It was the crashing sound of a pile of files that had lost its battle against gravity that made them freeze in action. They both looked down rather guiltily at the mess they had made when their combined hips had bumped into the desk they had completely forgotten even existed. When they looked up again, their eyes met and the uncontrollable urge to erupt into a fit of giggles threatened to overcome both of them.

“Do you think they heard?” Louis managed to breathe, trying to regain control, but before Lestat could reply, they heard Larry’s voice booming through the studio a little louder than necessary:

“Guys, who wants pizza? I think it’s going to take the boss a little longer to find the music sheets… especially as he’s looking for them in all the wrong places.”

A slapping sound and the following guffaws from Alex and Tough Cookie told the two vampires, that Larry had given the other band members a vivid demonstration of the places he thought were wrong for music sheets to hide.

“I think they heard”, Lestat chuckled.

“No! Barney! Come back! Avert your innocent eyes, young lady! Your vampire daddies are at it… again!” Cookie’s voice could now be heard from the next room.

“Seriously, Cookie?! That cat’s been living with these love-crazed fools for how long now? And you think she hasn’t seen it all already?! Twice?! Plus, she’s a mother! Come on!”

More laughter echoed through the rooms mixed with a disappointed “Mow?” (rhymes with “wow”) from Barney, the cat, who’d been stopped from entering the little office.

Louis’s gaze returned to his lover’s cheeks, flush from the hunt, a strand of blond hair – tinged pink from blood sweat – falling across his forehead. Gently, Louis brushed it away and tucked it behind Lestat’s ear. Cupping his lover’s face with both hands, he brushed his thumbs over it, drew him closer, and kissed him deeply.

When they broke apart for air, a habit more than a necessity, Lestat cocked his head towards the once again forgotten desk suggestively.

“Now that they heard…” Lestat said in a low, husky voice.

“… be a shame not to…” Louis finished the sentence, winking.

When they emerged from the backroom of the studio sometime later, they found Alex, Larry, Tough Cookie, and Barney in the largest room that they used for practising. Empty pizza boxes and cans of beer littered the space between two sofas. Alex lay outstretched on the one on the left with Barney perched on top of him, while Cookie sat cross-legged in front of it humming a melody. Larry was up on stage tuning his guitar.

Louis had at least tried to make an effort to look presentable again. Shirt tucked tidily back into his trousers, his short black hair quickly combed back with his fingers. Lestat, Monsieur le Rockstar, of course, had not and looked exactly as one would after… recent activities. His blond hair tousled and wild, his shirt still unbuttoned (and ripped in several places?) over a pair of black skinny jeans, he was definitely… a lot… as he strode into the room, fingers entwined with Louis’.

They were greeted by three smiling faces and a cat that tried her best to pretend she was not interested in their return, instead single-mindedly licking her hind legs. Cookie took in Lestat’s sight with a raised eyebrow, while Alex nodded his head and smirked at Louis in a “well done” kind of way. Louis couldn’t help but blush slightly. You’re an almost 150-year-old vampire for fuck’s sake! Lestat, who had noticed, squeezed Louis’ hand reassuringly. Despite all their bravado and mockery, all band members had seen the change in their band leader after his reunion with Louis and had welcomed Louis with open arms.

When they had first met Lestat, they hadn’t really known what to make of him. He was the Vampire Lestat from the book – Daniel Molloy’s book – and then he wasn’t at all. On the page, he had seemed to be this brash, self-indulgent, controlling, larger-than-life being while in the flesh… well, he was still all those things but hidden underneath several layers of dirt and stale sweat was also a vulnerable side, one that had suffered heartbreak and trauma multiple times but somehow always endured.

When they heard Lestat sing for the first time, it hadn’t taken much more persuasion to accept him as the new band leader. There was never any discussion about what position he would take on in their little group and they never regretted this decision, not even after the hellish rollercoaster of events that followed later. When Lestat officially introduced them to Louis for the first time after one of their shows, they were surprised to discover a whole new side of their boss. A heart that loved and cared deeply. Especially for one Louis de Pointe du Lac. And they embraced it, adored the many happy smiles Louis’ presence brought to Lestat’s face.

Of course, none of it ever stopped them from lovingly teasing the couple whenever there was an opportunity. And there was never a lack of opportunity where these two were involved.

Alex was the first to break the silence. He reached down for one of the boxes on the concrete:

“Pizza?” he offered, lifting the half-empty box. “Sex always makes me hungry!” He held up a hand. “No, don’t even think it. I’m not offering my blood. No snacking on the drummer!”

Everyone of the two-legged variety laughed, only Barney disliked being disturbed by the slight shaking of Alex’ stomach and elegantly leapt down, where she started to sniff around the discarded boxes for something edible.

