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“I have a surprise for you,
Mon Cher
.”
Louis tilted his head, eyes leaving the sidewalk in front of them. They’d been traveling all over the globe for Lestat’s concerts, and although it was always exciting to see the world and how time had changed it, he was happy to be home. New Orleans was just as alive as she’d always been, and he could practically feel his own bed only a few blocks away. They had been walking home, but now…
“Oh? And what would that be?” he responded, curiosity lacing his every word. It was no telling with his lover, as he is always five steps ahead so to speak. Lestat grinned, mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You will see soon enough.”
The lights of the city danced as people stumbled to their next destinations, whether that be home or to the next bar. Music filtered through the night as it always did, and people’s excited conversations joined with it. He’d missed this more than he realized. Catching Lestat’s gaze, he noticed the other staring. If he was honest with himself, he’d missed something else too. He was lucky he could now just take it.
Louis paused their steps to lean up and kiss him. Lestat let out a surprised, delighted noise. A faint blush– blood courtesy of some nosey fans that had gotten too close to their dressing room– rose to his cheeks, coloring them a pleasant pink. Louis smiled. Something preened in his chest, both possessive and nostalgic.
“Louis..” Lestat paused, voice barely hiding his elation, “I cannot wait for you to see what I have done. As much as I’d love to kiss you in the moonlight–”
“Okay, okay,” Louis said, laughing at the others' eagerness. He allowed his companion to lead him back to their house, their
home
. Piercing blue eyes watching him intently as he unlocked the door. He wasn’t sure exactly what he expected when he opened the door, but a fully decorated house wasn’t one of them.
Christmas had completely taken over. Lights, fake snow, a gigantic tree. Ornaments that shined like they had just been cleaned moments before. Tinsel lining the mantle, candles lit and filling the room with a nice aroma. It was all so extra but all so beautiful. So domestic. Louis had missed this type of thing. The warmth, the happiness that radiated off every surface. It was cosy, for a lack of a better word. It was home.
He was surprised to find tears coming to his eyes, emotions welling up and bubbling over. Lestat, concerned, took his hands in his own.
“Do you not like it?” he hurriedly asked, confusion and fear written all over his face. Louis shook his head, squeezing their fingers closer together.
“I love it. I do, I do, it’s just a lot..” he took a breath, looking around. “It’s everything I could’ve ever wanted for Christmas. People would kill for their house to look like this, Les, I..”
His voice was soft with adoration. His chest seized with both love and loss. If Claudia was here, she would love all the thoughtful details hidden in plush fabrics and fake little ceramic villages sitting on shelves. His breath caught.
“She would’ve appreciated this.”
Lestat’s eyes met his, a deep understanding passing between the two of them. There was a cavern of grief inside of their bond, flexing and molding and forever staining their love. It was messy, and difficult, and some days they couldn’t handle the weight that sat on their shoulders. It lingered in the air and haunted their every move.
Then again, they would never have to be separated again. They always had each other to lean on, to cling to, to love and desire with every bone in their dead bodies.
“Louis.. I cannot fix what we have lost, but I can build somewhere we can learn to live with what's happened. I want that for us. I want you. I want this. Going on in this world isn’t easy,
Saint Louis
, but I don’t find myself minding if it’s with you.”
Louis wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck, surrounded by the glow of the holidays. It felt like a sincere embrace all around them. Maybe in another life, a smaller pair of arms would have joined them. Tonight though, the brilliance of the holidays was all that kept them company. For now, he was okay with that.