes, Louis knew. Marius would bring in three men of his choosing to beat the crap out of him.

Well, attempt too, because Louis wasn’t about to let anyone jump him without fighting back.

And after being grilled by Marius on almost every case he’d ever had, and especially on this current one. On if he’s told Lestat anything he shouldn’t have about the things he’s done, on if he’s revealed any company secrets, on if things go south with Magnus would he still do his best to complete the mission. To even having to watch Marius eat a big fucking meal in front of him while Louis hadn’t ate in hours. But, this was nothing. He’d been in worse situations in his life.

What helped make the time go by faster was having Lestat on his mind. Thinking about him, wondering what he was doing at this very moment; wondering if he were thinking about him too. When he was able to reach out earlier, Lestat had already sent a text saying he missed him and it made everything he had to get through just a little bit more bearable. 

On the 15th hour, it was time for the physical. It was a sick tactic to get you so mentally exhausted and worn out that when the physical came, it would be even worse to get through. But, they had underestimated Louis. 

And of course, Marius chose three of the biggest muscular guys that looked like they ate knives for breakfast to fight him. It was all jealousy where Marius was concerned. Jealousy of Louis’ tenure and jealousy that Louis was better at him at a lot of things.

When the men held him down, before they started, Marius got a few punches in, two the stomach, and one to the face. And Louis couldn’t touch him. Those were the rules. Louis had to give those men ten minutes without fighting back. Punching, kicking, knocking him to the ground. No matter how weak he was with no food in his system, he was getting out of this life. For his daughter, for the rest of his family, for Lestat, and for himself.

The ten minutes was short to some, but in this instance could be longer depending on the attack. But to Louis, those ten minutes probably saved their lives, because the second it was up, he came down hard on all of them.

He may not have been their size, but he was quick and he was lethal. He had more power in his punches alone then they did. The first one, he used as a human shield, before he got to the second, breaking his arm and twisting it around causing the guy to punch his own self. He headbutted the third one and then punched him excruciatingly hard in the neck, watching as he fell to his knees holding his throat. Moving back to the first one, who thought he could sneak up behind him, he got him to the ground, and held him in a chokehold until he passed out.  

When that was done, Louis leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, taking a breath. He opened his eyes the moment he heard the click of a gun. 

Marius was holding a pistol to his forehead. 

Louis didn’t even think before he was taking it from Marius and emptying the bullets to the ground.

It was the last test. Be so broken down that when a gun is presented in your face how would you act? Accept your fate or dismember the gun. Technically, Marius would have never shot Louis, as far as he knew, but it was a part of the test. 

“I don’t like you Du Lac.” Marius threw him a bottle of water. “But you completed what you needed too. Once this Magnus thing is finished, you’re out. And if you die trying. I would still sleep at night.”

In another life, Louis would have fought Marius to an inch of his life right now, and maybe one day he would.

While Louis was walking away, trying his best not to limp, because he sure as hell was not about to show Marius any weakness, his voice filled the room.

“Magnus isn’t going to stop coming after Lestat you know that right? He wants him and we all know he gets what he wants.”

“Not this time.”

Sunlight and fresh air hit Louis’ face as soon as he stepped outside. He couldn’t wait to take a shower, eat, and sleep. Yet, instead of heading to his home, doing all of that at Lestat’s sounded way better.

As he was on his way, something clicked in his mind, prompting him to call Lily and Daniel on three-way. 

“Louis! Sixteen hours?” Lily practically yelled into the phone. “I didn’t realize it would be that long.”

Louis attempted to smile, even though no one could see, “It’s Marius. You know he has it out for me.”

“We could make it look like an accident.” Daniel added.

“I’m considering it.” Before he began he asked Daniel, “Is Lestat okay?”

“Define okay? Healthy, living, yeah sure. Lovesick, worried about you, on my last nerves, that’s another story.”

He missed Lestat too, but he wasn’t about to tell Daniel and Lily that. They had to stay focused.

“Well, I should be there soon. But I needed to call you both on a secure line. I think Marius is the mole.”

A bunch of expletives escaped both Lily and Daniel’s mouth at the same time.

“Today he said ‘ when Magnus gets Lestat, you’ve pissed him off, he always gets what he wants .’ He said those things, almost like he was in awe of him. Like he knew him.”

It took a little convincing but he got Lily and Daniel on board. Lily said she would check it out and see if she could trace back to link Marius with Magnus.

Before they ended the call they came to the agreement that they would play it cool, get the facts first, and trust no one but them. 

Of course walking up to Lestat’s room, David was on call in front of his door. He would love to say David was a part of Marius’ secret operation, so he could put a bullet in his head, but the only vibe he got from David was a crush on his boyfriend.

Wait a minute, why did that word pop up out of nowhere? Louis chose to ignore it for now.

“I’ll be on watch for a while so you can go take a break.” He was about to knock on the door when David’s voice stopped him.

“I’m scheduled to stand outside of Lestat’s room for another hour.”

Louis wasn’t in the mood right now. 

“I said you can go.” 

And Louis had that look in his eye, giving the impression that he wasn’t to be fucked with, and David got the memo.

Louis knocked, thinking David was gone.

“You better treat him right.”

Louis didn’t even turn around. “Goodbye, David.”

Lestat opened the door and his eyes widened as he smiled bigger than he probably should have. He was about to pull Louis in, but he didn’t and it wasn’t because he saw the red rose in his hand, but it was due to the cut on his lip and the bruise near his eye. 

Lestat would have smiled at Louis for thinking of him and bringing him a gift, but all he could comprehend at the moment was that his Louis was hurt. 

Had this been because of him? The tears immediately sprang to his eyes as he reached to cup Louis’ face, but then stopped because he was afraid to hurt him. This was his fault.

“No, don’t…” Louis caught his hand and held it to his face, leaning in. “This isn’t on you. This was strictly me.”

And yet Lestat knew he was lying. But Louis kissing him softly on the lips, pulled him out of his thoughts. 

Instead of pushing the subject until he felt like talking, he motioned to his bathroom when Louis asked if he could take a shower. He also asked if they could order something to eat and Lestat immediately contacted his assistant to get them something. 

He was more than excited to spend the day with Louis, but he couldn’t help but be worried. Sixteen hours was such a long time and he couldn't imagine what he had to go through. 

When Lestat heard something drop in the bathroom, he rushed over, knocking yet opening at the same time. 

“Louis? Are you okay.”

“Yeah.” He said looking at Lestat through the mirror as he entered and stood behind him.

Lestat saw all the bruises and marks. He was going to be sick.

“Oh, mon cher .”

“It looks worse than it is.” He tried providing a smile. “Plus, you should see the other guys.” 

“Can I help you?”

Louis hesitated for a moment, but then agreed, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Lestat helped Louis out of his shirt slowly, and sucked in his breath. This was the second time seeing someone as tough as Louis, being pained. It hurt Lestat and he knew he had to be strong because Louis was the one who went through something. He understood Louis’ world to a certain extent, he knew he had done things, bad things, things that Louis may not have been proud of, but Lestat didn’t care because he was proud of him, he cared about him, and he would continue showing up for him if he let him.

He brushed his hands along his shoulders, lightly touching the bruises along his chest and stomach. He saw as Louis flinched a bit.

“I’m sorry.” Worried that he hurt him further.

“I’m okay.”

“You’re always okay. But you’re not.” Lestat sniffled. “You’re hurt. All these cuts. These bruises. You’re hurt, Louis you’re–” 

“Les…” He cut him off.

But, Lestat just ignored him, dropping to his knees and pulling his pants down slowly, helping him step out of them.

He then glanced up at Louis, their eyes connecting. It felt like time had stopped as they looked at each other. 

Louis then gave him the go ahead ever so softly, and Lestat pulled down his boxers as his cock sprang free. At another time, Lestat would have swallowed Louis whole, draining every drop like his favorite drink, but instead he kissed Louis’ hip, in the area where he had a bruise. Then he kissed a few more bruises, marveling in the way Louis leaned back against the sink, as a moan escaped his mouth.

When he stood up, Louis pulled him in and kissed him, causing Lestat to melt into him. 

But, he needed to stop and he knew resisting Louis was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

Lestat cleared his throat, “I’ll um… I’ll let you take a shower. I’m going to check and see how close the food is.”

Lestat turned to walk away, but Louis grabbed his arm gently, halting him in his spot. “I think I may need some help in there too. If you don’t mind.”

Lestat’s heart could have burst at the feeling that hit his chest. He couldn’t even decipher how that made him feel at the moment. 

Louis got in the shower first and after Lestat stripped out of his clothes and joined in, he stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Louis leaned back, resting his body against Lestat’s. Lestat held onto him a little tighter, providing a stability that he could tell Louis needed. For once, Louis needed someone to take care of him and Lestat was honored to be able to do so. 

He kissed down Louis’ neck as the water flowed over them both. He was sure Louis could feel his erection against his ass, and as much as he wanted to enter him, as much as he knew Louis would happily take him, this moment right here wasn’t sexual between them. No, this moment was just an intimate necessity that needed to be had. To be held, to feel safe, to feel… loved.

Lestat may have revealed he loved Louis when he first met him, may have admitted he loved him during their first time together, but at this moment right now, Lestat had fallen so hard he never wanted to get up. Louis was so easy to fall in love with and Lestat felt like every day he would continue to fall even deeper and deeper.

Once they finished, they ate, and laid in bed, attempting to watch a movie. When in all reality, the movie was basically watching them. They were holding onto each other as if someone would try to get in between them. Lestat was holding an ice pack on and off to where Louis’ rib was cracked, and through it all, he could tell that his love was on the verge of falling asleep. 

Finding out that he had been damn near tortured for sixteen hours almost made the bile form in Lestat’s throat. He wanted to kill Marius and whoever the guys were that hurt him. Louis stressed again that the fighting was only an hour and the other guys needed a hospital. That this was routine.

Lestat didn’t understand what he meant until Louis finally told him.

“I’m getting out. You’re my last…. I’m getting out. It needed to happen, okay?” His eyes were closing.

And yet Lestat’s mind was going a mile a minute. “Out?” 

Louis barely nodded, falling asleep. “I needed this, my daughter needed this. And you.”

“Louis I–” He knew Claudia wanted him out of the life and that was a good enough reason, but Lestat didn’t feel like he was worthy enough to be a part of that decision. 

Louis’ eyes opened, and Lestat was sure it was because he felt Lestat’s apprehension.

“I’m getting older. If something happened to me it would break Claudia. I can’t give her that kind of pain. And I want to see where this is going between us.” He closed his eyes again, and Lestat felt his heart skip a beat. He knew the tears were coming, but he held it together this time. “I don’t want to leave my family and I don’t want to leave you….”

Lestat kissed his forehead, and Louis smiled sleepily, eyes still closed.

“I love you, Louis.”

But, Louis had already fallen asleep.

A few weeks had passed, and they weren’t any closer to finding out if Marius was in on it

with Magnus. They thought they had a lead when Lestat told Louis that Magnus had texted him, but the phone had been disconnected and thrown in the river when Lily tried tracing the call. 

It was the first time Louis and Lestat had got into an argument. It may have been small, but it was still an argument nonetheless. Lestat told Louis he should just hand himself over to Magnus so that Louis and everyone else could be safe. 

Louis thought it was such a stupid idea and told Lestat that. Well, he actually yelled at him that the decision was ludicrous. So for at least thirty minutes their argument back and forth had a lot of yelling about any and everything, but for the most part it all stemmed from wanting to keep each other safe. 

It ended, however, with Louis being bent over in Lestat's home gym. The sex had been raw, animalistic, and everything they needed at that moment.  

After that if it weren’t Louis with Lestat, then it was either Daniel. If it had to be Tom or David, then they made sure not to leave them alone with Lestat just in case.

Louis had finally told Claudia and Grace that he and Lestat were seeing each other. And that only came out because Claudia called him about the video that had circulated with him going on stage during the concert.

Both she and Grace were extremely happy, however Claudia did say, “I find it interesting that the first time you go to his concert and all this happens when I’m not there.”

He laughed, and promised to make it up to her by taking her to his next concert in a few months.

People had finally figured out Louis’ name, but just like he mentioned earlier, his identity may have been out there, but not his true profession. 

Louis wasn’t on social media like that, but he couldn’t help but think about when Lestat told him that some of the comments revealed people gushing over how cute of a couple they were, and how some people were admitting how sexually attracted they were to Louis. 

He just shrugged it off, laughing for the most part. Yet, apparently Lestat had been jealous and fucked him into the mattress that night gnawing at his shoulder and repeating in his ear that Louis was his and only his.

And Louis didn’t deny it. He had no reason to.

Just like Lestat had been jealous, not that he needed to be, Louis couldn’t negate the pull at his heart upon seeing Antoinette walk out of Lestat’s home one day. He had no right to even let the word jealous enter his mind, because he clearly wasn’t. 

Antoinette didn’t even try to hide the glare she gave Louis upon walking out. 

And while Louis was driving Lestat to a location, letting the team have a little time off, he felt so crazy for even asking.

“So, what did Antoinette want?” He put it in his head that it was only normal to ask for Lestat’s safety.

“To try and get back together.” Lestat said nonchalantly. “I’ve been ignoring her for weeks and she decided to stop by.”

“Oh.” Louis tightened his hands around the steering wheel unexpectedly. “Do you two do that? Leave and get back together a lot?”

Lestat shrugged, “Antoinette and I have never been in an actual relationship regardless of what the media has said. She was just there—”

“For sex?” Okay seriously, Louis knew he needed to stop. He was really sounding like some jealous boyfriend and he had no right to be. He and Lestat were new, it happened fast, they both had a past.

“--for her to get her foot in the door and yes for se–” Lestat stopped, and Louis could feel his eyes on him.

And he also saw a huge smile on Lestat’s face out of his peripheral vision, causing Louis to roll his eyes.

“Don’t say it.”

“Are you jealous?” Lestat’s grin grew wider.

Louis didn’t look at him as he continued to drive. But he had to clear his throat. “Do you want me to be?”

He then grabbed Louis’ free hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel, and brought it to Lestat’s crotch. Louis instantly felt the erection.

“It is turning me on.”

Louis pulled over, where they could be hidden in an area no one frequented.

“She means nothing to me, and since you’ve been in my life, there’s been no one else. No one can hold a candle to you, my saint Louis.”

Louis then slid his seat back and stared at Lestat as they both shared a possessive look.

“Get on me then. Show me.”

He had never seen Lestat move so fast as he straddled Louis’ waist. Lestat had been wanting Louis to fuck him within the last week, but everytime they got in the moment, Lestat was never able to control himself and always had to be inside Louis instead.

But now, now he was aching to be inside Lestat. Feel him clenching around him; shuddering against him while he brings him the ultimate pleasure.

How they both got their pants down and shirts open as quickly as they did was beyond them. 

Louis was opening Lestat up with his fingers, one, two, and Lestat wanted him to do three. And because they had been going at it a lot these last few weeks, they had lube on hand wherever they went.

“ Oui , Louis, I need you inside of me.” He licked into Louis’ mouth, practically fucking

his tongue.

Louis was ready for him as Lestat slid down on his dick, them both gasping at the feel. And when he sat down fully, Louis thought he was going to come instantly.  

“God, Lestat, you feel so fucking good.”

Lestat, who had been muttering every term of endearment in French, began to bounce 

up and down on him.

It was so good. The best Louis had ever had. The feel of Lestat clenching around him was majestic, magical, life altering.

They were kissing again, practically inhaling each other, when Lestat cried out.“No one can have me like this but you, mon coeur . I only want you.”

“Lestat….” Louis moaned.

Lestat then slowed down, “I’m going to come soon,” 

Louis was too and he was going to come inside Lestat, claiming him just like Lestat had done to him.

“Tell me…Louis,” He whimpered, “Tell me I’m yours. Tell me there's no one else. Tell me I’m good enough for you.”

Louis was so far gone to even question why Lestat even needed to hear that when the proof had been there all along, since they had started this. There was no doubt in Louis’ mind of how much Lestat meant to him.

“You know you are.” Louis grabbed onto his waist, and Lestat collapsed over him while Louis drilled up into him. “You’re mine Lestat. You’re so fucking good, and you’re mine. You’ll always be mine.”

Lestat’s head was in the crook of Louis’ neck, whining into him, and right as he came, Lestat clenched his teeth to Louis’ neck giving him a love bite, breaking skin, and Louis knew he was tasting a little blood that had slipped out. 

It caused Louis to come hard, shooting up into Lestat with everything he had.

When they finally came off their high, Lestat leaned his forehead against Louis.

No words were said between them at that moment, but their eyes displayed everything that their mouths couldn’t.

Another week had passed, and even though Louis had been spending most of his time with Lestat, beyond his official bodyguard role, that still didn’t hinder him from working with Lily and Daniel to find something on Marius, as well as finding Magnus and his crew. Whether it were late nights or early mornings, they did what they could. Every time they felt like they were close, they came up short every time. As much as Louis hated it, he could admit that Magnus was one step ahead of them. But, regardless of that, when they did find him, it wouldn’t end well for the leech.

All day it had seemed quiet, but Louis couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just too quiet. That something just didn’t feel right. It was Daniel who came out and said it was the calm before the storm. Everyone, including Louis, wanted to fight him. It was a phrase they never said in their profession, because to them, it was usually a bad omen. .

And at 9:30 that night on the dot, the other shoe had dropped. Lily had called Louis, frantically stating that she caught Marius and Magnus on camera and that Louis needed to get Lestat out of the mansion and take him to the safe house.

A place only he, Lily, and Daniel knew the location too.

