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Louis de Pointe du Lac was not exactly keen on the day that his husband and daughter had planned. He had a feeling that no good could come from spending an entire morning and afternoon in direct sunlight, but when Lestat approached him excitedly a few days prior, he couldn’t help but agree to going on this adventure.
“Louis, look at this gorgeous beach. We have never taken Claudia to the beach before, mon cheri. We must go,” Lestat chirped excitedly, pressing his shoulder against his husband’s shoulder just to show him the photos he was studying on Instagram.
“We ain’t exactly a beach-going family, Lestat,” Louis quipped.
He put the book that he was reading down and started thinking about the last time that he had been to the hellscape of a place that people around the world specifically traveled to and enjoyed. Sand had found its way into every crevice that his body could provide. Every. Fucking. Crevice. The seaweed that laid across the ground had gotten tangled in his toes and was filled with God-knows what. He could’ve sworn that he had seen something crawl across his middle and big toes when that had happened. The ocean had burned his eyes into oblivion, not to mention the dehydration that almost had him passing out on the way home. No, the beach was not a place that he had ever intended on visiting again.
Lestat’s lip jutted out in an adorable way as his blue gaze poured into Louis’, “Don’t you think it would be beautiful to watch the sun rise? Claudia should experience it at least once. You act as if you are a vampire when it comes to the sun.”
“Les-“
Before Louis could speak any further, the front door was opened and closed and Claudia’s voice rang throughout the foyer, “Daddy Lou, Daddy Les, I’m home!”
Lestat’s eyes glimmered with mischief and the knowledge that he had then had his accomplice in achieving what he wanted. He could practically feel Lestat’s happiness at the fact that Claudia had gotten home from school in this exact moment. He tore his gaze from Louis’ and to where Claudia would inevitably step in, “Ma petite, would you come to the family room?”
Louis had glared at his lover knowingly. Despite the fact that their daughter had fought for more of her independence with her fathers to prove just how grown-up and different she was than them, it still faltered in times like this. And despite how angry and defiant she became when being compared to Lestat, she was more like him than she ever wanted to admit. Louis knew that his case against the beach was already closed and that they would be going. Her footsteps echoed throughout the house until she had made her way to the room that they were in. She set her backpack down and looked between them skeptically.
Lestat shot up from the couch after throwing his phone to the side, “Would you like to watch the sun rise and spend a day at the beach this weekend?”
Claudia’s eyes widened with excitement as she looked between her dads, and Louis melted at the way that she bobbed up and down on her feet with sheer excitement, “Yes! I’ve always wanted to have a beach day! We never go to the beach. Why haven’t we done this before?”
Louis sighed silently and closed his eyes briefly before opening them. Both Lestat and Claudia had already begun to discuss swimwear and what activities could be done while they spent the day in the sun. Claudia draped her torso over his lap after he had picked his book up again. Her head rested on the arm of the couch beside him. Lestat sat next them with Claudia’s legs hanging over his thighs. Louis felt resigned, letting them plan for the adventure that would inevitably result in discomfort.
_________________
The inevitable beach day had finally arrived.
Louis found himself standing in the middle of the sand with armfuls of supplies while it was still dark. The sky on the horizon was just starting to brighten slightly, but they still had time to set up before the big reveal of the sun itself. Lestat and Claudia had done most of the shopping for this endeavor. They had bought everything that one could possibly need for a beach day. Louis carried a large colorful beach blanket, a red cooler full of various drinks, two umbrellas, and a bag of random items.
“Daddy Les, help me put the blanket down first,” Claudia dropped the two full bags of supplies on her shoulders down onto the sand.
Lestat had followed suit with his bags, a beach chair, and a second cooler. This one was blue. They snatched the beach blanket from Louis’ grasp and laid it down carefully. Thankfully, it was not very windy that morning. There was just a gentle breeze. After ensuring that the placement was perfect, they had started setting up everything else. One corner of the blanket held both coolers. The red one that Louis had held sat in the sand while the blue cooler that Lestat had carried, which was full of different foods and snacks, sat on the blanket.
“Put the bag of towels on the other corner, cherie,” Lestat pointed limply with his hand at the corner that Claudia was standing by. Louis simply watched with humor as the pair worked together without him. Times like this were rare, and he wanted to soak up as much as he could get before the inevitable argument that would send everything crashing down.
