Work Text:
Louis wakes up in the middle of the night, parched and wanting a glass of water. Upon opening his eyes, he finds that Lestat is not next to him. He doesn't panic though, because he knows there's a ninety-nine percent chance he's going to turn over and find Lestat hovering over Claudia. Either attending to her or just watching her sleep as he often likes to do. Thank god she's a heavy sleeper.
Louis likes to do it too, though. Simply sitting and observing this tiny, perfect little human who's visually the perfect mix of himself and Lestat. When he watches her, his mind wanders. He wonders whose personality hers will most resemble, what her favorite color will be, the clothes she'll want to dress herself in, the hobbies she'll enjoy, the career she'll pursue…
Then he remembers that in order to find out those things about her, she'll have to grow up and stop being so little. His inner conflict of not being able to wait to see her grow into her own person versus wanting to her to stay this small forever is agonizing. But at least he doesn't have to make the decision himself. Time will make it for him.
He turns over to see Lestat sat in the chair next to Claudia's cradle, rocking it gently. There's a slight jerk of Lestat's shoulders then, and Louis hears him weeping softly.
"Is she alright?" Louis asks, trying not to sound too panicked as he hurriedly but quietly gets out of bed and approaches Lestat and Claudia, his thirst forgotten.
Lestat turns around, hastily wiping away his tears. "Yes, she is fine." He answers quickly. "But… Look at her, Louis." He turns back to Claudia, tears again pooling in his eyes, replacing the ones he just got rid of.
Louis moves closer to the cradle and looks at their daughter, who's wearing a soft blue onesie with a teddy bear pattern and sleeping as peacefully as ever. Perfect. He couldn't find a thing wrong with her if he tried.
"What's the matter?"
Another tear escapes Lestat's eye. "I was watching her and she started fussing. I placed her in here since it always seems to soothe her, but I then realized that she barely fits inside it anymore."
Louis looks back to Claudia, and notices for himself that she is, indeed, outgrowing it. When she was first born, she looked microscopic inside her cradle. It almost seemed too big for her. Now, at about four months old, she's quickly running out of room. Soon, she won't be able to lay in it at all. Tears now well in Louis' eyes too.
"I didn't realize she'd gotten so big." He says softly.
Lestat sniffles. "Neither did I."
They're both quiet for a while. Louis puts a comforting hand on Lestat's back and they watch Claudia sleep together. Observing her slight movements and seeing her chest rise and fall with each breath.
"I know neither of us are ready for her to grow up, but think about it…" Louis starts. "Soon, she's gonna start rolling over. She's gonna babble more. She's gonna laugh. We're gonna get to hear our daughter's laugh for the first time."
Lestat starts crying harder at this, but nods. "I know, and I cannot wait for those things. I just fear I am not cherishing this time with her enough. She's practically going to be leaving for college in a week."
Louis stifles a small laugh. "She's barely four months. It'll be a little longer than that till college. And if you're too worried about 'appreciating' this time with her, you'll end up missing out on more than if you just lived in the moment." It's a reminder to Lestat, but also to himself.
Lestat sighs, but nods again, still staring misty-eyed at Claudia and rocking the cradle steadily.
"Why don't we go back to sleep? We can move the cradle over by the bed so we don't have to take her out." Louis suggests.
Lestat looks up at Louis with tear-shined puppy eyes. "Just a few more minutes?" He pleads.
Louis smiles. "Yeah, alright."
They stay for another hour.