Louis immediately hung up, telling Lestat they needed to go. He pulled out his gun, and made sure his bag of weapons was securely along his shoulders. 

“What’s going on, mon cher ?”

“I’ll explain when we get out of here.” Louis intertwined their hands and pulled Lestat to the door. 

The moment he opened it, they heard an explosion from the other end of the house.

And then there was gunfire.

A lot of gunfire.

Everything happened in a blur after that. Louis made sure Lestat was safely behind him as they got out. Even though the place was filling with smoke and it was a little hard to see, Louis’ only goal was to make sure he got Lestat out safely. 

When the shooting was getting closer, Louis got Lestat on the floor and covered him, shooting off his gun at more attackers that were coming their way.

Louis began speaking into his earpiece. “Who can hear me?”

“It’s me.” Charlie spoke up. “There's a clear path to get him out through the kitchen. On the count of three take it.”

Louis helped Lestat off the ground.

“Stay close to me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“As long as nothing happens to you, I’ll be okay.” Lestat held onto his hand tightly.

“One.”

Louis squeezed his hand back in reassurance, because at the moment that’s all he could do as he concentrated. 

“Two.”

There was more gunfire, and Louis hoped that no one on his team was hurt.

“Three!”

Louis and Lestat made a run for it and once they were outside and in the vehicle, he stuck his gun out of the window, shooting four men that tried to shoot at the car. All four were clean headshots, and then Louis hit the gas and broke every traffic law to get to where they needed to go.

They were lucky that there weren’t any cops out, surprisingly, but Louis would have had to outrun them too if it came to that.

His mind was going a mile a minute. He had to get Lestat to the safe house and figure out next steps. He really hoped Daniel was okay. His best friend would have checked in on their earpiece or texted him, but nothing.

“Lou…” Lestat grabbed his hand gently, trying to provide comfort. 

Louis brought it up his lips and placed a kiss. “We have a safehouse that I’m taking you too and Lily and Daniel will meet us there.”  

They were seven minutes out from their destination, when Louis got the ping from Lily that she was close as well. They were on a road with only a few cars but no one out, which was normal based on how late it was.

Louis then glanced at Lestat briefly before turning his eyes back to the road.  “Lestat, whatever happens, I need you to know that I lo–”

The other vehicle came out of nowhere, slamming into them from the side.

Louis knew that if his adrenaline wasn’t pumping through his veins at the moment then he would have surrendered to unconsciousness. He felt the blood trickling from his forehead, but all he could focus on was Lestat. His head was bleeding and he was out cold.

“Lestat… Les…” Luckily he was still breathing, but he wasn’t able to check for anything else when the masked assailants who hit them, opened Lestat’s door, and pulled him out. He tried to reach for Lestat, but one of them opened Louis' door and pulled him out of the other side. 

They threw him to the ground, and held a gun to his face.

“You better aim right between the eyes or I’m going to come for you.”

Before the guy could shoot, he heard someone else say, “Boss man wants him alive. Leave him.”  

The guy laughed, “It’s your lucky day.”

And then they got into another vehicle with Lestat and drove off. 

Louis could barely process anything right now, but he didn't have time to crawl inside himself. He would get Lestat back and he would kill Magnus, Marius, and anyone that had been working with them. 

He was about to call Lily since she said she was close, but Marius’s name popped up on his screen before he could.

And of course it was a video call. Marius apparently liked the theatrics so why not be dramatic with everything that was going on. 

“It took your little sidekick long enough to figure it out.” Marius’s smug smile filled the screen. “Just a little too late.” 

Louis glared. “What was your play in all of this?”

“I love a good game, plus more money than I could wipe my ass with.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “You know I’m going to kill you right. And I’m going to make it hurt.” 

“But see, I think that’s where you’re wrong.” He smirked, “We have Lestat now, and oh yeah, I think you’ll want to see this.”  

Louis watched as he turned the camera to reveal someone sitting in a chair with their hands tied around their back with some type of cloth bag over their head.

Louis’ heart felt like it was about to go into cardiac arrest. 

No.

“Oh, yes.” 

He hadn't realized that he said that out loud. 

Marius removed the bag.

He saw as Claudia’s eyes widened as she stared into his eyes through the phone.”

“Daddy!” she screamed.

Louis faltered. “ No , no! Sweetheart…” 

Marius chose that moment to speak again. “When you come and trade yourself for her, I’m going to kill you right in front of Lestat and then Magnus is going to take him and run away where no one will find him.”

He ignored everything he just said, still focusing on Claudia.

“Claudia, hold on baby, I’m going to get you, just hang in there. I promise I’ll–”

“That’s enough of that.” Marius removed the phone to stare back into it.

Louis saw red. Any pain, any injuries he had at the moment were nonexistent.

“Marius, I swear on everything, I will destroy you for this. You fucking here me. I’m going to kill you.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” And then Marius ended the call.

Lily had picked him not even three minutes later. “We’ll get her back.” she said as he got in the passenger seat. “We’ll get them both back.”

Louis stared ahead, his mind wrapped up in so much rage “Everyone we trust, get them to the safehouse.”

“They’re already pinging my phone as they arrive.” 

“Good, because we’re going to war.”

And anyone in his path that prevented him from getting to his daughter and Lestat was about to wish death upon them once Louis was done with them.

Chapter Text

Disagreements happened in relationships. For the most part, things had been so perfect this entire summer with Madeleine, that Claudia du Lac wasn’t exactly surprised when they had their first fight. It didn’t last long, but it left her stomach in the kind of knots that she wasn’t expecting.

While she stood outside of her girlfriend’s place to get some fresh air, she couldn’t help but gaze up at the stars and think about what just occurred no more than five minutes ago. Their time was possibly winding down and the moment her dad would tell her it was safe for her to return stateside, she’d be going back. And well, she wanted Madeleine to go with her. Or, maybe they could work out long distance….incredibly long distance, but she wasn’t expecting the look on her lovers’ face to betray concern. That’s when she told Claudia she never wanted to even visit the states and asked her to stay in Paris full time. 

Even if they both couldn’t make the move with each other, Claudia would always be up to visiting, but the fact that Madeleine couldn’t even see herself doing that. Well, that hurt her. And then voices were raised, which maybe led to Claudia saying that they were probably not going to make it. 

They both had tears when Madeleine stormed to the bathroom which prompted Claudia to storm outside to get fresh air. It didn’t help that her girlfriend lived on the eighth floor and there wasn’t an elevator in sight.

Apart of her almost decided to just head back to the hotel she shared with her aunt and grandmother, especially since they were away for the week in Italy. But, Claudia promised she wouldn’t stay there alone, and they were more comfortable to let her stay with Madeleine. 

To ease her nerves she pulled out a cigarette and began to take a puff.

“Really, Claudia?”

Claudia jumped a bit, “Geez Brian, you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?” 

Brian gave her a look, “How is that even a question? Plus, language.”

Claudia rolled her eyes. “I just wanted one night.” 

“Yeah one night for you and I face your dad the next night. I don’t think so. Plus, with Grace and Florence out, you knew I was going to be close by.” He then held out his hand for the cigarette, to which she practically huffed and handed it to him. “You know I’m legally an adult, if I can drink over here I can sure as hell smoke.” 

“Yeah and then somehow Florence finds out and I’ll have to face her which is almost worse than your dad.” He joked.

“Fine.” 

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” He began to smoke the cigarette which caused Claudia to roll her eyes again. “What’s wrong? You and your lady fightin’? 

Claudia sighed, but she was glad he asked. She was going to end up venting to him anyway because he was almost like a second father to her or grandfather was probably more accurate. She had known him for so long that it almost felt second nature to talk to him when she couldn’t really talk with her dad at the moment. 

“That obvious?”

“The tears in your eyes was a good indicator.”

“It’s just that—”

Claudia was immediately cut off as the blood splattered on her face from the gunshot to Brian’s head.

“B-Brian—” Her voice was barely audible. And before she could even bend down towards him, she felt her body being pulled away and a hand going around her mouth. 

The last thing she remembered was her phone being shoved in her face, unlocking it, and some type of cloth being put over her mouth and nose before everything went dark. 

“I feel like a failure.”

“Lil, you are anything but a failure, my love.” Lily’s husband said over the phone, while Lily typed away. 

“No one has ever gotten past me like this. We’ve been working on this for months now and I’ve never been this slow at anything in my life.”

It was frustrating for Lily because she had been in her profession for as long as she could remember. She was a mastermind in her craft, with skills that were almost one of a kind. 

However, this case had stumped her, which proved something that she didn’t want to admit, Magnus had someone that made her look like an ameatur.

 It also didn’t help that she had been really considering leaving all of this and retiring. Well, that is if one could technically retire from a job that was so off the record and could technically get her arrested, since she may or may not have broken into confidential FBI files. But, that was neither here nor there.

“You’re not slow–” Her husband’s loving voice brought her out of her thoughts. “You’re—” 

“---Dried up, out of touch.” Lily finished for him, while still tapping away. 

“The best and most beautiful hacker out there.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” She smiled through the phone. “If I left this life, if that was it for me, would that be okay with you?”

“Anything you want would be okay with me. Would it make me sleep better knowing that you weren’t in constant danger, most definitely.”

Lily gave another warm smile. “Even if it means that I could spend the rest of my life in jail?”

“I would never let that happen.” Her husband’s response was immediate.“Neither would Louis. You should tell him what Marius would do if…”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not like he could stop him. And now that we’re assuming that Marius is in on this scheme, who knows what contingency plans he has in store for all of us when he dies.” And yes Lily said when because she knew Louis, and if Marius was a double crossing treacherous snake, then ending his life was a guarantee. 

And before she realized it, she was looking at the exact something she needed to find. 

“Babe, I need to let you go.” She clicked the end button.

Lily was currently staring at a feed of Marius and Magnus talking to one another in real time from the encrypted feed in his office. It took longer than expected but she was finally in, and the moment she knew shit was about to hit the fan, was the moment Marius looked up at the camera and winked, knowing that Lily was looking dead at him.

She called Louis immediately.  

He was planning on proposing to Louis. He knew that it may not have been well received due to the amount of time they had been together, but Lestat couldn’t help himself. When it was right, it was right. And it felt right with Louis. Even if he were to say no, it wouldn’t make Lestat love him any less. If anything, he would respect that decision and ask him at a later date. 

When it came to Louis, it was as if anyone before him paled in comparison. Sure, he’s had a relationship or two in the past, went on plenty of dates in his life, and the groupies that tried to make him feel, but when it came to Louis, he was literally everything. It was as if he were seeing for the first time when he laid eyes on him. His beauty knew no bounds, his mind was exquisite, and his strength fascinated him. 

Louis may not have said those three words back to him yet, but he knew it was real between them. It would be those moments when Louis would look at him, hold him, fall apart in his arms, and he knew. So, he had to propose. He had to spend the rest of his life with him. In all actuality he wanted to practically live in Louis’ skin. He told him that once while trailing kisses along his chest, and instead of being creeped out, Louis licked into his mouth.

He felt safe with Louis, and not just because he was tasked to protect him, but Louis provided a sense of comfort he didn’t realize he was missing. He felt like home. And he loved him with everything. 

But, unfortunately, his plans for getting down on one knee was halted due to the break-in and shoot out in his home. 

And while they were in the car trying to get to the safe house, Louis intertwined their hands, giving it a gentle squeeze, and when they looked at each other, it may have only been a split minute, but he knew. Lestat knew that Louis was going to tell him.

Everything went dark soon after.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when Lestat woke up he didn’t feel like himself. The pain coursing through his body was immense, and he felt beyond lethargic. He didn’t know exactly where he was, but he knew he was sitting in a chair with his arms tied behind his back. There was also something covering his head, preventing him from seeing fully. 

The moment his face was uncovered, was the same time he realized that there was someone sitting across from him tied up as well.

When his eyes adjusted to the bright light, that’s when he noticed exactly who it was.

No. 

It was Claudia. 

He immediately began to feel sick. No. This was his fault. She was kidnapped because of him.

“Claudia, are you okay, chérie ?”

Her eyes latched onto his. She looked dazed, but was able to nod.

“Magnus!” Lestat yelled. “I know it’s you! Let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

He smelled the vile rankness of his breath behind him before Magnus came into view. The sliminess of his fingers were a familiarity he hoped he’d never have to feel against his face again. He tried not to shudder in disgust.

“Now why would I do that, my sweet? Why would I let the daughter of the man who is trying to steal you away from me, go?” 

“She’s just a kid. You have me. Let her go. She’s not a part of this.” Lestat begged.

Magnus’s laugh was just as ear shattering as he remembered. “Maybe not, but she’s going to bring your insolent lover here and then you’re going to watch him die.”

“Yes.” Another voice entered the picture as Marius revealed himself, “And I’ll be the one to do it.”

Claudia cried out trying to tug herself free. With fury in her eyes she looked as defiant as ever while glaring at Marius. “My dad’s going to kill you. You need to be ready for that.”

Marius snapped and yanked Claudia’s hair so she would look up at him, causing Lestat to try and jump out of his chair with no avail.

“Keep your hands off of her!”

Marius ignored him, “He can try, but trust me he’ll fail. And if I’m feeling generous I’ll kill him slowly in front of you.” He then covered her nose and mouth with a cloth that caused her to fall unconscious.  

“Fuck you!” Lestat yelled.

Marius laughed as he began to walk away, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave that to Magnus.”

Lestat tried to turn his head away as Magnus touched his face again. He tried his best not to think of the past. No, he couldn’t afford to do that right now. He had to try to figure out a way to get Claudia free and to make sure nothing happened to Louis. Even if it meant it didn’t end well for himself.

If this was a normal situation, Louis would have winced at the stitch being performed to his side. But as of right now, he barely felt a thing. His mind was on nothing else but his daughter and his boyfriend. 

This was his fault. They should have been caught Magnus; should have realized it was Marius working with him. He got distracted and now look where they’re at.

His daughter. His Claudia. She had been kidnapped. Marius knew exactly how to get to him. And it was his fault. 

“It’s not your fault.” 

Louis had been so wrapped up in his head, he hadn’t realized he spoke out loud.

Lily placed the bandage overtop of the stitch, “And no you didn’t say it, but I’m pretty good at reading you after all these years.”

Louis tried changing the subject because he didn’t have it in him to break down right now. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

Lily chuckled, “Don’t thank me just yet. This was a hack job, so you need to make sure you get medical attention when this is all done.”  

Louis nodded and stood up to put his shirt back on.

“We’re going to get them back, Du Lac. Justice will be served.”

“You know that type of justice doesn’t apply to me.” Even before Claudia had been kidnapped, Magnus was never going to see the light of day again and now Marius would join him.

Before anything else could be said, they heard commotion in the main area. When they walked out, Daniel was standing among the crowd.

“They couldn’t get rid of me that easily.” He joked. “I dropped Armand off at a hotel and came straight here.”

Even though the rest of the team were giving Daniel hugs and pats on the back, Louis’ eyes connected with his on a nod, as they acknowledged each other without words.

There was relief that his long time friend was okay, but everyone in that room knew that what they were about to walk into could be the end for some if not all involved. 

Tom then spoke up, “Okay I’m just going to be the one who comes out and says it. With Marius working with Magnus and his guys, isn’t this beyond our scope? Shouldn’t we get the cops involved now.”

While Louis ignored that, because he was too on edge to even give a coherent response, Lily spoke, summing it up for everyone.

“Hey Tom? Stop acting like it’s your first fucking day on the job.” 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Daniel added.

While they all began putting on their protective gear and assembling their weapons, Lily and Daniel walked up to Louis. 

“We all know the plan. And I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way.” Louis said. It didn’t matter who.

“We have your back.” Daniel said.

Louis was thankful to everyone here. He may not have been able to show it fully right now, but once Claudia and Lestat were safe, he would be in the right headspace to show a little more gratitude. 

“Let’s go to work.”

“ETA five minutes.” Lestat heard Marius say as he and Magnus walked back out after constantly coming in and out of the room he and Claudia were being held in. “Pays to have someone on the inside.”

The moment they walked out, Claudia lifted her head up and opened her eyes. “I thought they’d never leave.”

Lestat’s eyes widened a bit. She had been knocked out by the chloroform Marius had covered her face with earlier, that he hadn’t even realized when she started to wake up. 

“I thought you were—” 

“I was.” She then began struggling to yank her hands free. 

“ Cherié , you should not strain yourself.”

And before Lestat could say anything else, Claudia concentrated a bit more while continuing to yank at her restraints, and then to Lestat’s surprise, her hands were free.

“We both know who my dad is.” Claudia used that as an answer as to how she got free.  

When she stood up and proceeded to walk over to Lestat, he stopped her. 

“No, we don’t have much time.”

“But I can get you out.”

“Not at the risk of them walking back in and seeing you.”

Claudia hesitated for a moment, but eventually sat back down. 

The plan ended up being simple. Claudia would pretend as if she were still tied up and out of it, Lestat would distract Marius and Magnus, and then she would make a run for it.

“And what about you?” Her eyes were full of care and concern, “I can’t leave you here.”

It warmed Lestat’s heart. “You can. Your dad is on the way, and you need to try and get to him.” He knew he may not make it out of here alive, but the one thing he could do was make sure the love of his life’s daughter was safe and unharmed.

“I’ll make sure my dad comes back for you, okay?”

Lestat shook his head and he knew Claudia saw it in his eyes, “You make sure you both get to safety.”

They heard the footsteps before Claudia could respond, and then she put her hands back behind her back and leaned her head to the side, pretending to be asleep. 

Marius and Magnus walked back in soon after.

“They’re here.” Marius typed away on his phone.

The gunshots were heard immediately, and Lestat called for Magnus. “I need water.”

