Chapter Text
Lestat De Lioncourt had a tradition, ever since he’d formed his first band as a boy they always picked the latest shows because, well, that was cool and then this band and vampires so when they started doing little tours that evolved to doing one midnight show on the final night.
That tradition had been kept alive even when all they hit it big, one last concert at an ungodly hour just because it was what they did, that one was tonight, two concerts mere hours apart just for the hell of it.
When he rose from the bed, just in time to make said concert, covering Louis with the blanket and taking one last longing look.
Lestat laughed, one he quickly muffled with his hand as to not wake his fiancée but a laugh of pure amusement and shock because… he was going to have this family and this life and he was making it public, official, tonight.
Lestat was… nervous, oddly enough, he was so excited to announce his love for Louis to the world but as he waited for his entrance cue he felt so nervous.
He wasn’t not a nervous man but it wasn’t unprecedented for him to be nervous about things but he didn’t think he would be: it was a simple announcement at the end of the concert where the world would know how he loved his Saint Louis… ok, maybe he should’ve shown up earlier so they could’ve rehearsed but he didn’t because he was busy and who was to fault him for that.
“Les! It’s time to go on!” Avery squealed from around the door. Bouncing on their toes, fake fangs shining from an increasingly wide smile on their face.
“Yes, it, uh…. It is” that excitement was back as he pushed himself up and off the vanity, heading out and towards the stage.
“Wait!” Avery called from behind him.
“Yes?” He called over his shoulder.
“You forgot the veil!” They ran up to Lestat and placed it on his head.
…right, the veil! Well, you see Lestat foresaw (more accurately: hoped) Louis accepting his proposal and announcing their engagement tonight so he has this concert themed around it,
changing the set list to his more romantic and love oriented songs, Louis’ polished for performance.
the entire band in white, though still vampiric,
Lestat had on his dress with drapery around his hips and knees, the top had to be taken in because he didn’t have breast but it still dipped slightly and fit comfortably, the veil was a massive thing that had been sat on a dress form as to not be dirtied though it touched the ground even then, even on Lestat’s head it dragged behind him.
Avery was in a top adorned with ruffles off the sleeves and beading draping from the neck, gloves and a cane in hand, pearl encrusted.
“Oh! Thank you” he said honestly.
“Of course! How are we supposed to have a wedding themed concert without a wedding veil?” They scoffed.
“Come on!” Richie called down the hall, Annie and Vici behind him.
“Ok, ok!”
The blinding lights made his heart race once again, the crowd deafening even through his ear piece, the band entered first as always but especially today it was mostly because nobody wanted to step on the veil.
When they did the crowd erupted, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for their outfits to be different but people knew they were in for a show when they wore white.
When the spotlight landed on him and he walked down the steps the crowd was even louder with gasp, applause, wild cheering and wolf whistles.
He took it in as he made his way down, heeled boots clicking somehow so audible, veil dragging behind him slowly, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, remembering Louis peacefully sleeping at home before grabbing the microphone with both hands and screaming “hello New Orleans!-“ he screamed “-are you ready for a very special performance from the vampire Lestat?!” The screaming was intelligible this time, chorus of ‘fuck yeah’s and ‘please’s and ‘yes’s.
The band started playing, he looked behind them quickly, all of their smiles growing before he turned back and started singing.
The first song was a favorite of them all, getting the energy up immediately,
Lestat was good on stage, he knew that, that’s why he did it.
Well, he did it because he loved it, always had since he was a boy.
One thing, one nice thing, he loved growing up was the theatre his mother, Gabriella, liked to see any sort of stage show based off books she liked and she’d take Lestat. She'd offer to take his brothers but they declined so it was just them and how happy he was, looking back, that it was because he was allowed to be in love with everything on that stage,
how the actors moved so elegantly one second and frantically the next
and spoke,
And sang,
and looked.
There were very few shows she’d taken him to that he didn’t like… not until-
He was channeling that now, he was sure, as he took in that crowd's energy.
He couldn’t properly see anyone, not really with the spotlight, but he could feel how they took in the word he was singing like they water, like they needed them to survive, it was always wonderful, to do what others had done for him, enraptured them even if was louder, flashier, gaudy and garish.
He made his way backstage briefly to hook up to the wires seeing Armand who spoke “you shouldn’t be too… we need you to be sure to make this not seem like a fling”
“It’s not” he scoffed, he had his arms above his head as he was snapped in: it was quicker this way.
“Maybe but you do this a lot” Armand said plainly.
“Do what?” He saw the two people strapping him into the harness tense, they were new.
Armand rolled those hugely expressive eyes “Fuck people and say you love them”
“Oh! Oh, I do that?-“ he started to raise his voice but stopped, taking a deep breath “-…ok”
Armand took a step back and blinked “Ok?”
“Ok… I’ll make my love for Louis clear, because it is love, I love him”
“…if you say so” Armand nodded before walking off and he walked back on stage.