“Non, merci, Alex”, Lestat replied with a lopsided grin and a side glance at Louis. “I just… fed.”

Louis tried to hide simultaneously choking and laughing by covering his face in his palm but the damage was done. Alex burst out laughing and rolled off the sofa, disturbing Barney’s meal, which earned him another disapproving look from the grey tabby. Lestat kissed Louis on his free cheek and gave his bum a light pat.

“C’est parti, mes amis!” Lestat said with a nod towards his band members. “Time to practice! The concert is next week!”

Despite some murmured protests, Alex and Cookie got up to take their positions on stage beside Larry while Lestat stepped behind the microphone. Louis picked up a book from one of the shelves near the window and flopped down on the sofa on the right, making himself comfortable while Lestat and his band were doing their thing.

It wasn’t long until Louis heard a quiet “mow” from the beside him before four paws landed smoothly on his legs, made their way up his body and settled down on his stomach. Louis lifted his book slightly to look underneath it at the intruder. A pair of large yellow eyes looked at him inquisitively.

“Hello, Barney. And how has your night been so far? Made a good catch as well?”

Louis stretched out a hand, balancing his book with the other, to stroke the cat’s soft fur, who lifted her head, graciously allowing to be patted. After a while, the feline got bored and turned around to look at the stage, presenting her furry backside to Louis.

“Ugh!” Louis waved a hand to disperse the odour that attacked his hypersensitive nostrils and dumped the cat unceremoniously back onto the floor. Barney gave him one offended, levelled look and then meandered through the rubbish, leads, and various technical equipment that littered the ground in seeming chaos (Larry insisted there was a method behind it) towards the stage.

The band had just finished playing one of their uptempo songs which they had turned into an unplugged number for the upcoming charity gig. Following the devastating events after their last concert all those years ago, they had vowed never to play publicly again, but when Covenant House, a shelter for youth facing homelessness and human trafficking, approached Tough Cookie if she knew someone who could sing a couple of songs at their charity event, the band unanimously decided to do it.

“Never mix human and vampire business, Louis. It always ends up poorly.” Lestat’s mantra had been thrown out of the proverbial window a long time ago. What was one more time?

Given the somber nature of the event, Alex and Lestat had come up with a setlist featuring some of the band’s own songs (Louis was relieved to see “Long Face” hadn’t made the cut) in addition to some cover versions of Lestat’s favourite pop songs and arranged them unplugged. Some of them were soft and melancholic but most had an underlying vibrant buoyancy that represented the spirit of New Orleans.

Barney placed herself in front of Lestat, who was in deep conversation with the other band members.

“Mow?” Barney looked up at the singer questioningly. When she was ignored, she bopped her head against Lestat’s shins until he took notice of her and picked her up laughing. He lifted the slender creature and rubbed his face in the soft fur of her underbelly while the band experimented with some tunes.

Louis observed the scene, chuckling at Barney’s insistency. Still “la Petite Enragè” even though she had long grown out of her clumsy kitten state and turned into a graceful adult. A predator, just as capable and deadly as her “vampire daddies” (as Cookie called them) and as much in need of attention and adoration as, well, one of them. Slightly shaking his head but still smiling, Louis returned to his book. Marguerite Gautier was a lot less demanding than the silver-grey tabby but deserving of some love nevertheless.

Lestat watched his lover and then, with a look at Cookie, started to hum a tune. Cookie nodded back understanding and started to play a simple delicate melody on her keyboards. After a few notes, Larry fell in with her with his guitar and – still cradling Barney in his arms – Lestat began to sing. His voice was soft and soulful. There was a sense of tender longing and heartfelt devotion in his voice which grew in intensity as the lyrics reached the chorus.

“Bring it back, bring it back
Don’t take it away from me
Because you don’t know… what it means to me”

Louis abandoned Marguerite for a moment to look up at the deep sincerity in Lestat’s voice.

“When I grow older
I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you”

Their eyes met across the room as the band concluded the song. After a moment, Lestat smiled a little sheepishly, placed a kiss on Barney’s head, and put the cat back down. When he looked back up again, he caught Louis still looking at him. There was something in Louis’ expression that made Lestat pause. A quiet intensity behind Louis’ eyes, a softness that was usually guarded with lifelong practice. Not a flash of emotion, but a steady current, deep and certain. The usual reserve in Louis’ gaze softened, replaced by a quiet openness, a fleeting moment of vulnerability, as he mouthed three words back at Lestat with a smile curling around the edges of his lips.

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Louis reads La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils about the tragic love story between Marguerite Gautier, a courtesan suffering from consumption, and Armand Duval, a young bourgeois. (Interpret this as you like 😉 )

Song lyrics: Queen – Love of my Life