Magnus obliged, pouring him a glass from the pitcher he had over in the corner. “Anything for you my sweet.”

Lestat tried to keep down the bile that rose in his throat. He knew the game he would have to play. 

“You haven’t called me sweet in a long time.” He looked him up and down. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it.”

Magnus didn’t hide the excitement on his face. “I would say it more often if you didn’t try to be away from me all these years.” 

As he held the cup up to his lips, Lestat took a sip while maintaining eye contact. 

“You could have this and more. Me serving you.” 

When he briefly glanced over, he noticed Marius was staring back down at his phone, and while Magnus was looking at him without barely blinking, he knew it was time. 

“Claudia, now!” 

Claudia wasted no time in jumping out of the chair and making a run for it. 

She barely missed Marius’s bullet.

“You idiot!” He yelled at Magnus.

Magnus’s eyes held full of menace as he glanced at Lestat. He then took the glass he was holding and smashed it against Lestat’s face.

“Now I’m going to make you suffer and watch as I kill that bodyguard of yours and his daughter. They aren’t getting out of here!” He gripped his face hard and Lestat did his best to hold it together even though he was in a lot of pain and blood was seeping from his face.  

Marius then walked up to Lestat. “Such a stupid plan, because my men out there won’t hesitate to shoot her. Or they’ll bring her back.” He yanked his hair back. “I haven’t decided yet. But do know that when Louis comes looking for you, I may decide to shoot you right in front of him.” 

Magnus then shoved Marius a bit. “That’s enough, no one touches my Lestat but me.” He then patted Lestat’s hair down. “Now, my sweet, don't do what you did again, because I don’t like hurting you.”

“Okay, we know our positions.” Louis said as they stood outside of the abandoned warehouse. It was huge, but because they already saw the schematics of the place, thanks to Charlie, he knew exactly where Marius would have Claudia and Lestat. He also knew that they would have plenty of people defending and ready to attack. 

However, what Marius and Magnus didn’t realize is that they just signed all of those people’s death warrants. Because anyone who had a hand in this wasn’t going to live beyond the night.

They all split up in teams, except for Lily who took to higher ground to use her sniper rifle.  

Louis was teamed up with Tom. He wouldn’t have been his first choice, but they all needed to pair up with someone who was a tad bit less skilled to make sure they hopefully didn’t lose anyone. 

It irritated Louis the moment he noticed Tom send a text from his phone. “Do you really think right now is the best time to do that?”

“The ex wife.” Tom immediately said. “You know how that goes. I won’t agree to giving her the summer home during the divorce.” 

Louis just stared at him like he was crazy.

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t know how that goes,” He snickered, “But you’re right, not the time.”

And before Louis could say anything, gunshots filled the air, and they almost got clipped. The fight broke out immediately afterwards. 

Magnus had a lot of people working with him, but that was okay. Louis was skilled, and if he got cornered, Lily was there to hit them high. About fifteen against two right now, and although Tom was somewhat holding his own, it was Louis who performed these men with skills that left them screaming out in pain right before he put a bullet between their eyes.

The last person came up to him from behind, but Louis was able to pull him over his shoulder, and slit his throat within just a few seconds. He then pushed him to the ground and reloaded his weapon.

As they looked around to see if more was coming, they heard a noise and then the most pleasant sound entered his ears.

“Dad!” 

Claudia ran up to him and he held onto her tight, afraid to let go.

“Oh sweetheart, little miss, you’re okay. How? How?” He smoothed down her hair, her face, checking for any marks, cuts, bruises.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.’ She held onto him tight as well. “A little worn out, but I’m your daughter, that’s how I got free.” 

Louis was trying his best not to cry with the relief he felt that she was safe.

Lily appeared next and wrapped Claudia in a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, squirt. Let me look at you. Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, Aunt Lil.” She took a breath. “I’m good. But, Lestat he’s—”

It was Tom who interrupted, “We should really get her out of here, we can come back for Lestat later.” 

Claudia ignored Tom, and kept her focus on Louis. “Dad, no. Lestat made sure I got out and I think they hurt him because of it. We can’t leave him there.”

“I’m not baby girl.” Louis kissed her forehead. That was never the plan. He was always planning on getting Claudia free, but he was also going to rescue Lestat as well. He was never going to let the man he was in love with die.

“Lily’s going to get you out of here.”

The tears welled in Claudia’s eyes. “I don’t want you to go alone.”

“I’m literally right here.” Tom said, but that wasn’t really saying much.

Louis held her close again, “You’re going to go with Lily, okay? She’s going to get you out of here, and Lestat and I will be close behind.”

He needed to give her some reassurance and he needed to know that she was safe and out of this place, before he could put all of his concentration on getting Lestat out. 

Lily was the one to speak up. “You know your dad. If anyone can handle this, it’s him.” 

Louis gave Claudia one more hug, “I’ll come back to you, I promise. I’ll make sure both Lestat and I come back.”

He then looked at Lily and the look they gave each other told them everything. If something were to happen to him, look after his daughter and keep her safe. 

Louis and Tom continued through the warehouse that seemed to have a hundred rooms to get through. After making sure it was clear to access yet another room, something sparked in Louis’ mind. 

He had been so focused on Claudia and Lestat that he hadn’t put two and two together until now..  

While Tom was in front of him, checking to make sure the space was all clear, Louis held up his gun and pointed it to the back of his head.

He watched as Tom stiffened. 

“How long?”

“Louis.”  It sounded like a plea, which made Louis cock his gun, signaling that he would shoot.

“How fucking long?”

“I g-got into some trouble a while b-back.” He stuttered. “Marius made it go away. I owed him.”

Louis added pressure, “So you do this? You have my daughter kidnapped?”

Tom began to slowly turn around and Louis let him, but he didn’t remove the gun that was now at his forehead. 

“That wasn’t really my decision—” Surprisingly Tom got the upper hand, pushing the gun out of the way and was almost close to punching Louis, but his hand was caught, and Louis kicked him to the ground. He then pulled his knife out and stabbed Tom right in the abdomen. 

Tom yelled out.

While he was trying to breathe, a flustered laugh escaped his lips, “H-how did you figure it out?”

“You would rather chew glass than communicate with your ex wife. You always go through literally anyone else.”

“Didn’t know you paid attention.”

Louis didn’t say anything.

“I am…” he began to cough up blood. “I am s-sorry. I never w-wanted this. We may not have been ….. But I didn’t want anything to happen to Claudia or Lestat, I just…”

“You can make this right.” Louis interrupted. Nothing would make this right, but he’d give him that last piece of solace for what he was about to do. “Text Marius and tell him you’re bringing me in.”

Louis handed Tom the phone and watched as he sent the message. Marius responded back instantly.

“You should know that he’s not just planning to kill you . He’s planning to double cross Magnus, steal his money then kill him along with Lestat. He wants to run off with some broad he’s been shacking up with.”  

Louis nodded and watched as Tom took a deep breath, knowing what was coming.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Louis stabbed the knife into Tom’s skull before he could take his next breath. 

Louis made it to the door that he knew Lestat was behind. He made sure his guns had enough bullets and that his knives were easily accessible.

He was ready. 

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was Lestat sitting in a chair, hands tied behind his back, face cut up to hell, and going in and out of consciousness.

His first instinct upon seeing him, was to run to his side and get him free, but he had to be strategic. He couldn’t lead with his heart through this. It could get them both killed. 

“You know.” Marius interrupted his thoughts by walking towards him. “I had a feeling Tom was lying, because there was no way someone like him could take on someone like you.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “I’m here now. You can let Lestat go.”

“No…” Lestat took a troubled breath. “Go mon cher… . leave me. Save yourself.”

Magnus then stood behind Lestat attempting to touch his shoulders. “There will be no leaving or letting one go. Lestat is mine .”

Marius then opened another door and three guys walked out, all ready to attack Louis at any given moment. 

Louis smirked. Of course, because Marius definitely wouldn’t be able to take him by himself.

“Louis,” Lestat breathed, “Please…go….”

Louis looked back at Marius, “You know this is nothing right. They suppose to what? Rough me up so you can take me out? We know what happened last time.”

Marius held up his gun to Louis. “These three are stronger, However, I want you to drop all your weapons. Fight them without.”  

Louis sighed. He should have just blown a hole through Marius’s head while he was talking, but he couldn’t quite know what Magnus would do, and his only job in this room was to get Lestat to safety.

But he dropped the weapons nonetheless.

“Lestat.” Louis looked at him one more time. “I would suggest closing your eyes or you may think a little differently of me.”

He didn’t wait to see Lestat’s reaction or if he actually closed his eyes, because the next moment, he was fighting the three, supposed skilled fighters with everything he had. They were good, but Louis was better. The rage that was deep inside of him was surface level and he gave it all he got. 

Yes, they may have got some jabs in, knocked him on his ass once or twice, but ultimately he overcame their attacks. Broke one guy's neck, and as he dropped him to the ground, he caught the kick from the second guy, quickly grabbing the knife from the side of his pants leg from said guy, and then stabbed him in the chest with it, finishing with a stab smack dab to the eye. 

He barely got out a scream before he fell to the ground. 

Second one down.

The last guy decided he’d use two knives to take him out. He did slice through Louis’ shoulder, gaining a worried cry from Lestat. But Louis was able to get the upperhand and grab one of the knives, while blocking the other one. Let’s just say, both knives were embedded deeply in each side of the man’s neck.

Third one down.

Louis then heard the click of the gun and looked over to see Marius holding one to Lestat’s head. 

“Take one more step and I’ll put a bullet in him.” Marius threatened, “Pick your gun up, and put it to your head. Pull the trigger.”

Louis looked at him, and yet still tried to keep his eyes on Lestat. Lestat was staring deep into his eyes.

“If I pick my gun up, I’ll shoot you before you realize it.”

“But you won’t take that chance.”

Louis hated to admit it, but Marius was right. He couldn’t take that chance. And that’s when it came to him.

“Magnus, you gonna let this happen huh?”

Magnus looked at him. 

“You know, after Marius kills me, he’s going to kill you and Lestat.” 

“What is he talking about?” Magnus looked at Marius.

“Don’t believe him.”

But the seeds of doubt were already planted.

“He’s got plans to steal your money, run off with some woman.” Louis added. “Not that I’m really sure who would actually give him the time of day.”

“Shut up!” Marius hit Lestat over the head and then pointed it to Louis.

Magnus pushed Marius out of the way. “Don’t ever touch him. What the hell is he talking about?”

Then he tried to point the gun between him and Magnus. “Oh Magnus just shut the fuck up already! Lestat this Lestat that.” He then shot him in the chest, causing Magnus to fall down.

Lestat’s eyes widened, and Louis eyed him. The man who had made his life a living hell was just shot down.

Louis ran to Marius and they began fighting. Marius was a good fighter regardless of his age, but Louis, of course, got the upper hand, even if he was a tad bit worn out. However, thanks to his little friend, adrenaline, he would continue to fight for however long to make sure he got Lestat to safety.

Marius was able to hold his gun to Louis’ head. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. And now it’ll be justified. A disgruntled bodyguard working undercover for Magnus gets killed right after killing the rockstar. And not only will you be dead, but your family will be ruined with all of the publicity. And I’ll be the hero that saves the day. All while being rich. You lose.”

Louis takes the gun so quickly, it even shocked Marius. “You know Marius, you talk a whole lot for someone who—”

Louis wasn’t able to get the next word out because Magnus caught everyone’s attention. Or moreso, the device he was holding in his hand. 

A grenade. 

“I didn’t want it to end this way,” Blood poured from his mouth. “But if I can’t have Lestat, no one can.”

And then he released the clip.

Louis quickly moved away from Marius, who took off, grabbed the chair Lestat was still tied in and was able to push him through another door in just enough time, before the area exploded. The force still knocked them down a bit, but they obtained way less injuries than they would have, if they were still in that room. 

“Are you okay?” Louis tried catching his breath while cutting Lestat out of the zipties. 

“I’ve been better.” Lestat practically rolled out of the chair to lay on the ground. “Is Claudia okay?”

“She is.” Louis laid beside him. “She’ll be happy to know that you’re okay. She was worried.”

Lestat provided a smile even though he was in pain. “Thanks for coming for me.”

“Always.” He reached for him and intertwined their hands.

“If I kiss you right now, would you hold it against me?” Lestat asked, still catching his breath. “I mean you did save me and all, and the hero is supposed to get a kiss at the end of it.”

“Is that right?” Louis laughed and coughed at the same time.

“ Oui , it’s what I’ve heard.” 

Louis didn’t even wait, he leaned forward and kissed Lestat instead.

They were both in a lot of pain, but the kiss was definitely worth it. 

They were in the hospital. 

Lestat, Claudia, Daniel, and a couple of the other team members were admitted. Claudia didn’t feel she needed to be, but Louis wasn’t taking no for an answer. She had been dosed with some heavy chloroform, so a couple days was needed to get it out of her system. Plus, he wanted to make sure she was truly alright. 

She was finally resting, and he had a bodyguard outside of her room just to be on the safe side.

Right before he left, he went and visited Lestat, smiling at his sleeping form. The doctor said he was severely dehydrated and had a small concussion, along with the cuts on his face. They were going to keep him for a few days, but ultimately he would be okay.

He couldn't help but place his hand right against Lestat’s chest, feeling his heart beating, marveling in the way it always seemed like it synced up with his own. 

Louis was so relieved that Lestat no longer had to look over his shoulder. Magnus was dead. He was free. 

Without waking him, Louis placed a soft kiss on his forehead, “I’ll be back.” he whispered. 

It took Marius some time, but he finally ended up back in his home. He stayed at his safe house for several hours before he knew it would be safe for him to go back and collect the items he needed to get the hell out of the country. 

When he stepped inside his home, his bags were already by the door, since he had it prepared before he left, but he just had to get a few more things. When he walked past his dining area, he stopped in his tracks.

There was a red envelope on his dining room table and he knew exactly what that meant. He shuddered as the cold air rushed through him.

He turned around, and there Louis was sitting in one of the chairs.

“Since you didn’t die in the explosion, I figured you’d need to come home before you tried to get out of town.”

Marius noticed the bag on the floor near his feet, as Louis stood up and placed it on the table.

“I thought you didn’t do that anymore.” He tried not to show fear because he knew what that envelope and bag meant. 

Louis shrugged. “I figured right before I go back into retirement, I might as well let the last thing I do be the one thing I haven’t done since—” 

“If it's money you want, I can give you money. I have access to all of Magnus’s money. All of it.” Marius cut him off.

Louis had never seen him so scared.

“That money,” Louis laughed. “That money has been put in a special account for Lestat. He’s owed that money. Not that it would ever be enough—” Louis didn’t continue. Money would never make up for what Magnus did to Lestat and those around him, for having him live in fear, for the things he’d done before Louis ever met him. “However luckily for Magnus, he got off easy. A gunshot and a grenade is nothing compared to what would have happened to him. What I plan to do to you twice over.”

“Louis…you’ll be a monster if you do this. Your daughter. Lestat. Your family. They wouldn’t want you too…”

“It’s funny you have the audacity to say this to me right now, because they’re the reason you about to get this treatment. You kidnapped my daughter, Marius, and you really think you’re going to get out of this that easily? If that’s the case then you have no idea who the fuck I am.” 

Marius turned to run, but Louis shot him in his leg quickly, thankful for the silencer. Marius may not have had close neighbors, but you could still hear a gunshot in this quiet area.  

Marius screamed out.

“Now get up, and walk to the other room. I was nice enough to put tarp down so we don't get blood everywhere.” Not that it really mattered where Louis was concerned.  

Marius tried crawling away, but Louis kicked him, “I said stand up.”

When he did, he did it slowly. A smile appeared on Marius’s face the moment Louis felt the tip of a gun at his back.

Louis rolled his eyes, and looked over to the side at the mirror that was hanging, revealing the figure standing behind him. 

Antoinette.

“Didn’t expect me huh? You took Lestat away from me, and I’m not letting you take away Marius.”

Louis didn’t have time for this today. “Aren’t you married?”

She pushed the gun further into his back. “Do you really think you should be asking questions when there is a gun at your back?”

“You make sure you know how to use that thing.” 

“Put your gun down. Walk forward.” Antoinette’s voice was shaky along with her hand. Louis just had to get her in the best position to turn around and get the gun from her.

“Shoot him Netty.” Marius cried in pain, while leaning against the table. His leg was bleeding out profusely.  

“Not until he moves the money back to your account.” Antoinette had Louis walk towards the wall to stand there. “If Lestat would have just stayed with me none of this would have—”

Antoinette's voice cut off on a choking sound as she gasped for breath.

Louis turned around to see not only a knife sticking out of her chest, but Lily behind her holding the knife.

“I told you it was a good idea for me to come.” Lily said as Antoinette fell dead to the floor.

“I had this.” Louis grabbed his gun back.

“Yeah I know, but if this is our last go together, I wanted to make sure we had one last hoorah.” 

They had Marius on the tarp in the other room in no time.

“Lily, Lily, I can make the FBI go away, I can make it to where they never ask about you again.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Retiring from this life and spending it off grid with my husband is what I’m actually looking forward to. I don’t need your help.”

Louis began to put the tape around his mouth.

“Wait,” Lily stopped him, “I want to hear the screams.”

Louis chuckled, “It’ll be too loud. What I’m planning. Phase X.”

“Oh really? X? Do you even have time for that?”

Louis smiled and made sure the tape was secure. “Trust me, I have plenty of time.”

Marius’s eyes widened in pure fear, as his screams were muffled through the tape. 