Finally, ten more minutes went by with debate on where the other bags should go, and then it was done. They were ready for the day. Lestat and Claudia sat on the blanket in oversized beach-themed shirts that they had bought at the store, the fabric rustling gently against their bodies as the breeze flowed against them. Lestat's was pink, Claudia's was purple, and Louis' was green. When they presented his shirt to him the night prior, he couldn't help but laugh at the fact that they were going to be matching. Lestat and Claudia had their feet shoved into the sand while leaning back. Louis sat in a beach chair behind them. He came prepared. There was no way that there would be sand in any his crevices this time.
Conversation flowed easily for several minutes, but as soon as the sun started to rise further off in the horizon, Claudia stood up and grabbed her phone, “I’ve gotta get this on my camera. C’mon dad.” She grinned from ear to ear when Lestat stood up and brushed his ass off even though there was no sand to be found. Lestat looked back at him with a smirk. Maybe this was worth it. Louis’ family seemed content for once. Louis stood up and couldn’t resist walking with them to the water’s edge to watch the sun finally peak out from it’s bed.
“Look! Look Daddy Lou!” Claudia gasped as the sun began to fully rise. Her phone was poised in the air and she was taking a video. Louis had to admit, he was impressed with what was happening so far this morning. He wasn’t sure if he would admit this to Lestat though. He felt Lestat’s arm wrap around his waist in that moment and leaned into it. The warmth of his lover’s body was lovely. They watched in silence as the sun continued its quickening route into the sky.
“How magnifique,” Lestat commented, his breath taken away by the beauty in front of them. Louis couldn’t help but stare at Lestat, enamored by his porcelain skin and bright-colored eyes that glimmered in awe of the sunrise. The way that his blonde hair shimmered in the golden light was something that he realized he wanted to see more often.
“Lemme take a picture of you both,” Louis removed himself from Lestat’s arm and stepped backward.
Claudia passed Louis her phone and it became a photoshoot. Claudia and Lestat smiled in a few, and then Lestat started to pose dramatically, which provoked Claudia to do the same. Their laughter filled the air and Louis couldn’t help but laugh too. The final photo included both Lestat and Claudia jumping into the air with their arms and legs outstretched, mouths agape with giggles. Louis would have to print this one, surely.
Lestat snatched the phone from Louis’ hands, “Your turn, mon cœur.” Lestat snapped more photos of Louis and Claudia, who both beamed into the camera, arms wrapped around each other tightly. They posed in silly ways like Lestat and Claudia had, upon Claudia’s initiation, and then Lestat turned around, holding the camera up and flipping it around to selfie mode, “We must have one all together.”
After a few selfies, Claudia took her phone back and demanded that she take some of her fathers. Louis slung an arm around Lestat’s waist while Lestat’s arm flung around Louis’ shoulders. They grinned with shy smiles, close-lipped, hearts fluttering with the same pattern of adoration that they had always carried for each other. Lestat couldn’t help himself after that, grabbing Louis’ jaw with a perfectly manicured hand and pulling his mouth against his. Claudia’s nose wrinkled with mock disgust, but she still snapped a photo anyway.
After their photos, they all convened at the beach blanket. Claudia munched on breakfast that Louis had prepared for her while Lestat puffed on a cigarette. They waited for the sun to rise fully before making their next move.
“I want to build a sand castle,” Claudia mentioned, leaning on one arm towards the bag of sand castle supplies that she demanded Lestat purchase the day before, “Daddy Lou, would you please build one with me?”
Louis pursed his lips, “I hate sand, Claudia. Maybe Dad would want to-“
Lestat sighed dramatically, “Louis, you will have to join us eventually, but yes Claudia, I will build one with you.”
“Why don’t you both build one and I’ll be the judge. See who wins and all that,” Louis offered. Both Lestat and Claudia’s heads swiveled around to face each other. The competition was on. Lestat was one of the most competitive people that Louis knew, and Claudia… Well, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Both of them hopped up on their feet, but Louis stopped them, “Ah ah ah. Sunscreen first.”
Lestat waltzed over to his husband, bending down in front of him to take the sunscreen from its rightful place in his bag. He placed his hand on Louis’ thigh for support, squeezing once he was about to be fully upright again. Lestat winked before turning to his daughter, “You first. We cannot have you burning within the first hour of being here.”
Claudia rolled her eyes, “If anyone is gonna burn here, it’s going to be you because you’re gonna to forget to put on sunscreen after an hour passes. And stop flirting with the judge. He’s not picking your castle just because he’s in love with you.”