And wow… just wow, he was always in awe of it when he did.
Looking to Richie, whose front was now covered in the fake blood, beaming as the crowd cheered for his solo.
They were all covered in blood, actually, and it made Lestat in his pristine white stand out all the more… for the moment, anyways, he wouldn’t end this song so.
The next song started and he rose above the crowd, this was always one of his favorite parts, he’d done it a million times and yet it had never lost its splendor to him, it was especially wonderful with the veil finally leaving the ground, billowing under him.
It didn’t lose splendor for the crowd either, they adored him and how nice was that?
To be adored.
To be adored just for being, doing, what he’d always wanted to be…
Ok, well, if you had asked a little Lestat De Lioncourt what he wanted to be when he grew up he’d say an actor at that same little theatre he loved so, not an internationally famous rockstar with a vampire theme but he thought that little boy would be proud to see this and how loved he was.
By the crowd of course but, now, by Louis as well… and what a joy it was to be loved by Louis.
“Alright everyone!-” He called into his mic after the final song, or what was supposed to be, “-as I’m sure everyone’s been talking about we debuted a new song and we will be performing it in its new polished form tonight!”
Cheering, as expected.
He continued “And tonight’s concert is very special as I’m sure some of you wonderful people guessed from the new costumes and tracklist…” a pause for effect, drumroll from Annie, muttering could be heard from the crowd a few times he heard ‘Armand’ making him roll his eyes but finally he said “-I am getting married to the most wonder man, the one and only Louis Du Pointe Du Lac!-“ he meant to continue but he was cut off by the band cheering wildly which made the crowd do the same.
He made no move to stop them, just taking it all in. “This song is dedicated to him, the man I was dancing with, the man I love, my Saint Louis and future husband” he considered saying something akin to ‘the future Louis De Lioncourt’ but he didn't think Louis would take his name and he didn’t want him to, it seemed like bad luck after Armand…
Armand still had his name, didn’t he?…
Yes, that was something he allowed him to keep.
He- Armand pissed him off, yes, but he was Armand all the same, he was such an important fixture of his life that he couldn’t imagine leaving it no matter how angry he was with the man, spitting accusations he knew nothing of,
Almost Telling Louis things that, while true, were nonsense, inconsequential to his engagement to Louis, yes, his divorce had nothing to do with his marriage, his past love for Armand had nothing to do with Louis, and if he threw the word around like Armand said that was his business because he certainly didn’t throw the feeling around.
No, with Louis it was as if they were always supposed to be together, It was as if a string had been slowly pulling them together, slowly, agonizingly, until that fated day they met and now they were together, in love,
and now the world knew about it.
He beamed as he threw up his arm, waving to the feral crowd…. His heart panged… how he wished Louis was here to see.
Lestat got in at about three in the morning, he had to be up at around five for their flight but such little sleep wasn’t uncommon for him.
He sighed heavily as he walked into the master bedroom where and Louis was sleeping and made his way into the shower washing the fake blood and sweat off his skin and hair.
When he got out Louis was sitting up in the bed, scrolling on his phone. “Hey” he whispered with a soft smile.
“Louis, Mon Cher, why are you awake? Was I too loud?” He laid himself across his loves legs.
Louis put his phone down and started carding his fingers through his wet hair “no, I just wake up in the middle of the night all the time so be prepared for that”
“Ah, another night owl?” He asked.
“Mmm, kinda, never really got the chance to be but I would stay up late to make sure Paul didn’t… he liked to watch the sunrise on the roof” Louis tried to sound casual but got a far off look in his eyes.
“Paul?”
“My baby brother he, uh, he passed away” tears pricked those beautiful brown eyes.
“…I’m sorry I- I can’t say I don’t relate entirely but I’m sure I don’t understand your bond with your siblings” sadness broke into his voice but only as a result of Louis’ thoughts of his brothers didn’t elicit much.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I have two older brothers and i am the youngest but… -“ he sat up, moving to sit cross legged “-I was never close with my brothers they- they inherited my father's cruel tendencies so they are dead to me and I know that’s not the same a-“ suddenly Louis’ arms were around him.
“Thank you” he whispered.
“For what?” He couldn’t hug Louis back with how his arms were pinned and his head was against his stomach.
“Trying to understand… no, it’s not the same at all but, I dunno, at least you get some of it. Paul was just… troubled” Louis took on a tone of voice so specific Lestat knew the look in his eyes without even having to see it.
“…troubled?” He whispered oh, so, softly.
“Like… he heard things, saw things, felt things and-“ he cut himself off with a sob.
“I- I understand, I do. Truly, you don’t need to tell me anymore” he soothed.
They ended up falling asleep in that uncomfortable position, simply being in each other's presence…
Neither noticed the phones buzzing with messages and articles about who in the hell were Louis Du Lac and his family.