And before he succumbed to death, the torture was brutal. Removal of fingernails, toenails, a few teeth pulls, shallow cuts, a hand and foot removed after the fact, scalp and ear removal (courtesy of Lily), and then a blade right through the eyes. 

When they were done, they stepped out of the protective gear that was covered in blood.

“Cleaning crew?” Lily asked.

“Gas leak.” 

“Oh, lovely.” Lily grabbed her items.

Louis did what he had to do with a few wires, and by time they were down the street, the house blew up.

They were gone as if they were never there before the fire department arrived.

They sat in a vehicle close to the hospital.

“Will you tell Claudia that I love her and I’ll miss her. That she can do whatever she puts her mind to. And that I’m sorry I had to go.”

Louis held onto Lily’s hand as he looked at one of his best friends. “You know I will.”

She smiled, “And make sure you tell her dad that he’ll always be my best friend and that

I’ll never forget him. That he saved me, in more ways than one, and that I love him so much. Thank you, Lou, for everything.”

Louis pulled her into a hug. “You be safe out there okay? I know we can’t be in contact after this but if you both ever need me you know how to reach me. And I love you too.”

They hugged one more time, and then Louis wiped her tears before she got out of the car and into another one.

This was the last time they would ever see each other.

Daniel was the first person Louis checked on when he returned to the hospital. He was ultimately okay, just needed to be stitched up from the gunshot wound he obtained in the shoulder. Armand was sitting next to him, reading him a magazine, while holding onto his hand. He told him that he checked on Lestat a few times and that he was still resting. 

Louis told Daniel they would talk later, but he was really glad that his friend was okay. 

Claudia was next, as Louis sat next to her, while she complained that she was ready to leave. 

“One more day and you can go home.”

“Dad, I’m fine. I’ve been fine.”

“Just humor me.”

Claudia may have rolled her eyes a bit, but smiled nonetheless.

“I’m glad I get to see your smile again, I was…” Louis didn’t even want to think of it. “If I hadn’t… I’m sorry you were caught in the middle of this.”

Claudia grabbed his hand, “Dad, don’t do that to yourself. We prepared for times like this. Plus, I knew you would come for me.”

“Well you’ll never have to worry again. I’m done with all of this.” He never wanted his 

daughter to have to know what it was like to use any of the skills he’d taught her.

She laid back a bit, “Well I’m glad. I don’t want to have to worry about you every second 

of every day anymore. I mean I know I was fine with you getting back into the business, but I think that’s out of my system now.”

Louis smiled, “Mine too, little miss. Mine too.”

Louis could see the shift in her eyes as the frown appeared on her face. “Brian’s dead. I don’t know how to process that.” She wiped at the tears that were forming.

“Me either.” He admitted. Brian had been working for Louis for such a long time. He had practically watched Claudia most of her life during the times that he couldn’t. Louis had trusted him with everything. He didn’t deserve to go out like that. But not only did he get revenge for Claudia and Lestat, he got it for Brian as well.

“Dad?” Claudia brought Louis out of his thoughts. “Did you tell Grandma and Aunt Grace what happened here?”

“Not exactly.” Louis confessed. “But, Levi filled them in on the plane ride.”

Claudia’s eyes widened. “Dad!”

“What was I supposed to tell them? Hey mom, sis, your granddaughter and niece was

kidnapped while you decided to let her stay in Paris, instead of joining you in Italy? And oh yeah, she was knocked unconscious and brought back to the states, and you know, almost killed.”

“Good point.” She sighed, “They’re going to be so angry.”

“At me.” He corrected. “They’ll be angry at me, but I can handle it.”

“When will they arrive?”

Louis looked at his watch. “Hmm… right about….”

“Louis and Claudia Du Lac!”

“Now.” Louis said as they looked at the entrance of the hospital room, where Florence and Grace were standing. Levi, their bodyguard, was standing behind them, giving Louis a knowing look. 

But they weren’t the only ones standing there. Madeleine was too with tears in her eyes.

“How about I go talk to them while you spend some time with your friend.” He watched as his daughter placed her hair behind her ears, right before Madeline practically ran to Claudia and hugged onto her. 

“I’m so glad you are okay.” After that he heard her speak the rest in French before he faced his mom and sister.

About an hour later, Louis was standing in the doorway of Lestat’s room. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Lestat looked towards him and the smile he gave, touched Louis’ heart in ways he couldn’t describe. “Ah oui , but now it is I who is on this uncomfortable bed.”

Louis gave him a reassuring smile, and walked towards him. “How are you feeling?” 

“Better, now that you’re here.”

“I didn’t scare you off?” Louis had to ask. He knew Lestat had seen him fight a bit before, but what he did in front of him, killing those men, was different. More brutal. 

“You never could. I just hate that I couldn’t protect you.” 

Louis smiled and Lestat tried scooting over to make room.

“Sit with me, please?”

“You sure?”

Lestat nodded and Louis sat beside him, and wrapped him in his arms.

“I’m glad you didn’t die today.”

“Right back at you.” Louis kissed his forehead.

Lestat held onto him tighter. “Will you still want me with my face looking like this? The plastic surgeon said these cuts will need to heal for however long, but I will not be showing myself in public for a while.”

Louis shushed him, “You’re beautiful, Lestat.” 

Lestat calmed in his embrace. “Well, if you think so. I may need to hear it a few more times until my face is fully healed. Possibly every day.”

“I’ll tell you every hour of every day. How about that?”

Lestat smiled, and tried to scoot even closer to Louis.

“Can you stay in here with me tonight?”

Louis nodded, “I can.”

“So, this is it.” Lestat shuddered against him. “It’s all over?”

“It’s all over.” Louis held onto him tighter to provide any ounce of comfort that he could. “You’re free.”

“Thank you.” And then Lestat wept.. 

Chapter Text

“Hey, Lestat, sorry for calling randomly like this, but I was wondering if you could put my dad on the phone?”

When Lestat saw Claudia’s name appear on his phone, he almost debated picking up. It wasn’t that he minded her calling him; it actually touched his heart to know that she was comfortable to do so, but he figured she was reaching out to him to scold him for what happened between him and her dad. 

It had been a little over a month since everything happened with Magnus, and although Lestat was extremely happy and grateful that life could get back to normal, for a brief moment, it felt like anything but. 

The day Lestat got released from the hospital, he was swarmed with reporters, and for about a week, his phone had gone off non stop with people begging for interviews and just to get a few words from what happened. He was even a trending topic on all social media. 

Thanks to Louis’ team, it had been revealed to the outside world that Lestat de Lioncourt had been hurt in a car accident. A week later they found out that Magnus had died of a heart attack.

It was what Lestat had wanted. So much of his life had already been on display to everyone that this was something that needed to stay hidden. That chapter was closed now and it needed to stay that way. 

His face was also healing accordingly, which was great, because he barely wanted to look into a mirror at the damage. But, it was Louis who constantly gave him praise which aided him to being able to get through it. 

For those first two weeks, he saw Louis almost every single day. It wasn’t every second of every day like he preferred, but he was there. Especially at night when the nightmares came or during the day when he just needed a moment to sit in silence. 

Louis had been there for all of it. 

Lestat didn’t realize just how much Magnus’ death would affect him. And not in the way of missing him. No, he was relieved that vile monster no longer walked this earth. But although he felt free, there was a part of him that felt like it may have died right along with him. 

It was hard for him to explain, when he told Louis about it, but he was extremely grateful for his understanding. All that fear of looking over his shoulder, along with the things Magnus had put him through at a young age had been embedded into him for so long. Even when he was in therapy, thinking he’d finally healed through it all, but then right after his death, it  just came crashing back down. There were pieces Magnus took from Lestat that he could never get back, and that’s where the pain ultimately settled. 

And through that revelation, Louis listened, provided encouraging words, and wouldn’t leave his side. He held onto Lestat, letting him know how strong and brave he was, and that he’d always be there for him. Lestat broke down and cried again.

The way Louis made him feel safe in all the ways that mattered, Lestat had never felt so cherished. 

And yet now, they weren’t even talking, and Lestat was trying his best not to lose his mind. With his profession, he should be able to concentrate on the thousands of things he had to do, and just push Louis to the back of his mind. But, that was one thing he could never do. The moment he met Louis, the thought of pushing him away was never going to be possible.

In all honesty, Lestat couldn’t fathom a life without Louis. He was always on his mind. When he went to sleep at night, woke up in the morning, and all throughout the day. Pretty much when he was breathing, he was thinking of Louis. 

“Lestat? Are you still there?”

Oh, right, he was still on the phone. “Yes, chérie , my apologies. Your dad… um, Louis, he is not here with me. I have not seen him in a few days.” Make that more like a week. He tried not to tear up at the thought. 

Louis had left him and wasn’t answering his phone calls or text messages. He didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. But, could he blame him? It was all his fault. 

“Oh, I thought you two already made up since usually my dad can barely go two minutes without being in your vicinity.” 

Claudia said the last part moreso to herself, but it did make Lestat’s ears perk up. 

“Did he um…did he say anything?” It probably wasn’t the best idea to get answers from the daughter of the love of his life, but he was desperate.  

“Not really, he tries to leave me out of adult things in his life. I’m just pretty observant and when he gets in this rare mood where he doesn’t want to talk on the phone with me and he only sends the ‘checking in’ text message, I know something’s up. Just like he always knows when something’s wrong with me. Plus, when I asked uncle Danny about it, he said my Dad was fine, and then made up an excuse that he had to go. Which is code for, he’s not allowed to tell me anything.” Claudia then paused. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”  

“Claudia I don’t—”

“Look when Daniel can’t tell me anything, it’s because my dad tends to hold things in and he tries to put on a brave front for everyone else. It doesn’t happen often, and nine times out of ten he just needs time, but I don’t know. A lot happened that day, and I just have a feeling it’s all getting to him. Then when I tried to make conversation through text about you, he said you were mad at him, but that he’ll make it right…..”

Lestat felt completely sick. His mind then drifted to what caused them to stop speaking about a week ago, and now that Lestat really thought about it, there could be a possibility that he had been overreacting. 

It was the day of his concert, and Louis promised he would be there. Lestat normally wouldn't have doubted anything from Louis, but things had felt weird this week. Louis seemed a bit closed off. He hadn’t slept over the night before and when Lestat expected to just sleep over Louis’ instead, before he could suggest that, Louis placed a kiss on his lips and told Lestat he’d see him tomorrow at the concert, before he left. 

Even though the kiss was earth shattering, regardless of how quick it was, something just didn’t feel right.

And he was right, because Louis was late that night. So late that there was only one song left to play when he showed up. However, he still stood backstage at the side, holding flowers for Lestat with a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

With it being Lestat’s last song for the night, he invited a man and woman on stage, where they both danced on him a bit. It's something he’s done at plenty of his concerts in the past. However, the whole time, his eyes stayed on Louis, and he wouldn’t admit that he felt a bit down that Louis didn’t give him the jealous reaction he had hoped for.

When the concert was over, he immediately left the stage, grabbed onto Louis’ hand, and led him to the dressing room, kicking everyone out so it was just the two of them.

Lestat had Louis backed against the door, shoving his tongue down his throat before any words could be said. For a moment, he felt Louis respond, tasting his tongue just as much as Lestat was lavishing his. And when he pulled Louis flush against him, he knew he could feel just how erect he was for him and only him.

However, unfortunately, Louis paused. Lestat didn’t want to be dramatic, but it felt like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on repeatedly. 

“Lestat, Les, we can’t… not here.” He moved his head to the side.

“Why not?” He tried kissing his neck.

“Anyone could walk in.”

Like that stopped them before, he instantly wanted to say, but stopped himself.

“That's what locks are for.” Lestat was about to drop to his knees.

Louis stopped him. “Lestat. Let’s just… we have all the time, okay?”

It felt like a bucket of water had been doused on him along with a knife through the heart.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right…I’m sorry.” Lestat stepped back and picked up the flowers that fell to the floor. “Thank you for these. They are lovely, mon cher .”

“I’m sorry I was late, I—”

The knock at the door cut Louis off, and Armand and others walked in, not really paying much attention to the scene in front of them.

When asked if Lestat could do an interview, he would have said no, so he could leave with Louis, but he accepted it because in his mind, maybe Louis didn’t want to go home with him.

And he was right, because during the interview, he noticed that Daniel had whispered something in Louis’ ear, which caused his lover to stop staring at him, and then they both spoke to Armand briefly before they left. 

When the interview was over, Lestat barely heard Armand say that Louis and Daniel had to take care of something before he dialed his number up himself.

Was Louis continuing the bodyguard business and did not tell him? Did he not trust him to know?

When he didn’t pick up and instead sent him a text message, he felt like his heart had stopped. Not only did Louis not want to talk to him, he spoke to Armand and left with Daniel without saying anything to him .

He wanted to fire his assistant and trip up Daniel hoping he would break his hip or something.

Sorry to head out. See you tomorrow for Daniel and Armand’s event.

He wasn’t even planning to see him tonight?

What the hell was going on? 

Tomorrow came, and Lestat was among many guests at Daniel and Armand’s wedding reception. They got married the same day Daniel got out of the hospital after everything that happened. No one knew until they all received an email invite for the wedding reception.  

Lestat remembered being in bed with Louis when they received the email, and they both thought their friends were joking. Well, they weren’t. Both Armand and Daniel met their match when they found each other, so as shocking as it was, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

“Yeah apparently Daniel pushed Armand out of the way from almost getting shot that night, and Armand took that as some grand gesture for marriage.” Louis read the text message Daniel sent over to him.

That same night, Lestat was so close to asking Louis to marry him, but before he could pull out the ring, Louis explained how he thought it was so quick for them to tie the knot. So, that ultimately left Lestat feeling defeated and decided not to say anything.

And now here Lestat was, on his fifth or sixth drink of the night, clearly a bit drunk as he stared at Louis conversing with a few people he couldn’t care less about. 

When he decided to walk back to the bar, it was no secret that the bartender was clearly flirting with him. It would be so easy to flirt back too, but his stomach felt in knots thinking about showing affection to another man that wasn’t Louis. 

He then felt a hand softly touch along his lower back, and he’d know that touch anywhere. 

“Havin’ a good time?” 

Louis’ voice was intoxicating as ever.

“Could be better.” he turned around and leaned his back against the bar. “Where are the men of honor anyways?” Because he hadn’t seen Armand and Daniel in a while.

“Haven’t seen them since I got here.”

Which he was late again by the way.

“Is everything okay?” Louis asked, glancing at the drink in his hand.

“Peachy.” Sarcasm.

And Lestat knew that Louis could tell. 

“You know actually, you know.” He slurred, trying to figure out what word came next. He took a deep breath and continued. “You barely even look at me anymore. That bartender sure as hell looks at me, but you don’t.” 

Louis glanced over at the bartender who lifted his hands up, but Lestat didn’t really notice nor care.

“Let's go somewhere and talk.” He grabbed Lestat’s hand and pulled him gently, yet there was a bit of a tug that almost made Lestat swoon, as he followed him out of the crowd and into a separate room.

Louis closed the door after them.

“Why don’t we just wait in here for a moment until you sober up a bit. I can go get you some water or coffee—”

“---I don’t want that.” Lestat cut him off. “You’re breaking up with me aren’t you?” The tears formed in his eyes. 

“What? Why would you say that?”

“You have been pulling away, you do not talk to me anymore, last night you—” Then a thought that he didn’t even want to consider came to his mind. “Is there someone else?”

“What?--”

“--I mean now that you are no longer my bodyguard you no longer want me.”

“Really, Lestat?” He barely noticed the expression on Louis’ face. “You think I got with you because I was into some bodyguard savior roleplay or somethin’?” 

It did sound crazy, but he felt crazy right now. “Well I do not know what to think?”

“Let’s just talk about this when you’re sober.”

“Why? So I can be competent enough when you leave me?”

“I’m not—”

“I told you I love you!” He didn’t expect to shout, but he couldn’t help it. “I’ve told you numerous times, and you never say it back. Lately, you barely want to be around me. When there are plenty of people who would kill to be in your shoes right now.” Okay maybe the alcohol was talking a little more than it should have. He didn’t really even mean to say that. He was just hoping to maybe make Louis jealous but then it just didn’t come out right.

And he could tell in Louis’ eyes that he was taken aback, that it hurt him. And Lestat had caused that.

“Louis, mon cher , I didn’t–”

“So, what? You don’t realize how I feel about you so you try to what? Tell me how many people you could be with right now but you decide to slum it with me?”

He wanted to tell him that wasn’t what this was. That he was afraid to lose him so sometimes he didn’t think before he spoke.

But then the closet door opened, with Armand and Daniel almost falling out, giggling, yet trying to be serious.

Lestat rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let us interrupt.” Armand kissed Daniel’s cheek.

“But you did.” Lestat glared.

“You didn’t. We were done anyway.” The look Louis briefly gave him crushed him, but then he turned to Daniel and Armand. “You two may want to make your way out to the crowd. They’ve been waiting on you so they can start eating.”

“Oh right, this party is for us.” Daniel was drunk and Armand playfully slapped his chest. He then looked between him and Louis. “You two play nice now.”

When they walked out, Lestat was about to say something, but Louis spoke before him. “Let’s just not.” And then he followed Daniel and Armand.

Lestat threw up in the trashcan a minute later.

“Lestat? Lestat are you still there?

Claudia’s voice brought Lestat out of the memory. 

“Yes, my apologies.”

“I’m just going to FaceTime you.”

Lestat answered the moment she did.

“Oh.” She instantly said. “Um… you look…”

Lestat gave a small smile, “I am not taking this break up well.” 

“So you guys did break up?”

“It feels like it.”

“Did you two actually talk about breaking up?”