“I’m offended that you think I would use my status with your father to win this competition. I will win based on pure talents alone,” Lestat retorted, slathering sunscreen onto his daughter’s back. He rubbed the lotion into her skin with circular motions and turned her around by her arm to gently wipe some across her face. He passed her the bottle to do the rest of her body.
“You don’t have the talents that I have,” Claudia stated confidently, “I’m going to begin so I can get a head start. You better not copy my ideas.” Claudia finished with the bottle and tossed it to Lestat.
Lestat rolled his eyes, gripping the sunscreen bottle and shoving it towards Louis expectantly, without any words. Louis’ sunglasses fell down his nose while he watched them have a silent standoff. He had a feeling that Lestat was going to be sulking later if he lost. He took the bottle from Lestat’s fingers. Without another word, Claudia grabbed some sand castle supplies and stalked off towards a patch of sand to begin her work.
Louis squeezed the lotion onto his hands and rubbed it to warm it up. Lestat faced his back towards Louis and released a low hum of approval once Louis started massaging the sunscreen into the skin on his back, “Ugh, keep going Louis. It feels so good.”
Louis shook his head, laughing, “Yeah? You like that? You gonna be upset if you lose the castle-building competition?”
Lestat moaned quietly, just loud enough for Louis to hear, “I’m not going to lose.” He slid the glasses from his spot beside him on the floor onto his face while throwing his head back in exaggerated ecstasy. Louis knew that Lestat was enjoying being massaged with the sunscreen, but he also had a feeling that Lestat was also being just a tad dramatic. Lestat was clearly trying to persuade Louis with his wantonness.
“You sure?” Louis played along, hand sneaking just below Lestat’s brightly colored swim trunks on his lower back. Lestat arched his back into it and sighed, “Oui.”
“Better get building then,” Louis pulled his hands away, smirking. He playfully shoved at Lestat’s asscheeks. Lestat simply winked again and sauntered away, taking the remaining sand castle supplies with him to his building site. Louis pulled his book back up from the beach blanket and continued reading once again. The heat was starting to come on strong as time moved forward. More people started to fill the remaining patches of sand that were not occupied by others. Louis prepared to remain in the chair for the rest of the day, refusing to let the sun make him sick.
Although he didn’t enjoy the sand or the water, Louis was enjoying himself under the umbrella. He loved watching the way that Claudia’s eyebrows would furrow, thinking of the next part of the castle that would be built. He adored watching Lestat’s matching expression, blonde hair flowing around him like a magical force around his head.
If all beach days were this calm and enjoyable, he might find himself back here again one day.
_________________
The desire to travel to the beach again is short-lived for Louis.
“Louis, I’m dying,” Lestat whines, flayed on the bed like a starfish. Claudia lays beside her father in the sliver of space that is left to lay on, grimacing under the blankets without a word spoken. The beach day yesterday ended when the sun had set, and the results of spending the entire day out were coming to fruition.
“You aren’t dying, baby. You’re exhausted, sunburnt, and dehydrated,” Louis’ mouth twitches downwards, eyes darting between his husband and daughter. He knew that the beach was a bad idea, he literally called it. He didn’t realize that the aftermath of the day would be this catastrophic, though.
“Daddy,” Claudia whines, “How do I feel better? All I wanna do is feel normal. Now I know why you didn’t wanna play in the sand or swim in the ocean. We never have to go to the beach again, I promise.”
“Please Louis, what do we do?” Lestat chimes in again, groaning and throwing an arm over his eyes. At this, Louis bites his lip to hold back a smile. He really loves these two despite the situation they now have themselves in. He puts on an over-exaggerated sigh, “You both should’ve listened to me when I called you back to put more sunscreen on.”
“We were in the middle of building our castles,” Claudia frowns, staring at the ceiling above her without moving a muscle, “It was very serious, Daddy Lou.”
Louis watches Lestat yank his arm into the air and scowl at him from his spot in bed, “Yes, it was very serious. If I would have won, I would probably not be burned by the sun, so thank you Louis.”
Lestat lost the sun castle building competition. He essentially ended the brief argument of why he lost in angry tears. He and Claudia spent another hour at odds, bickering incessantly, before moving on to swimming in the ocean. Louis found it endearing nonetheless, and mentally promised himself that he’d make it up to his husband in the way that Lestat would have no problems with. Now, though, that promise cannot be upheld until healing has commenced and concluded.