The tears were so close to coming, but he tried his best not to cry. “He won’t talk to me, chérie . I try to reach out and he barely says two words to me. I have messed up. He wants nothing to do with me.”

“Hmm….” He could tell Claudia was lost in thought for a moment. “This is probably why he doesn’t want me to get involved with adult business. Look, I don’t need to know specifics of what happened, but I’m sure it's possible that it’s a misunderstanding. Would you mind just going over there to check on him? I’m sure he won’t turn you away. I just really need to know he’s okay, because I’m this close to getting back on a plane, and I know he won’t like me using the credit card to keep traveling back and forth.” 

Close to an hour later, Lestat was standing in front of Louis’ door, debating on knocking. Maybe he should leave. But, if he left then he could lose the person who meant more than anything to him. 

So, he knocked.

Louis answered the door a few seconds later, and before he could say anything, Lestat noticed the towel wrapped around his blood soaked hand. 

“Louis, what happened?” He walked inside, grateful that Louis moved aside to let him in.

He grabbed Louis’ hand without a second thought.

“Glass shattered.” He said, his voice sounded off.

“Are you okay?” Lestat searched his eyes.

Louis had always been the type of person to hold things in. He wasn’t a stranger to that fact about himself. Throughout his life, there had been so much he had gone through which gave him a legitimate reason to keep certain aspects of himself private. With the things he’s done and seen, it was pretty much the standard. 

However, now that Louis was finally out of the business, instead of being normal and celebrating the fact that they defeated Marius and Magnus, his mind kept replaying that night over and over again. He felt like he was losing himself, and he really hated to admit that. 

The last time he had a mental breakdown, it was due to the loss of his brother. Louis always saved everyone, but when it came time to save Paul, he couldn’t. And for a while he really blamed himself. If it wasn’t for therapy and the support of his family, he would have fallen into a shell of himself and probably never got out of it. 

This time, it dawned on him that he was falling right back into that breakdown, but he for sure could get his own self out of it right? His daughter was safe. Lestat was safe. So why did it feel like for the last month, he was in a trance?

It felt like his mind couldn’t stop going back to the events that happened. His daughter could have died. Lestat could have died. He lost Brian, who had been watching out for his family for years. Technically, he was family, and he was taken away from them. Regardless of her being safe, he also lost Lily, who he could never see again. 

The feelings coursing through him were too much.

Different scenarios kept popping in his mind of all the ways Claudia and Lestat’s capture could have had a different outcome and he couldn't let that go. If he hadn’t taught Claudia some basic needs within his line of work, what could have happened?  She got herself free, but what would have happened if she hadn’t? And the fact that he even had to teach her what went beyond normal self defense, really started to weigh him down. Then remembering Lestat tied to that chair, blood soaked on his face and clothes, his heart felt like it had stopped multiple times. 

He could have lost him. Lost the one man that came into his life like a hurricane and took hold of Louis’ heart in a way he couldn't describe.

Seeing him in that hospital bed, almost made his knees give out. All the adrenaline he had been holding onto, disappeared the moment he held him in his arms. And when Lestat cried, relieved that he didn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore, Louis comforted him. It was to a point that he never wanted to let him go.

All that Lestat had gone through, Louis was glad that he could finally have some peace. Yet, instead of accepting that, all Louis could think about was if he had known him sooner, maybe he could have protected him then.   

And instead of letting that go because it’s something he couldn’t change, Louis’ mind wouldn’t let him. 

He also could barely sleep. When he tried, it was never longer than an hour a day. The nightmares would hit him hard. Flashes of him not saving Claudia; of him not saving Lestat, of many more dying. That he kept failing and couldn’t protect his loved ones.

It was getting to a point that it was really affecting his days, and he tried his best to keep this part of himself away from everyone. His daughter would call and he would rush her off the phone; barely giving her more than a few words through text messages. He knew she suspected something was wrong, but he tried to remain bright and positive so she wouldn’t worry. 

Daniel was aware. He didn’t know to the extent, but he knew that sometimes Louis needed a moment to get out of his head. It was so rare that sometimes Daniel would forget it happened to him at times. However, Daniel lived by a code of loyalty, so he knew never to tell anyone, especially his family, unless he was hospitalized. And even then he needed to proceed with extreme caution.

There were times where he wanted to confide in Lestat. With them being together, especially because Louis hoped that they were going to be in this for a long time, he wanted to be able to share when he wasn’t okay, but he still couldn’t. When Louis would hold him while he slept, and that peaceful look on his face, he didn’t want to give him another reason to start worrying again. He deserved to put all of this behind him and to keep it that way.

Louis was also struggling with the fact that he hadn’t told Lestat how much he was in love with him. It was always on the tip of his tongue, but then he would get in his own head again, letting his thoughts run wild which caused him to hesitate and prevent him from uttering those three words. 

Thoughts like wondering if his love would even be good enough. If Lestat truly meant it when he confesses his love or was he just grateful that Louis had saved his life? However, regardless of those thoughts, Louis couldn’t deny that he had fallen desperately in love with Lestat. He was never one to believe in soulmates, soulties, or even what Lily used to say, invisible string theory. But, after meeting Lestat, he believed in all of it.

It was just unfortunate that he couldn’t come right out and say it. Then again his mind felt so messed up and full of everything right now, that maybe it wasn’t the best time to do so. He was grateful that Lestat could accept all he had done in his past, but could Louis accept the guilt that he felt at times; guilt that just wasn’t going away.  

He tried to keep himself busy during his mental struggles. For about a week, he took charge of the company transitioning everything in order to place Charlie and Dammick at the head of the business. With him being completely out and Daniel stepping down, that left the next two most qualified to take over. 

And even though Daniel was no longer at their specific agency, he did decide to take over for a more legit security company that didn’t involve secretly killing and torturing people. Louis knew that had a lot to do with being able to spend more time with Armand. 

Daniel was so in love that apparently he and Armand decided to get married the same day Daniel got out of the hospital. As surreal as it was, it wasn’t that surprising to Louis.

Louis honestly thought that making himself busier would ultimately help him feel better, but of course life was never just that simple, because it didn’t. Some days it felt like he was in a daze. He was exhausted and on the edge all the time. And the worst part of all this was, it felt like Lestat was pulling away from him and he knew it was his fault. 

For a moment he thought maybe it was for the best for him to pull away and go on with his life, but Louis realized that he couldn’t be without Lestat. But he also realized that it was probably best not to be around him until he truly felt better. He didn’t want to bring him down.

It did help that Lestat was famous, because now that his face was healing, he felt better about being in public. Which meant that Louis didn’t have to hide what was going on with him 24/7, now that he was back being in the public again. 

And even though Lestat didn’t need his type of protective detail anymore, he did have normal security when needed. And because Daniel wasn’t taking him on as a client, Louis had to make sure he vetted the new company in intricate detail. 

Louis also probably would never admit out loud how he almost lost control the night of Lestat’s first concert being back in the fold. He hated himself for being late that night. Still not being able to sleep fully, he dozed off on the couch and the nightmares that took hold of him made him so disoriented when he woke up, that he lost a bit of time just sitting there trying to decipher what was real and what wasn’t.

Needless to say, he broke every traffic law just to get there. He arrived right at the end, only able to hear one song, but seeing Lestat on that stage brought a level of euphoria through him that he didn’t realize he even possibly needed. He tried his best to focus on just him and not the people he brought on stage, who were dancing provocatively around him. It was a part of his set, so he could deal, plus his eyes stayed on Louis’ the whole time. It still didn’t stop the thought of him throwing those two people off the stage, hoping they landed head first.

But, he wasn’t that type of person… anymore. 

When the last set was over, Lestat took his hand and led him to the dressing room. He had him up against the door, licking into his mouth before he could even say a word. If this was any other time, if he fully felt like himself, he would have given Lestat exactly what they both wanted at that moment.

But he couldn’t.  

The sadness in his lovers’ eyes when he stopped him haunted him for the rest of the night. 

It also didn’t help that during Lestat’s interview, Louis zoned out and it felt like his throat was closing up. 

It was Daniel who noticed and pulled him away. Daniel, who took his phone and texted Lestat that he would meet up with him tomorrow at the wedding reception. And Daniel, who told him to talk to someone because he couldn’t keep lying to Claudia about his current state. 

However, Louis chose to lay in bed for the rest of the night, eyes glued to the ceiling.

The next day, at Daniel and Armand’s wedding reception, Louis tried. He really tried. He, of course, didn’t go to sleep the night before so he was doing his best to act normal so no one would realize he was barely hanging on. 

When he found Lestat, the one person he wanted to see tonight, he was knocking back drinks left and right. He excused himself to whomever he was speaking to, and went to the bar where Lestat was accepting yet another drink, while the bartender looked to be flirting with him. 

Louis placed his hand on his lower back, realizing just how much he missed the feel of him even if it had only been one day.

“Havin’ a good time?” 

Lestat swayed a bit as he turned to face him. “Could be better.” 

“Is everything okay?” Louis asked, glancing at the drink in his hand. 

“Peachy.” He took another gulp of his drink. “You know actually…. you know.” He slurred. “You barely pay attention to me, you got here late… again . You don’t even look at me anymore. You know this bartender over here.” He pointed to the man behind the bar.  “He’s been paying attention to me.”

Louis was shocked at what he was hearing, and before he suggested they go somewhere to talk, he looked over at the bartender, more like glared, and made a mental note of his name tag.

He was really debating on….

No, he couldn’t harm that man. He wasn’t a part of that life anymore. 

When they walked in a separate room, Louis closed the door behind them. 

“Why don’t we just wait in here for a moment until you sober up. I can go get you some water or coffee.” He really wanted to make sure Lestat was okay first and foremost before they had a conversation.

“I don’t want that.” Lestat cut him off. “You’re breaking up with me aren’t you?” 

Louis definitely wasn’t expecting that. “What? Why would you say that?”

“You have been pulling away, you do not talk to me anymore, last night you— is there someone else?”

“What?--” Louis really didn’t think he could be even more shocked.

“--I mean now that since you are no longer my bodyguard, you no longer want me.”

He stood corrected. For Lestat to assume that, it actually hurt. Is that what he really thought about their relationship? He felt his heart skip a beat.

“Really, Lestat? You think I got with you because I was into some bodyguard savior roleplay or somethin’?” 

“Well I do not know what to think?”

He knew Lestat was drunk so it was better to end this conversation now before more words were said that they couldn’t take back.

“Let’s just talk about this when you’re sober.”

“Why? So I can be competent enough when you leave me?”

“I’m not—”

“I told you I love you!” 

Louis wasn’t expecting Lestat to yell.

“I’ve told you numerous times, and you never say it back. Lately, you barely want to be around me. When there are plenty of people who would kill to be in your shoes right now.” 

And there it was.

It hurt to feel like Lestat was just settling for him, that if someone else were to come along, he would waste no time in leaving Louis. But he had been right about not saying a love declaration back. He was sure his actions showed how much he cared. How much he loved him.

His mind began racing again, flashes of that night kept popping in his head. His skin began to feel hot. 

He barely heard Lestat’s term of endearment. Barely realized Daniel and Armand were hiding in the coat closet doing whatever it is they loved to do to each other. 

Louis could barely comprehend what he said, but he knew he needed to give Lestat time to decide what he really wanted, and he needed time to get himself back to normal.

So, he left.

Lestat called and texted Louis multiple times, but all he could do was send a short response here and there. He just wasn’t himself to have a full on conversation with him yet.

Later that week, he decided to pour himself a glass of bourbon to let the liquor drown away his sorrows. The thought of Lestat leaving him, that night still floating around in his head, and not being able to fully sleep, was putting his emotions in overdrive. There were moments where he almost felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

And because he was getting slammed with so many thoughts, he accidentally squeezed the glass too hard and it shattered in his hand.

The same exact time someone knocked on the door. 

Seeing Lestat made his heart beat a little faster. 

He was holding a towel to his bloody hand as he moved aside to let Lestat in.

His scent immediately infiltrated his nose. God, he missed him so much, he could cry right now. 

But Louis couldn’t remember the last time he cried.

“Mon cher , what happened?” Lestat grabbed his hand gently and Louis let him, trying to fight the urge to lean into him, to lean into the touch he so desperately missed. 

Louis cleared his throat. “Held on a little too tight.”

Lestat walked towards the kitchen island, and helped him sit down on the stool. 

“The first aid kit still in the same location?”

Louis nodded. 

When Lestat returned from the bathroom, he began cleaning his wound. Louis winced a bit as the antiseptic burnt him. Lestat then placed a gauze to it, and wrapped it in a bandage to keep it secure.

He then pressed a chaste kiss to it.

Louis gave the best smile he could, even if it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Sorry, I—”

“No,” Louis covered Lestat’s hand with his good hand, “Don’t apologize. Thank you. I’m—” He got choked up and immediately grabbed his chest, as the pain flowed through him.

Was he having a heart attack? 

“I c-can’t…” his heart was racing, his hands felt clammy, and he felt completely hot out of nowhere. “Can’t...breathe… I can’t…”

Lestat stood up immediately and held onto his shoulders, “Hey Louis, it is okay, listen to my voice, okay?”

Louis tried his best to listen, but for a moment Lestat’s voice sounded far away. He knew he was speaking to him, trying to calm him, but he could barely hear him.

The sound of his breathing seemed so loud in the room as he tried to catch his breath. Louis didn't know how long it lasted, but when he finally started to make sense of the world around him, his eyes connected with Lestat, who was speaking softly to try and calm him down, all the while with his hand placed above his heart.

He walked him over to sit down on the couch, his hand never leaving his chest, bringing the level of comfort he needed.

“I’m no doctor, mon cher , but I think you just had a panic attack. And I say that because I used to get them too at times when….” 

Lestat didn’t finish his sentence, but Louis knew what he meant.

“I’m going to get you water and then–” Lestat was about to get up, but Louis tugged at his hand, issuing that he didn’t want him to move away from him, even if it was just to walk a few steps to the fridge.

Lestat got the message loud and clear. “Water can wait.” 

And then Louis leaned his head against the crook of Lestat’s neck, surprised at the way he relaxed so easily. He also felt the way Lestat relaxed as he placed his arms around him. It was as if Louis was providing comfort to him as well.

He didn’t know how much time had gone by when Lestat’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Would you like to talk about it? Only if you want, but if not it’s okay. I just … I’m here for you and I’m… Louis, I apologize deeply for everything. I know I can be a lot sometimes, but you are going through something and I should have…..I should have picked up on it earlier and for that I—”

Louis touched his lips with his. It was soft, short, but it was what they both needed.

And Louis may never admit it out loud, but he loved when Lestat rambled. 

He loved that he cared.

“I should have told you,” Louis confessed. “I should have told you what’s been going on, what I’ve been feeling. It’s not easy to…” He paused, trying to get his words together, “I’m not usually…”

When Lestat grabbed his hand this time, and their eyes connected again, Louis knew that he understood.

“When you are comfortable, you can tell me.”

And so Louis did. He told Lestat everything. He released it all on him, everything that had been going on. He told him about the nightmares and not fully sleeping through the night, and if he did get a little bit of rest, the nightmares would seep through. That he lost both him and Claudia that night. That Lily was gone. That Brian was dead. Of all he’s done in his life; that he felt like a monster at times.

That not only was he losing sleep, but when he was awake, he would just randomly zone out, and confessed it’s what happened the night of the concert. And the only reason he left, is because Daniel noticed and took him home. That it was Daniel who texted him that night from his phone because he physically couldn’t. 

He explained that Daniel knew that he could get like that, but he never told him the extent of it. He told him about the last time it happened was when Paul died.

That he’s been dealing with this alone, because he didn’t want to bring anyone down with his struggles.

And Lestat listened. He listened, provided supportive words when he could, and he held onto Louis’ hands, encircling them, caressing them, and never breaking eye contact.

And after what felt like hours, even though it hadn’t been that long, Louis took a deep breath, feeling relieved.

 “And that’s it…there’s nothing else.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Thank you for listening.”

“Always, mon cher, always.”

After Lestat finally got Louis water, he offered to run him a bath and get him food. When the bath was ready, they both stood near the tub.

“I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, just call for me.”

But Louis stopped him, this time around it was his hand to Lestat’s chest. “Would you join me? Please?”

The light in Lestat’s eyes appeared, and he agreed so quickly, he found himself stumbling over his words. But, it gained a smile from Louis so that’s all that mattered.  

As Louis sat down in front of Lestat in the bathtub, he melted against him, while Lestat wrapped his arms around him. 

And Louis felt. He didn’t have to make anyone feel safe, he didn’t have to protect anyone. For once, he was the one who felt safe.

The sob that choked out of him was surprising to not only himself but to Lestat as well. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried, but this time completely made up for it. It shuddered through his entire body.

As Lestat held onto him tighter, Louis gripped at his arms, needing his support, needing him to never let go. 

“In the hospital, when I broke down,” Lestat began, holding him as close as he could, pressing soft kisses to the side of his face and to all parts of skin he could reach in their position. “You said to give it to you, give all that pain to you. Well it goes both ways, mon coeur . Give it to me, Louis. That pain you’ve been holding onto, that strength you never want to absolve; that you can’t hold onto any longer…. give it to me. Let me hold that for you. Let me be there to help you. You don’t have to be strong all the time. You can lean on me anytime, always okay. Give it to me, because I can handle it. You give all that pain to me. I’m here okay. I’m here. Always.”

And Louis broke down even harder. He cried, he finally released all of that pain he had been holding onto. 

“Give it to me, okay?” Lestat kept whispering. “Give all that pain to me.” 

Louis never saw the tears welling in Lestat’s eyes, but he knew they were there. This intimacy they had fallen briskly into was one that never wanted to recover from. 

And that night, they lay in bed facing one another; naked as the day they were born, hands clasped together and legs intertwined.

Louis slept so peacefully that night in Lestat’s arms. 

No bad dreams, just peace.

During the following week, Louis and Lestat closed themselves off from the outside world and stayed in Louis’ home. He did make sure he reached out to Claudia, after learning she called Lestat due to being worried about him. It was an hour of her scolding him and to promise to never feel like he had to go through what he went through alone. 

He knew now that he could make that promise.

It made his heart swell knowing that Claudia felt comfortable reaching out to Lestat. He had such a familial feeling course through him at the thought of them all together, even though Lestat hadn’t been in their lives for a full year yet.  But, he had no intention of letting him go. He wanted this with him. He wanted everything with Lestat. 

Louis did have to admit that this week had been one of the best weeks of his life. Just he and Lestat putting the outside world on pause and getting lost in one another; and getting to know each other even better. Claudia was the only one who would be allowed to call them, but if anyone else needed them they would just have to wait.  

Louis couldn’t lie though, the first two days he spent the majority of it sleeping. His body had pretty much given out on him after his breakdown the first night that all he could do was finally get that much needed sleep.

And luckily, his dreams had been pleasant, and that's if he dreamt at all.

He wasn’t the only one who got rest, Lestat was able to as well. He got Armand to reschedule a few interviews and other small events. He was surprised that he didn’t chew his head off, because usually he would have been knocking on Louis’ door to drag him away. Guess Daniel may have had something to do with that.

It felt good to get away from everything and spend his time solely with Louis. He felt like they desperately needed it, and was extremely close to just whisking him away to an unknown island so that no one from the outside world could ever bother them again. Plus, he didn’t like to share Louis so that was actually one of the best ideas he’s ever had.

When he brought that to Louis’ attention though, he chuckled into his mouth. And well, that was fine too.

Lestat was just so glad that everything was okay now. He was grateful that Louis finally felt comfortable confiding in him, that they were connecting and reconnecting all at once.

These last few days after they got the sleep they both needed, they cooked and ate meals together, binged watched some reality television, explored each other’s tongues and they just marveled at being in each other’s arms.

Currently, it was late at night, and as they were laying in bed, Louis was reading to him, while Lestat laid his head on his lap. Well, they were taking turns reading to each other.

It wasn’t something Lestat ever saw himself doing with someone, but he was the one who recommended it, and his heart warmed when he noticed Louis’ eyes light up for a brief moment, even though he would probably deny it. 

They both felt incredibly relaxed.

“Why is this the first time I’m finding out you wear glasses?” Louis asked.

“I never really need them. Plus, I don’t like the way they make me look.” Lestat confessed while trailing his fingers along Louis’ arm.  

“You serious?” 

Louis really thought he was joking, which caused Lestat to blush.

“I can barely concentrate on what we’re readin’ right now cause of you in these glasses.”

If Lestat said he got instantly hard then it wouldn’t be a lie. He then removed the blanket they were both under and moved to straddle Louis’ waist.

“Then I’ll wear glasses for the rest of my life.” He kissed Louis’ lips. “Every second.”

Louis didn’t hesitate to drop the book to the floor. 

When he kissed Louis again, he had to wonder if it were normal to fall in love each and every time he tasted his lips.

“You’re one to talk,” Lestat pulled the glasses off of his boyfriend’s face. “You have to know what it does to me, when you put these on.”

Louis felt how hard he was against him. “I think I have a few guesses.”

Lestat was very close to saying that because they wore glasses at times, and both looked delicious in them, that they should solidify their relationship and get married. But he chose to lick into Louis’ mouth instead.

After exploring each other’s mouths, Lestat lifted up, trying not to feel giddy at the way Louis was looking at him under hooded eyes.

“You know I meant to ask,” He sucked a spot on his neck. “Just because it’s been so quiet…”

“You really think I’m in a position to answer questions.” Louis moaned.

He loved the way Louis sounded for him. They hadn’t had sex in awhile, and there was never a moment that they weren’t craving each other. There was never a moment where Lestat didn’t want Louis and Louis didn’t want Lestat. 

“I’m just surprised we get to have this moment alone without any reporters popping up.” He placed feather-like kisses along his ear, but then he realized something and sat up, trying not to get lost in the way Louis was rubbing his hands up and down his waist. “Now that I think about it, we’ve never had reporters here. I mean now that people know we’re together, you’ve been brought up plenty of times on social media, but even I still get the occasional reporter waiting outside my home to catch a glimpse, but never here.” 

Louis chuckled under his breath, and pulled him closer, their tips practically touching through their pajama bottoms.

Lestat smiled. “You did something?” 

Louis trailed his fingers through his hair. “Not necessarily. But, you know the kind of work I did. Before Lily left, we made it possible that my home isn’t really a location that anyone could find. We also made it to where when you’re here no one would ever show up. No reporters, nothing.” Louis then leaned forward to kiss at his neck. “Don’t ask how she did it because even I find it confusing, but so far it’s been quiet. And technically you never need security here because I’ve got that covered.” 

Louis was a bit surprised to see a frown on Lestat’s face.

“I’m sorry, mon cher , I didn’t think that you would be hassled to have to go through all of this because of me.”

Louis lifted up a bit, bouncing Lestat against him, trying to stifle the moan as their lower halves touched. Lestat however didn’t control his, and Louis almost lost it at the sound. But, as much as he loved listening to Lestat, he knew the love of his life was about to assume the worst and get into his own head. He wanted to stop that quickly, and make him understand that he never had to feel apprehensive again. 

“No, it’s not that. In the line of work I do, my home…this neighborhood is very lowkey. There have always been plans in place so that my home doesn’t get noticed by others. Again, it’s confusing. But, with you coming here more often, I wanted to make sure it was even more secure.” He then cupped Lestat’s face gently,  “You do so much in the outside world, been through so much, people are on you constantly, following every part of your life. So, when you’re here, whether you’re here often or just a little bit, at least my place can be your safe space. I wanted that for you.”

Tears immediately sprang to Lestat’s eyes as he kissed Louis so deep, he almost saw stars.

“You know when you say things like that it makes me feel like….”

“Like what?” Louis chased his tongue again. “Like I’m in love with you?”

Lestat’s heart skipped a beat, and although his mind was telling him to look anywhere else, he couldn’t do anything but stare into Louis’ eyes. And those beautiful brown eyes were looking into him as if he were everything.

“That’s because I am, you know? Well, I think I’ve been in love with you since the day you said it to me the very first time we met.”

Lestat gave this big toothy grin that Louis loved so much. “It worked didn’t it.”

He chuckled into his mouth and kissed him once more. “Maybe.”

That night, they had each other over and over again, relinquishing in the bliss that only those two could make. It was slow, sensual, it was connecting onto something spiritual, carnal, immortal. It was all the emotions they had for each other coming to the surface. Lestat held onto Louis while they were both on their side, Louis in front of him, as he  pumped into him from behind, holding him so close you couldn’t tell where one left off and the other began. They were so entwined that they felt like they had become one.  

Louis was in a state of bliss, not even realizing he could feel this good, and Lestat was so very close to coming inside of the warmth of Louis. But, he wanted this to last. He wanted this to last forever. 

“Lestat..” Louis cried out his name.

“I love you, Louis.” Lestat moaned. He used the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Louis’ chest, so he could feel his heartbeat in sync with his own, to stroke his cock at the same speed that he was thrusting inside. 

“I love you….love you …so…” Louis damn near screamed out each and every time Lestat moved in and out of him. 

Louis tried shifting his head to connect with Lestat’s eyes. “You never…. have to… worry… I’m yours…. always .”

“ Always , mon cher ?”

“Yes, God.” Louis couldn’t take it anymore as Lestat picked up the pace, all the while stroking him into oblivion.

Tears were shown in both of their eyes.

And the moment Louis came, Lestat released inside of him a moment later.

They weren’t sure how long they were trying to catch their breaths, but when Lestat finally got settled down to understand how words were formed, he peppered kisses along Louis' shoulder.

“Say it again?” 

“Hmmm what am I saying?” Louis murmured, still lost in the orgasm he just experienced. 

Lestat nipped him, and Louis laughed.

“I’m too drained, I’ll say it later,” Louis joked, and before he could even say anything else he was on his back. 

“After all that, are you really trying to go again?” Louis didn’t know why he even asked, because Lestat was now kissing some of the scars he had plastered on his skin.

“Louis I could practically live inside of you, what kind of question is that?” He was now down by his groin, Louis’ cock trying to come alive again, which was insane, because usually it needed a little more time. 

Clearly it wasn’t just his mind that was addicted to Lestat, but he could just breathe on his shaft, and he was apparently ready for round two.

Lestat then kissed and nipped along his thighs, making him squirm and laugh, “Fine, fine, I love you.” 

“What was that, mon cher ? I don’t think I heard you, properly?”

“ Je t'aime .” Louis whispered with all the seriousness he could muster.

Lestat practically bent Louis in half with the way his knees were almost touching his shoulders, as he slid back inside of him. 

The perfect fit.  

“Fuck.” Louis lost it in the sensation that was overtaking him. To feel this good should be a crime.

“Keep them open, mon amour ,” Lestat said, referring to his eyes, as he pounded into him, almost crying at how good Louis felt. “Please don’t stop looking at me, okay? I need you to look at me while I take you.”

Louis hadn’t even realized he closed his eyes the first time, but he barely blinked as he watched Lestat take him. Being in this position had Louis’ so exposed and it made him feel so needy. He wanted to do this for the rest of his life.  

The way Lestat looked at him with the love and care and devotion touched Louis’ heart in more ways than one. He did his best to touch Lestat’s face, but he was so encompassed with pleasure that he kept failing. When he was finally able to gain movement, he did grab a handful of his hair.  

And Lestat loved it. 

“I. Love . You .” Louis said with all the intensity he could. Emphasizing each word; making 

sure Lestat truly understood. That he believed him.

And Lestat came, filling him up again while Louis came immediately after. 

Lestat collapsed on top of him, and they laid there holding each other close. 

“Je t'aime aussi.” Lestat breathed, before they both passed out from sheer exhaustion.

“Lestat finally let you up for air, huh?”

Louis tried his best not to smile at Daniel’s words. They were currently standing around at Lestat’s Annual Masquerade Ball that he had been throwing for the last five years. All proceeds went to different charities every year. Many different friends and celebrities always showed up, and it was a special event that every entertainment outlet tried to get a piece of. Social media was just waiting to get any type of crumbs from the party, and every year it always ended up being a huge success.

And even though Louis was just a guest at the party, he still couldn’t help but remain alert. Daniel’s bodyguard service was on duty tonight, so there was security everywhere, but this was his boyfriend, and no matter what, Louis always felt that he was the best protection.

Even though he may have done a walkthrough with Daniel’s team prior to the party and he knew exactly where each and every exit was, his eyes still followed Lestat everywhere he went. 

Daniel was right about the coming up for air thing though, because when he and Lestat finally reconnected again sexually, it was as if something ignited inside of them and they could barely come up for air. They both constantly felt high on one another. 

And even as Lestat was making the rounds, entertaining guests, his eyes still found Louis’.  It wasn’t a secret that Louis wasn’t the public type of person, but he didn’t mind it because it was for Lestat. 

However, being at this party for not even that long, Louis wanted to take Lestat somewhere private and shove his tongue into his mouth, along with other parts of his body.  

“Oh you got it bad?” Daniel interrupted his thoughts. “Let me guess, there will be wedding bells in your future too?” He smirked while taking a sip of his drink.

Yeah, that’s if Lestat said yes to the big question he wanted to ask him tonight.

Louis was nervous as hell, and normally he would have been against doing something like this when they hadn’t even touched the surface of being together a whole year yet, but when you know you just  know.

And Louis had always known.

He had even called Claudia the other day, telling her his plans and asking if she were okay with it. Because she would be gaining an extra person in the family.

By the high pitch scream she let out in his ear, it proved just how excited she was. 

“And where is your husband?” Louis pointed out, changing the subject.

“He’s around here somewhere giving out orders. I told him to just enjoy himself tonight, but you know how he is.” 

They then noticed Armand talking to one of the photographers snapping pictures at Lestat and the crowd.

“There he is.” Daniel said, and Louis noticed the way his eyes immediately brightened up. After the relationships Daniel had been in, it was safe to say that he had met his one true love. 

And Louis was truly happy for him. 

“I love to watch him work.”

They may have been wearing masks, but Louis saw the way Daniel and Armand locked eyes from across the room.  

And because he knew exactly how they both could be, he was sure that whatever closet they could find would be occupied soon. 

As if it were on instinct, Louis’ heart started to beat a little faster, and he looked over to see Lestat walking towards him.

It was crazy how Louis’ heart knew when Lestat was close before his eyes did.

Lestat instantly grabbed Louis’ hand and brought it up to a kiss. The music was loud, but that just gave him the excuse to whisper into his ear. “Enjoying yourself, mon cher. ” Lestat made sure to press his lips to the shell of Louis’ ear. And yes, it sent butterflies.

Hell, he sounded like some teenager. Butterflies, really? And yet, that’s exactly how it felt.

“I am.” Louis nodded, “You look good out there.”

Lestat smiled and pulled Louis flush against him, his arms wrapped around his waist. Both forgetting that Daniel was there.

In all honesty, they both felt like they were the only two people in the room.

Lestat then pressed a simple kiss to Louis’ neck, doing his best not to add more, because once he got started, it was hard for him to stop. 

“It’s been taking everything in me not to cause a scene and kick everyone out.”

“Why is that?” Louis was curious.

Lestat spoke the next words in French. “Because the way some have stared at you. 

Some may not realize it’s you behind the mask, but they still want what's mine.”

Louis shuddered. “Jealous?”

Lestat groaned, trying to keep himself under control, but every time he leaned into Louis, he couldn’t help getting lost in Louis' scent. It was mouthwatering. 

“I am.” Lestat confessed. “I do not like to share.”

Louis then leaned in and kissed Lestat. “Let’s get out of here for a moment.”

“I was coming over to ask you the same thing.”

Louis guided him to a different floor that had a balcony that was closed off. Louis may or may not have made sure it was upon his arrival. 

Lestat thought this area was perfect. The perfect time to propose. He not only had the perfect ring, he got Claudia’s blessing. 

However, he couldn’t miss the way Louis looked nervous. “Are you okay?” 

“No.” He quickly said. “I mean yeah. I mean it’s nice out, don’t you think?”

When Lestat agreed, Louis tried not feeling warm all over because of the way Lestat was looking him up and down.

“I need to ask you something.” Louis took a deep breath. 

It was now or never.

Lestat wasn’t really sure what he was going to be asked, but he felt like he needed to go first. 

“I need to ask you something too. I must go first.” 

And maybe it was the drinks they had that was giving them this level of anxiety, but they both asked the same question simultaneously. 

“Will you marry me?”

“Marry me?”

Chapter Text

“And the award for Album of the Year goes too……. Lestat de Lioncourt!”   

The hand that had been intertwined tightly with Louis’, relaxed the moment he gave it a gentle squeeze. Lestat had been holding onto Louis’ hand for dear life waiting to get to the announcement of this award. He had won a few Grammy’s before, but finding out he was nominated for album of the year, with the last album he would ever release, made him extremely anxious all day. He tried to play it off, saying that although he was grateful to be nominated, it would be okay if he didn’t win. Louis saw through the facade however, and Lestat was beyond thankful that the love of his life brought a level of calm he needed to ease his nerves. 

Louis stood up the moment Lestat did and while everyone cheered, he didn’t even get time to pull him into a hug, before Lestat was kissing him softly on the lips. Louis tried his best not to show how breathless that made him as Lestat walked towards the stage. They kissed so many times in so many ways, that it didn’t matter if it were just a simple peck, it was always just as passionate. 

And what made Louis smile even more is that they practiced this kiss all last night just in case he did win. Lestat made it apparent he would need to kiss Louis prior to going on stage, but the way he always liked to kiss him, sometimes they would forget they weren't the only people in the room. So, it was either practice something simple or have the world witness their tongues down each other's throats. 

Or, a third option was that Louis suggested that it was okay if they didn’t kiss, but Lestat had looked at him like he had grown three extra heads.

When Lestat got on stage, they handed him his award right before he stood in front of the microphone to give his speech. His words brought a few tears to Louis’ eyes.

“......and last but certainly not least.” Lestat continued. “To the one who made all this worth it; who saved me in more ways than one…. my husband,  Louis du Lac de Lioncourt. This album was for you, mon cher . Je t'aime, toujours .”

As their eyes connected through the crowd, Louis knew that Lestat was thinking the exact same thing he was; the day they got married years ago, along with the days that led them to this moment right now….. 

It had been one full week since Louis and Lestat proposed to one another, and if Lestat had his way, he would have flown them down to Vegas that same night to get married right away. 

The thought of a big wedding had crossed Lestat’s mind, but if being in the spotlight for so long taught him one thing, it was to value the moments that solely belonged to them. He wanted their wedding to be just for them and no one else. 

And what made his heart reach new heights was the fact that Louis would have given him a huge wedding with all the frills, even if that wasn’t necessarily his thing. 

“As long as I get to marry you, I’m okay with anything.”  

So, they went to the courthouse, and because Lestat had pulled some connections, they were still able to do it even after they closed. 

They would have made it on time, but Lestat couldn’t keep himself off of Louis. It was their wedding day, and he was so excited that Louis could barely even walk into the kitchen without being bent over the counter. He couldn’t take a shower nor get a glass of water before Lestat appeared ready to go again. Their love for each other was insatiable, and to be honest, Louis was soaking it up. He tried his best to reciprocate, tried to swallow his cock whole at any given time, but Lestat always seemed to gain the upper hand, needing to acquire his pleasure by being inside of him.