When the family arrived home last night, Louis immediately spotted the signs of Lestat and Claudia feeling sick. Lestat was redder than a tomato, with an outline of his sunglasses across his face. The clear embarrassment he had voiced upon seeing himself in a mirror was not as dramatic as it could've been. Claudia felt warmer than usual, with her skin appearing to be slightly darker than before. They were both unusually quiet and barely ate their dinner from their plates. Now, as he stares at them, he makes a mental note of what he needs to do in order to ensure that they feel better.
“First thing’s first, you both need to shower and get into clean, comfortable clothes,” Louis provides the first step of feeling better. Both brown and blue eyes pierce his and narrow at the same time. Claudia is the first to try and fight back in her misery.
“Didn’t we shower already last night? Did you hear me screaming in pain, or were you just reading your book and lost in your own world like you always are?”
“Claudia,” Louis narrows his eyes in return, “You know what you’re saying ain’t kind. I know you’re in pain, but there’s no need to act like Daddy Les. You know I’m just looking out for you.”
Lestat glares at Louis now, arm slapping against the blanket underneath him, “Do not bring me into this. Not after what you did yesterday.”
“Claudia won fair and square, love,” Louis counters, “Now would you both just listen to me and get in the damn shower?”
Reluctantly, Claudia slithers out of bed, wincing in pain, and walks to her bathroom that is attached to her bedroom in order to shower. Before she goes, though, Louis hands her a bottle of Aloe Vera, “Rub this all over yourself once you’re done showering. It will make the pain less intense.”
Lestat is next, whining like a dog while sliding off of the mattress, “Am I to do this by myself? I am too weak, Louis.” Louis rolls his eyes and pads over to Lestat, cupping his hand against the red skin on his neck. He squeezes lightly, “I’ll help you.”
Louis strips down to nothing while Lestat just stands there admiring what he observes. The water from the shower head taps away at the shower floor, having been turned on by Louis so that the temperature will be right once they enter the small space. Louis rolls his eyes again after Lestat continues gawking and mimics the act of taking clothes off to his husband. Lestat gets the hint, dubiously tugs at his shirt and winces. Louis takes the liberty of peeling the shirt off after this, along with Lestat’s pants and underwear. The red to white where Lestat was wearing clothes is startling.
“Get in,” Louis murmurs.
Lestat doesn’t hesitate and enters the shower, groaning when the water slaps at his sensitive skin, “This is awful, cheri.”
“I know, I know. I’ve got you honey,” Louis follows Lestat into the shower now and dumps a large quantity of body soap into his hand. He lathers Lestat’s skin with the soap, gently caressing it into the red, irritated areas. It's almost like worship. Lestat breathes heavily, clearly in pain, but says nothing. If he did not have a sunburn, things would have escalated very quickly by now. Louis’ hands slowly make their journey across Lestat’s arms, elbows, wrists, palms, fingers. They move towards his shoulders, chest, stomach, and back. He continues down Lestat's ass and around his groin area. Lestat huffs out a moan, “If I were not in so much pain right now…”
“I know. I’ve gotta make up your sand castle loss somehow,” Louis smiles coyly, placing a kiss by Lestat’s cock.
“Yes, you definitely owe me,” Lestat sighs. Louis continues his journey of bathing Lestat down his thighs, calves, and feet. After reviewing every part that he’s washed, Louis nods and stands up. He guides Lestat under the lukewarm water and washes the soap off. They exit the shower after Louis turns the water off, and Lestat towels himself dry. Louis does the same.
Once they finish that, Louis leans against the counter and gently pulls Lestat by his wrists to his chest, “You gotta listen to me more. Look at how terrible you feel right now.” Lestat nestles his face into Louis’ neck, breathing him in deeply. He doesn’t say a word, savoring the moment instead. Louis can hear Claudia enter her fathers’ bedroom once more.
“I did what you asked, daddy. Does dad need the Aloe Vera bottle?” Claudia’s voice is muffled through the door. Lestat pulls away from Louis and they hear Claudia leave the bottle by the door. Louis opens the door just a crack and responds, “Yes, Daddy Les is gonna put it on right now.”
“I will not-“
“You’re gonna do what I tell you to do,” Louis growls, and doesn’t give Lestat a chance to deny his help. He will not deal with any brattiness today, not with the pain that Lestat is in. Lestat’s mouth snaps shut, head tilting sideways in surprise and arousal. Louis rolls his eyes, “This’ll make you feel better. Just listen to me, Les.”