Needless to say, they were still late and missed the phone calls from Claudia, who was currently back from Paris and staying at Lestat’s mansion, since Lestat was at Louis’. 

“I don’t even want to ask what you two were doing to make you late.” Claudia rolled her eyes and gave them both a hug while Madeleine laughed.

“That would be my fault,” Lestat blushed. “I could not let your dad—”

“Decide on what suit was best.” Louis cut him off quickly, nudging his hip. Sometimes his fiancé’ didn’t have a filter, but Louis sure as hell was not about to reveal his sex life to his daughter, regardless if they all knew what had been going on.  

Lestat’s eyes widened when he realized what he was about to say and to whom. “Yes, suit. He looks amazing, non ?”

Claudia gave them both a look, “ Suit . Right….”

“You both look lovely,” Madeleine spoke up, still giggling.

The I do’s came after the vows that were quite similar. 

“I love you.

I belong to you.

There is no me without you.

Everything in my life has led me to you.

I take you as you are.

You are my best friend.

My companion.

The love of my life.

I’ll honor and cherish you.

I’d choose you again and again in this life and in the next.

My heart beats for you.

Always.”

This was love. This was forever.  And there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

The plan was to go back to Lestat’s mansion for the night just to pick up a few things and head back to Louis’. But of course, they took a different route instead of following behind Claudia and Madeleine, parked their car somewhere, and Louis rode Lestat until they both saw stars.

“Let us go back to your place instead.” Lestat kissed onto his neck. “I can get more of my items tomorrow.” 

“Our place remember?” Louis moaned as Lestat continued to lavish at his neck, “It’s our place now.”

Lestat then lifted up to stare into Louis’ eyes. “Yes… yes, our place. I like that.”

The decision had been made that they would move into Louis’ home since Lestat surprisingly no longer wanted to stay in the mansion. Louis suggested that they could build a new home, but Lestat didn’t want that. He loved how he felt in the home Louis had now. They were planning on doing a few renovations and add ons, but ultimately, this was where Lestat chose to be. 

“But, before we go, I do think Claudia wants us back at the mansion. If I’m correct she’s planned a surprise reception.” 

“Really? How do you figure that? No one knew we were getting married yet.”

“Trust me, I know my daughter.”

“Ah, well, I think the only way I’ll be able to go is if you sit on my face one good time.” He gave him that million dollar smile that Louis loved so much.

“And how do you expect me to do that in this vehicle? I’m not a contortionist.” Louis tried moving back to the driver’s seat, from straddling his waist, but Lestat held on tighter, not wanting to let go. 

“You must not realize how flexible you can be when we’re in the throes of our passion. Your feet do this thing where it can practically touch the bed when I fold you in—”

“Okay, let’s go.” Louis placed his hand over Lestat’s mouth. He really couldn’t take dirty talk right now with the way his body clearly responded to everything Lestat said and did. 

When Louis sat back down and began driving, he could see Lestat out of his peripheral smirking at him, equally turned on, and he couldn’t help but smile.

The reception brought tears to Lestat’s eyes. To be welcomed so lovingly into Louis’ family was an honor. How Claudia was able to pull this off without them knowing was astounding. 

Even though he had been indulging in conversation with his new mother in law, sister in law, and her boyfriend, he couldn’t help but to keep stealing glances at Louis, who seemed to always be looking at him the moment he turned his way. It was like a magnetic pull between them both. 

As he watched Louis talk to Bricks, one of the friends he met once at her bar, Claudia came up blocking his view. 

“Can I steal him away?” She grabbed Lestat's hand and pulled him up. 

They then walked out on the balcony. “Thought I’d save you from the thousands of questions I know grandmama Florence and aunt Grace were asking you.”

“They were not bad.” He smiled.

“Well, I just wanted to say thank you.” She paused for a moment to clear her throat. And Lestat could tell she was trying not to get over emotional. “For loving my dad. I’ve never seen him happier.” They both looked over to see Louis laughing with Bricks, and it really made his heart skip a beat.

He was so in love with Louis, it almost hurt to think about the life he had before him, because he had not been in it.

“I should be thanking your dad for loving me.”

Claudia grinned, “Yeah, you both definitely have it bad.”  

They talked for a little while longer, and before Louis walked over to them, Claudia was thanking him for letting her and Madeleine stay at his place until she headed back to Paris. 

Louis and Lestat stared at each other for a moment, both getting lost in each other’s eyes, forgetting that they weren’t the only two out here.

The sound of Claudia clearing her throat, broke their attention. "You two are so sappy. It would be disgusting if I wasn’t so happy for you both.”

Louis pulled his daughter into a hug, “Like you and Madeleine haven’t been staring at each other the whole time you’ve been out here.”

“And on that note.” 

And before Claudia could say anything else, Madeleine walked out and intertwined their hands together. “Your uncle and his husband are quite comique , but then they started staring a bit intensely at one another so I took that as me needing to leave.”  

Lestat couldn’t help but roll his eyes, because he knew the look that she was talking about. 

“Maybe I should go tell them to get a room.”

Instead, they heard Florence announce to everyone that dinner was ready. 

It was nice to sit around the table with not just his husband, but with family and friends. Something he didn’t get a lot of growing up. It made his heart full. Lestat found himself unconsciously caressing Louis’ hand under the table, and every so often they would look at each other and smile. 

Louis mouthed to him I love you and then brought his hand up and placed a gentle kiss.

Lestat had to remember that they weren’t the only two people in the room again before they started acting like Armand and Daniel in public. 

As they were passing the different foods around, and putting portions on their plate, it was Levi that gained everyone’s attention. 

“Gracie here cooked the rice.”

Louis had to admit he wasn’t surprised by this new relationship between his sister and her bodyguard. Guess it ran in the family. 

But back to what Levi just revealed. It caused the Du Lacs to look between each other. 

“My plates already full.” Louis announced.

“I’m allergic.” Claudia lied, gaining a knowing look from Louis.

Florence provided a smile, “Maybe later, dear.”  

Lestat whispered to Louis, “Am I missing something?”

Louis leaned into him, keeping his voice low, “Grace can’t cook. She tries to experiment with even the most simple dishes and they always turn out horribly.”

“I heard that.” Grace said, “You all are overreacting. Plus, my Levi loves my food just fine. Lestat won’t you have some.”

She gave him a big smile with those big brown Du Lac eyes. 

Everyone looked at Lestat, but Louis spoke up for him, so he wouldn’t feel obligated to say yes. “His plate is full too.” 

“It’s okay, mon cher .” Lestat grabbed the bowl with the rice, and started putting a bit on his plate. “I’ll try it.” 

“See you’re already the best brother in the family.” She stuck her tongue out at Louis and he returned the favor.

“Do know I did warn you.” Louis watched as Lestat took the first bite.

They stayed for another hour before they both thanked everyone and left back to Louis’ home, their home now. It was Lestat’s intention to put Louis through the mattress for the rest of the night, but instead, he barely made it to the toilet before he threw up for the rest of the night.

And Louis was right there to take care of him.  

It was only a few days later when Louis and Lestat were still soaking up their honeymoon bliss by literally exploring each other’s bodies each and every minute of the day. Louis honestly didn’t know how much he could crave someone until he met Lestat, how much his body could be put through that much pleasure and do the things it did and still have enough energy to be put through even more. It got to a point where they even knew where every little hidden scar, mole, and birthmark was. 

On a random rainy night, Lestat had the idea to do a little role play. The bodyguard and the rockstar, starring Lestat dressing as the bodyguard and Louis as the rockstar who needed his protection. 

However, when Lestat walked into the kitchen, he wasn’t expecting to see Claudia going through the fridge.

He jumped a bit, “Claudia! What um… brings you by?” He hid the empty gun behind his back and placed it on the counter without her noticing.

“Oh, hey. I just needed to pick up a few more things and wanted to talk to dad for a second.” She then paid more attention to his outfit. “You look nice, you two must be going out?” Then she thought about it for a second. “It’s pretty nasty outside. I would have turned back around but I was closer here then your place—-”

“Where is my big bad bodyguard?” Louis announced as he came in, holding one of Lestat’s guitars, while wearing leather pants, a tank top and glitter all on his body. “I need help tuning up my guitar.” 

“Oh my God!” Claudia covered her eyes. 

“Claudia!” Louis tried hiding behind the open archway of the kitchen. 

Lestat then spoke up. “We were supposed to start off with tuning the piano and then add in the guitar.”

Louis pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Please don’t tell me I just walked in on what I think I walked in on?” Claudia all but whined. “I’m not even going to say it.” She then walked towards the living room. “I need to talk, so if you two could just not do what you were about to do and just wait until I leave… just ew.”

When Claudia left the kitchen, Lestat grinned at Louis as he came out from hiding. 

“Really? The piano first and then the guitar.”

Lestat tried not to laugh, and yet at the same time a flash of heat crossed his features as he got lost in looking Louis up and down.

“I probably just scared my daughter.” Louis groaned, but still gave him a quick kiss before he went to change into something more appropriate.

Lestat did get a chance to whisper in his ear to leave the glitter on at least. 

Louis wasn’t expecting Claudia to reveal that she and Madeleine had been fighting. He knew that they had a falling out a while ago, but they got past it quickly and they all assumed everything had been good. 

“And they were good, well, so I thought. But last night, it was just one thing after another. I already said I’d move to Paris for her, what more could she want?”

Louis had already voiced his concerns about his daughter moving that far away permanently, especially at the age she was at now, but he was still willing to support her in her decision. However, that also meant that she would have to be okay with the amount of security devices he’d have set up at her place, along with a couple bodyguards that would watch over her from time to time. It didn’t matter that he was out of his previous profession, if he couldn’t be there full time to protect her, he had to set up the means to make sure she would be safe. 

“Your father played hard to get when we first met.” Lestat’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“How?” Louis questioned. “We literally got together like a week after meeting.”

“If I recall, the first day upon being in your presence, I professed my love.”  Lestat smirked. “We should have gotten married then.”

Louis pinched his thigh teasingly, “Let’s not listen to Lestat on this.” 

“Well, wait,” Claudia perked up, ”Let’s listen. What do you think I should do?”  

Louis may have shook his head in defeat, but he couldn’t help but smile and admire the way his husband and daughter spoke to one another.

“Such a bad influence.” Louis joked.

Lestat and Louis had been trending on social media for the fifth week in a row. Ever since Lestat posted a picture of them from their wedding day, there had been so many people discussing the rockstar and his new husband. Or as their fans liked to say ‘hot as fuck husband’ .

Currently, Daniel and Armand were visiting their home for dinner and once they finished and began eating dessert, Armand gave Lestat his social media phone for him to go through. Usually Lestat would have wanted to be glued to that phone for the entirety of him trending, but it was easier not to be, this time around. Especially now that he had someone to keep his mind preoccupied.

But tonight, they all decided to take a few glances on their own phones, and a ten minute scroll turned into about an hour.

They are so goals. They better never divorce.

They look so incredibly in love. I want them both.

I want a love like that.

But the wedding photo wasn’t the only reason for the five week long trend. A good portion of that had to do with being caught in a paparazzi photo that showed their tongues down each other's throat in the backseat of a limo. And that’s where a lot of the explicit tweets started coming in. 

They had attended a private event that Lestat was asked to perform at, and as soon as they were done, instead of staying and enjoying a multiple course meal, Lestat was so hungry for Louis with how good he looked in his suit, that they left the moment he finished performing. 

Before they got inside of the limo, they decided to stare each other up and down equally needy for each other, and Lestat practically pounced on Louis when they finally got inside, not even waiting for the door to close fully, and one of the paparazzi caught the shot.

The picture was everywhere.

They look so hot together.

Guys I can’t get over that kiss. I know it’s been weeks, but ugghhhhh I just KNOW their sex life is 🔥🔥🔥

I wanna watch 😜

Watch?? I wanna JOIN 😎

Seriously, do you think they’d take a 3rd?

“No, we’ve tried.” Daniel said out loud after reading it. 

Both Louis and Lestat rolled their eyes, but didn’t look up from their phones.

I was literally there and was able to see them make out before the limo door closed. Lestat was going INNNNNN

You know I think Louis is a photographer, you think he takes pics of Lestat naked?

I’ll raise you one and say they’re probably both naked.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Lestat can’t handle ALL of that.

The moment Louis saw that last tweet, he looked immediately to his husband, who began typing away.

“Armand!” Louis and Daniel caught his attention at the same time. 

“On it.” Armand quickly took Lestat’s phone, causing Lestat to snap out of the trance he looked like he was in.

“What? I wasn’t going to say anything.”

All three of them just gave him a look. 

Needless to say Armand and Daniel were kicked out, while Lestat showed Louis just how much he could handle all of that. 

Months later, they got the news that Claudia and Madeleine had broken up. It was hard on Claudia, and after she moved back to the states, she spent a week in her room, while both Louis and Lestat were there for her whenever she needed them. Whether it was to talk, vent, yell, and cry until she couldn’t anymore, they were always there. 

And about a few months after that, she made the decision to enroll at a university, to get a degree and experience college life. 

Both Louis and Lestat got her settled in the dorms, where she was lucky enough to get her own dorm style apartment without a roommate. Louis also did a walk through of the university with campus security. They were happy to give him one because a few of them did know exactly who he was due to them being in the same profession years ago. They had long retired from that life way before Louis had, but let’s just say Louis’ reputation preceded him, and being out of the life or not, he held a level of authority.

Claudia groaned in frustration at her dad feeling the need to be extra, but it was either this or her walking around with a bodyguard every single day, and that would just draw unnecessary attention. However, she would never admit how much it warmed her heart to know that even though her dad was far away, she was always protected. 

So many people wanted Lestat’s autograph when they arrived on campus, but he made his sole purpose about Claudia and making sure she was good to go, and that touched her heart as well. 

Louis and Lestat stayed in the city for a few days until Claudia finally let them know she would be okay and practically had to beg them to leave. Even though Louis had let her go to Paris, it was never easy to have to see her off again, no matter where she was.

Their first marital argument happened about a month later, when Lestat revealed that he would be going on his last tour before retiring. It would be a little over a year long with several of their stops being international. 

When he announced to the world that he would be retiring, his team felt like he owed it to his fans to give them one more tour. Of course he agreed, but immediately afterwards, he wanted to take it back, because the thought of leaving Louis that long made him feel sick.

“A year will go by quick, but I—”

Lestat cut him off, letting his emotions speak for him instead. “So you are okay with us being apart for a whole entire year?” 

“What--”

“It’s hard for me to stay away from you for a minute, but it will be so easy for you for a full twelve months.”  

“Lestat–”

“So you are not worried about the groupies?” Lestat taunted. 

Okay that’s it, Louis had had enough, “So, if I hadn’t planned on going with you, which I was if you would have let me get a word in, you’d let groupies all over you? Well, cher , you’re married now, so act like it.” He walked away to his room after that, closing the door behind him. 

Louis was in the bathroom, undressing to take a shower, when Lestat walked in with tears in his eyes. 

“I didn’t mean….” He cleared his throat, “I didn’t mean what I said about the groupies, I was just…”

“What? Trying to get me riled up and jealous?” Louis wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but of course he got jealous from time to time. All of those people who wanted Lestat, and danced on stage with him during some of his performances, it bothered him sometimes, but he trusted Lestat, and while they were dating, he hadn’t done anything inappropriate with them on or off stage. 

Lestat was always so open with the fact that he didn’t like to share Louis, well just because Louis didn’t talk about it like he did, didn’t mean he liked to share Lestat either.  

“I apologize. I would never…those groupies mean nothing… I see no one but you.”

And Louis knew that. He knew Lestat would never cheat on him. Hell, apparently he had a nightmare one time that Louis had left him for apparently being unfaithful, and he woke up in a sweat, sobbing at the fact he betrayed him. It wasn’t even a sex dream, but just Lestat revealing what he had done and Louis apparently packed a bag and left. Needless to say, Lestat wouldn’t let Louis go for the rest of the night. So, he knew his husband was faithful, but he just hoped the whole trying to make each other jealous act was behind them.

“How would you feel if I said something like that?”

Louis saw Lestat’s eyes darken for a moment, but he braced himself, thinking before he 

spoke. “You’re right, I would hate it. I love you, mon coeur. Please forgive me.”

Lestat was on his knees, holding Louis close, with his arms around his waist. “You’re not going to leave are you?”

“What? Why would I? Here, stand up.” Louis helped him up and cupped his face gently. “I’m not leaving you over something like this. We took vows. For better or for worse, right? I love you, Lestat. This was barely anything. Don’t let your mind ever wander there, okay? I love you too much to leave.”

When Louis kissed him, Lestat couldn’t help but melt into him. 

They ended up showering together, and Louis washed Lestat’s hair just the way he liked it, and they both bathed each other thoroughly. 

That night Lestat wanted to be inside Louis as usual, but this time Louis took charge instead. It had been awhile since he got to be inside of Lestat, so he wasn’t about to pass up this moment. 

They were sitting on the couch in their bedroom, positioned right in front of the full length mirror. Louis had worked Lestat open, graciously, and Lestat almost came undone with just his mouth and fingers alone. He was so ready that he knocked the lubricant out of Louis’ hand and sat slowly on his shaft, loving every moment of the intrusion.

Louis’ almost passed out and how good it felt to be inside of him again. When Lestat sat fully on top of him and leaned back against his chest, they both let out a groan of pleasure. 

Louis was holding onto his waist as Lestat started rocking back and forth, working himself up to the right rhythm.

When he was ready, Louis began bouncing him on his cock. “Open your eyes for me. Watch yourself in the mirror while I take you.”

Lestat obeyed immediately and leaned back against Louis’ chest, while watching them come together.

It was such a beautiful sight as his husband took him in every way.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Lestat.” He nipped at his neck as Lestat began to grind backwards on top of him. Louis was holding his waist with just the right amount of pressure that drove Lestat wild.

It got to a point where Lestat could barely keep his eyes open as Louis thrusted up into him.

“Look how you’re all mine. Look who you belong to.” 

Lestat loved when Louis talked him through it. 

“Say it again. Mon cher , say it again.

“You’re.” Thrust. “ Mine .”. 

“I’m yours, Louis. I’ll always be yours.”

And then Louis began pounding up into Lestat hard and deep, just the way Lestat wanted it.

For a moment, all that could be heard in the room was the slapping of skin. 

Louis then whispered in his ear, “Let yourself go, my love. I’m here. I’m here with you. I’m always gonna be here. I’m always gonna take care of you.”

Right before Louis could even grab at Lestat’s cock to give him some gentle strokes, Lestat came untouched, screaming Louis’ name in pure bliss. 

Louis found his release immediately afterwards, emptying himself fully into Lestat. 

When they moved to the bed, Lestat laid comfortably on Louis’ chest, and placed feather kisses along his skin.

“You know what you said is the same for me too, right?” Lestat had breathed into him, “I’m always gonna be here too. I’m always going to take care of you too.” 

Louis placed a kiss to the top of his head.

They held each other close, and when Lestat reached for him through the night, Louis was more than eager to get back inside of Lestat, but Lestat had other plans.

The tour was going great, so many different places had been explored, and they still had about two months left. 

Louis had gone to every single one of Lestat’s concerts, whether he was in the front row or backstage. He didn’t care how many of the same songs he heard over and over again, he just wanted to be there to show his husband support. There were these precious moments at each and every concert when Lestat would connect his eyes with Louis and every single time, Louis would fall even more in love with him.

To have a love like this, it was something that Louis never expected in a million years.  

Lestat kept calling Louis his muse and seeing his face at every performance made it all worth it.

There were days where they slept on the tour bus among other things, because it was hard to keep their hands off of each other, and then there were the days where they lost themselves in a hotel room.

The band absolutely loved Louis and Louis had grown fond of them.

There had only been three times when Lestat was almost late to his own concert because he and Louis let passion overtake them right before.

But, compared to all of the concerts he’s had so far, three times really wasn’t that bad. 

There were also the breaks they received, sometimes it was only a day or two, and then on some occasions it was a week. The longest they had off was two weeks and they spent that free time either exploring the place they were in or going on a little vacation elsewhere.  

Louis had traveled a lot in his life, but it always had to do with work. And even though this was necessarily work related, it still felt nice to go places without doing the things he used to do.

Daniel and Armand had come along as well. Daniel being hired for his bodyguard services, and Armand as Lestat’s manager, or assistant as Lestat would say.

Louis was even able to put more time into his passion of photography, being able to take random pictures here and there and even some of Lestat and the band. However, many of his pictures of Lestat were for his eyes only because for some reason his husband just loved being nude around him.

And no, Louis was not complaining one bit. 

Claudia came to a few concerts here and there, and on one of their weekly breaks, they visited her at school.

The evening they arrived, after dropping off their items at a hotel close by, they made it to Claudia’s dorm and noticed she had a busted lip.

She explained how she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and tripped and fell on the concrete.

Because she didn’t make a big deal out of it, Louis tried his best not to. So, when she made a food order for all three of them, he chose to go pick it up so he wouldn’t start babying her. 

As soon as he left, Claudia immediately sat down beside Lestat. “Okay, I need to say something, but you can’t tell my dad.” 

Lestat had a feeling Claudia was being dishonest about what happened, but because Louis didn’t lose his cool, \he figured that maybe he should keep it together too and not ask questions. So, he was grateful when she wanted to confide in him. 

“I am pleased you wish to talk to me, but you know I will have to tell your dad.”

Claudia sighed, but still chose to tell him anyway. “There’s this guy who would bother us a lot in our theater class. He was just always rude, disrespectful, and apparently hates women. And for a while, we all tried to just ignore him. But, later on I found out he did something to a friend of mine a while back, and I supported her in her decision to come forward. And she did that yesterday, causing him to be dropped from the university. And um…” She took a breath, “He saw me walking home last night, and I tried to just ignore him and walk away. But, he cornered him and grabbed my arm, and when I pushed him off, my nails scratched onto him, and he slapped me. That’s what happened to my lip. And then I kneed him and ran. I thought about telling campus police, but I know they would call my dad and I just…I know dad’s retired from the things he used to do, but I know if he knew about this, he may ....”

It went without saying, Lestat and Claudia knew Louis would kill him. 

And what Claudia didn’t realize is that Lestat wanted to kill him too.

But, he took a deep breath before he lost his mind, “First and foremost, are you okay? Has he tried to contact you? Does he know where you stay? What’s his name?”

“He hasn’t and I don’t think so.”

“Okay, that’s good.” He then pulled her in a hug. “I am going to have to tell your dad. But, we’ll figure out what’s best okay.”

Claudia nodded, and when they separated from the hug, he noticed the bruise on the back of her arm. 

He saw red, but tried his best to keep his composure. And when she told Lestat his name, he repeated in his head several times so that he could tell Louis.

The door opened not too long after, and Louis walked through with the food. He noticed the apprehensive looks on Lestat’s and Claudia’s faces, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just starving.” Claudia smiled, “You took forever.”

“It was barely ten minutes.”

After they ate, and talked about classes, Claudia decided to get some sleep. “Stay however long you want. The door locks behind itself when you leave.”

Louis went to tuck Claudia in.

“Really, dad? I stopped needing to be tucked in forever ago.”

But Louis knew in his bones, he needed to do so tonight. “Indulge your old man a bit.”

“You’re far from old.”

They both chuckled for a moment, but then Claudia saw the look in Louis’ eyes change. That protectiveness she always felt with her dad amplified in this moment.

She watched as he touched his lip in the same area that her lip was bruised.

“You know?”

He shook his head. “I don’t, but you can tell me now or Lestat can. It’s whatever you feel more comfortable with.”

 Claudia should have known he didn’t buy the whole ‘fell on the concrete’ tale.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I just… I’m exhausted.” She took a deep breath. “Just um… when he tells you, can you just… can you be careful?”

Louis nodded. “Are you okay, though?”

She knew what he was asking without asking it. “I am… I will be.”

He kissed her forehead right before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. 

Lestat was in the kitchenette area, cleaning up their plates from dinner.

“What happened?”

Lestat’s eyes widened, “She told you?”

“No, she wants you to tell me. That’s the only reason why I left to pick up the food. I know my daughter and I could tell that the whole falling story was a lie. Just like I know that what you’re about to tell me, she probably didn’t want you to say anything.”

Lestat nodded and leaned back against the sink. “I told her I couldn’t keep it from you.”

He gave a light smile, and held onto his hands. “I know. I’m glad she feels comfortable coming to you. You’re a part of this family too.”

Lestat kissed his forehead.

“Tell me everything.

And so he did.

Before Louis left back out that night, Lestat said he would stay and watch over her. “Be careful, mon cher .” He then pressed a kiss to Louis’ lips, their foreheads touching for a moment. “You make him hurt.”

Louis’ eyes connected with Lestat’s after that, and the look in his eyes warmed his heart. They would do anything to protect Claudia. 

Even though they were on a break from the tour, this was still their next tour stop when it started back up again, so Daniel was in town. 

When Louis told Daniel, he pulled all the information on the guy, and found him in no time. He then met Louis in an undisclosed area.

Apparently this waste of space had a history of assaults against women, women who were too scared to come forward. But that was okay, because Louis was about to do something very very permanent. Not only did this creep have a history, he put hands on his daughter. And who knows what else could have happened if she didn’t gain the upper hand. Who knows what could have happened if she chose to keep it a secret.

The decision had been easy. Coming out of retirement for an hour wasn’t even up for discussion when his daughter was involved. 

So, first the guy’s hands went, and then he and Daniel tied him in a car, letting it blow up outside of town.

No one would miss him; that was for sure.

Lestat was sitting on the couch, trying to not let his mind wander, and when Louis walked through the door, he immediately jumped to his feet.

He noticed Louis had on different clothing, and he knew why.

“I went back to the hotel to shower and change clothes.”

Lestat pulled him into a hug, “Is it taken care of?”

Louis nodded. “He’ll never be able to hurt anyone again.”

“And are you okay?” Lestat sat back down on the couch, and Louis sat beside him. “I know it’s not something you do anymore, but I’m here okay? You don’t have to feel what you’re feeling alone.” He pulled Louis into his arms.

Louis took a shuddered breath sinking into the comfort of Lestat's arms. “Is she okay?”

“She’s still sleeping.”

Louis nodded and tried not to let the tears come.

“You raised a strong daughter.”

“She shouldn’t have to ever be in a situation like that. He could have—” 

“But he didn’t.” Lestat held onto him even tighter. “Don’t let your thoughts go there, mon cher .” 

Louis choked on a sob, “I think um… I’m going to stay for a little while with her. I just… I need to make sure she’s going to be truly okay. I can meet you in a few weeks.”

“I can reschedule the next couple cities, and stay.”

“No, no you don’t have too.” Louis cuddled in closer. 

Lestat ended up rescheduling the next three shows in different cities, and stayed with his family. 

The last show finally came at the end of the year. And it wasn’t just Louis, Armand, and Daniel in attendance, like usual, Claudia was also there, their family, and the rest of their friends.
The last song Lestat performed was a new song dedicated to his husband, and his eyes stayed on Louis the entire time.

Performing his last song on stage was worthwhile, and Louis was so incredibly proud of him. 

Everyone was.

And as Louis sat in the crowd, present day, as his husband won the Emmy for Album of the Year, he tried not to let a tear escape his eye, but it was no use. 

“.... Je t'aime, toujours .”

Knowing Lestat could see him, Louis mouthed, “I love you, always.” 

That night, they decided to forgo the afterparty and spend time at home in each other’s arms. 

“How do you feel?” Louis asked him, as Lestat laid his head on Louis’ lap, them both finally coming up for air. 

“Like I’m on cloud nine. I’d rather still be inside of you though.”

Louis smiled and playfully tugged at his hair a bit, “You know what I mean. About everything. Your Grammy win? Your retirement from music?”

“Ah, yes.” Lestat sighed. “I feel good actually. It is bittersweet. I’m glad you were by my side through it all. And I thank you for that.”

Louis continued to smile at him. “You don’t have to thank me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” 

“Thank you for loving me, my saint Louis.” He pulled his face down to capture his lips. “For protecting me, for being my home.”

“There you go, thanking me for something that comes as easy as breathing.” Louis wiped the tears from Lestat’s eyes.

“I think we should go on an official honeymoon.” Lestat suggested.

“Haven’t we gone on many already?”

“Well, not officially, mon cher. We traveled on tour and on breaks from the tour, but never something where there is no work involved. Just us. You and I.” 

Louis didn’t have to think long. “You make a good point.”

“They have two week cruises….”

“I’ve actually never been on one.” Louis admitted.

“Surprisingly, neither have I.”

“Then it’ll be our first.”

“Together.” Lestat concluded.

Louis then brought Lestat’s hand up to his lips and placed a tender kiss to it. “I should thank you, you know. The love you’ve given me over the years has been…. it’s been everything. You have been everything to me, Lestat. My heart. So really, it should be me thanking you for loving me, for giving me yourself… for having me.” 

Lestat sat up and pulled Louis into another deep kiss. “I would do it again over and over again. All my love belongs to you. You are its keeper.” He then held him close and nestled against him as they stared into each other's eyes.

They drifted off to sleep not too long afterwards. Both feeling so incredibly loved, safe, and knowing that no matter what life threw at them they would tackle it together. 

Forever. Always. 

Chapter Text

Years had passed since their official honeymoon, and Louis and Lestat were still as inseparable as ever. Since their first cruise, they had been on a few more, and already had another one planned next year. Louis loved the level of excitement Lestat had when they arrived at the ports to take tours and do different excursions. Even when Louis had moments where he wanted to spend time out on their balcony reading and watching the calmness of the ocean, Lestat would join him, both of them in the most comfortable robes, just enjoying the peace they deserved.  And it also went without saying that there may have been a day or two when they didn’t leave their room.

Other than the cruises and some smaller travels here and there, they both lived a somewhat boring life. And it’s exactly what they wanted. They spent as much time together as they could and they never got tired of one another. If they did get into an argument or a bickering match, it was few and far between, and they always made sure they never went to bed mad at one another. Plus, when they made up, the make up sex was definitely life altering. 

Louis still had a passion for photography and owned a little studio where he not only held free classes a few times a week to the youth who were interested in learning, but also any photographs he took himself and sold, all of the proceeds went to different charities every month. Lestat also took the opportunity to teach free piano classes a couple times a week as well to new and upcoming youth within the community.

This was their life now, and they absolutely loved it.

They finished all the renovations to their home, which complimented the cozy life they had built together.

Grace and Levi had tied the knot, had twin girls, and was expecting a baby boy in about four months. 

Armand and Daniel adopted a child, and Daniel finally retired from the bodyguard business. 

Claudia was engaged to Madeleine and would be getting married at the end of the year. Those two reunited about two years ago, both in a better place to officially start over. Although they had experienced different things during their years they were apart, they reconnected, realizing just how much they missed each other. 

They made their official home in the states, but visited Paris several times throughout the 

year. And they were happy. 

Extremely happy.

It was a Friday night, and both Louis and Lestat were spending it at home curled up on the sofa, enjoying a homemade pizza they made together, and watching reality television. Lestat was a pro in the kitchen now,  so he loved making their meals every day. And although this was a night they both cooked together, prior to actually eating, they got a little messy with the flour, and with them being who they were, they ended up entangled on the kitchen floor.

It went without saying, but they both could never get enough of each other.

Claudia and Madeleine would have been arriving back from Paris today, but the flights were cancelled due to the weather.

When Claudia had video called them, Louis knew exactly what she wanted to say.

“I know I was supposed to do this in person, but it’ll probably be another two days before I’m there, and I can’t wait any longer.” She was eager, yet Louis could see a tad bit of anxiousness cross her features. But, he knew that she didn’t have to be. “Dad, can you give it to him please?”

Louis grinned as he pulled out the envelope from his bag and handed it to Lestat. 

“What is this?” Lestat placed his drink down and took a hold of it. 

He opened it, to see signed papers from Claudia, requesting for Lestat to adopt her and be her dad as well.

Lestat almost felt like his heart had stopped beating. 

“Claudia…. I–” Lestat choked on a sob.

“Of course my phone would have shitty reception at this exact moment.” Claudia stated "I can't hear him, what did he say? Is he crying?” 

Louis chuckled, and held Lestat close who had tears streaming out of his eyes. 

“He is.” Louis then held onto the phone for Lestat, while he was trying his best not to tear up as well, but ultimately failing in the end. 

“Are you…. Are you sure?” Lestat questioned.

There were now tears in Claudia’s eyes as well. “I’ve never been more sure about anything. I mean accept for saying yes to Madeline’s proposal, but you know what I mean.”

All three of them laughed through the tears. 

“I know it was supposed to be in person, but I couldn't hold this in any longer.” She finally found an area with clearer reception. “You love my dad. You love me. And you’ve been such a wonderful addition to this family. You are my dad too and I’m lucky to have you both.”

Lestat was doing his best to hold it together.

“So, I hope you sign.”

“I’m signing as we speak.” He grabbed a pen and placed his signature in all the appropriate spots. “I don’t… I don’t have words….” He took a deep breath. “Thank you, Claudia. Thank you.” 

“No. Thank you . Okay, well we’ll see you both in a few days if the weather permits. Love you dads.”

“Love you too.” They responded in unison. 

Lestat looked at Louis and pulled him into a tight hug. “Oh mon cher , she really wants me to be her dad?”

Louis nodded, “You’ve been her dad for quite some time, this just makes it even more official.”

Lestat smiled through the tears and then kissed him. “I love our family. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Louis melted into the kiss for a moment. “We all do.” 

Lestat then stood up, and held out his hand for Louis to grab. “Dance with me.”

“Now?”

“What better time than any?”

Louis grabbed his hand and stood up. “You pick the song this time.”

Lestat didn’t even really need to think about it. “How about the song we sang on our first cruise together during karaoke? Mr. I never told my husband and the love of my life that I could sing.”

Louis couldn’t help but laugh out, “Not this again.”

Their very first cruise they participated in karaoke, and it was the first time Lestat had heard Louis sing. He had a lovely voice and needless to say brat Lestat came out that night because not only did he not know Louis could sing after all of this time, he had to learn that fact with all the cruise attendees instead of hearing it by himself first. 

Louis had actually thought brat Lestat was sexy that night and even more sexy when he was swallowing him whole when they got back to their room. He put Lestat through the mattress that night for what felt like hours. 

It was such a lovely memory.

“I’m just saying, mon coeur , is there anything else you want to share with me that I should know about.” He smiled as they twirled each other around with no music. 

“Hmmm, let me think….” And then Louis held his arms around Lestat, bringing him close, while pressing his lips against his ear, as he began to sing just a bit above a whisper.

“ Baby I just wanna be yours, I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours…….”

And Lestat held onto Louis’ waist, pulling him in even closer that not even air could get between them.

When Louis had met Lestat, it was his sole purpose and job to protect and keep him safe. He never imagined this is where their lives would end up, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.