Louis spends ten minutes lathering the Aloe Vera onto Lestat’s skin. When he’s satisfied with his work, he finally allows Lestat get dressed and exit the bathroom. His husband crawls back into bed next to Claudia. They both glisten with the lotion all over their skin, looking like little sardines in a tin can with how they're tucked in. Louis smiles, “Next on the list is to drink plenty of water and eat some food. What do we want to eat?”
Lestat flicks his wrist into the air haughtily, “I’m not hungry.”
“Can we order some Chinese food? Pizza sounds good, too,” Claudia sits up excitedly.
“Let’s get both,” Louis nods his head. They're both in pain, fuck it. He orders both Chinese takeout and pizza delivery. He brings both his love and his baby two giant cups of water. Lestat’s and Claudia’s water slosh in souvenir cups from Orlando, Florida. It’s from the time they visited the Universal theme parks upon Claudia’s request. Lestat’s cup is large, with sparkly versions of Thing 1 and Thing 2 spread all across the outside. Lestat grimaces once he spots the cup, but takes it anyway, gulping down the water with fervor. Louis giggles to himself, knowing just how much Lestat hates the Things from Dr. Seuss Land. Claudia’s souvenir cup is adorned with the classic monsters that she loves. Frankenstein, Dracula, and a werewolf wrap around the outside.
The food arrives and Louis plates a generous amount of each item that he ordered onto both Claudia’s and Lestat’s plates. He sets Claudia’s plate onto her lap in bed and she squeals. For the first time in many hours, she seems more like herself. She eats her food hungrily. Louis brings Lestat’s plate to him, who blinks slowly. Louis places the plate on Lestat’s lap, eyes stern, “You need to eat something.”
“I will be okay,” Lestat argues.
“Please baby,” Louis utilizes his favorite and most persuasive nickname on his husband. The one that melts Lestat in an instant. He fixes his doe eyes onto Lestat expectantly. Without another moment’s hesitation, Lestat sighs and picks up the fork that sits on his plate. He picks at some chicken and vegetables, forgoing the pizza altogether. Louis will take what he can get with Lestat, especially when it comes to fast food.
“Last but not least, you both need to rest. So, let’s watch a movie in bed,” Louis says after settling in between both Lestat and Claudia. He pulls his plate to his own lap and clicks the remote control for the television that is on the wall across from them.
“Can we watch The Real Housewives?” Lestat lazily mentions, crunching on a piece of broccoli with disgust.
“We should watch Nosferatu, I love that movie,” Claudia comments.
Louis nods slowly, “Why don’t we watch an episode of Housewives, and then watch Nosferatu?”
Lestat and Claudia hum their approval and Louis’ heart warms. He turns on Lestat’s favorite reality tv show and they settle in. After ten minutes, all three plates are brought to the kitchen by Louis, and he refills the water cups. He returns, settling back under the blanket between his family members. The entire episode of The Real Housewives has the three of them commenting back and forth on the absurdity of what is happening with these women. They chuckle at random moments and allow comfortable bouts of silence to pass over them. After the episode, Louis clicks on the movie Nosferatu, and Claudia riddles off some facts about the movie-making and characters.
At the beginning of the movie, Louis feels Lestat’s arm circle around his stomach. Lestat’s head rests on top of his chest, just above his heart. Claudia leans her head on Louis’ shoulder and wraps her arm around his. They watch the movie in complete silence under the blankets. The dim lights of the room create a calming ambience. Louis finds himself enamored by the classic gothic tale, and about halfway though the movie, he finds himself commenting, “This movie was a great choice, Claud.”
No response.
“What do you think, Les?”
No response.
Louis senses Lestat’s head resting heavily on his chest, along with Claudia’s head resting heavily on his shoulder. He listens intently, and notes the deep breathing fanning across him from both sides. A smile creeps up on his face knowing that his daughter and his husband have both fallen asleep on him. Love pierces his heart in this moment, oozing richly around his chest and deepening itself in its home there. The beach day was definitely worth it, despite the fact that Lestat and Claudia didn't feel well after. They have to do this again sometime, especially if he gets to spend the day with his two favorite people. Maybe next time, though, they'll listen to him when he reminds them to drink their water and put on more sunscreen.