#I wish cher wasn't out of focus though

[dribs-and-drabbles]

The Thai Communal Wardrobe item #124

Bad Buddy ep 7:

Wandee Goodday ep 7:

[masteredinstinct]

the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile whenever lestat plays up the theatrics . this time it even earns him a flash of teeth . it feels easy to laugh around the blonde ㅤ ─ ㅤ doesn't feel as if letting his guard down might earn him a stab between the ribs ( and yet , he still holds his fists up whenever he feels the other getting a tad too close ) . occasionally the tension in his shoulders dissipates completely . but then , lestat goes and does some weird shit like calling him mon cher ; louis doesn't know where to focus his gaze so he lets it wander from his hand , to his feet , to the street straight ahead ... he doesn't want to allow such familiarities but wouldn't dream of discouraging them either ; not when lestat's voice sounds so incredibly gentle whenever he refers to him like that .

all louis can do is try and take that term of endearment's power over him through light teasing . he shakes his head , refusing to meet the piercing pale eyes boring into the side of his skull . " you gonna get in trouble if you keep talkin' like that . " it's light banter . no actual threat was made there . though when his brown gaze dares a glance at lestat he wonders if in another world , another time , if they were different people perhaps , an exchange like that could have been considered flirting .

and still , he cannot help but feel a sick sense of joy when hearing about his friend's desire to capture his full attention . can't help but be pleased at the thought of him being bored with everyone else at the saloon ㅤ ─ ㅤ lestat does not mention any girls he wishes to bed , spend his money on , share time with ... ONLY HIM . and louis , foolish , needy , wretched louis , can hardly contain the curve forming on his lips . " i promise you , there ain't no one at the fair play i wish to talk to tonight besides you . " eyes momentarily glance at the other man's lips . louis it quick to remedy this mistake . " and miss lily . "

it's unfair , the ease with which lestat reaches out and touches him . particularly when louis fights every day to remain nonchalant and indifferent when faced with such small mundane gestures of affection from a man like him . when his hand touches his louis stops abruptly to give monsieur de lioncourt a pointed stare . he knows what he should say ; DON'T . it would have been easy ; don't touch me when you speak of my body's needs . but slowly the outrage melts into something else . and louis exhales while looking for his next words .

" i'm not , uh ㅤ ─ ㅤ " the rain continues to pitter patter against the umbrella above them . " i'm not like you , lestat . 'fraid i've been livin' my whole life on the complete opposite side of the opera house . " there's a hint of shame there ㅤ ─ ㅤhe wasn't a particularly cultured man . but he wasn't supposed to have a developed cultural taste ! to sit still while looking at pretty things , to shed tears because of a song ; that sort of behaviour did not match the careful patterns of his disguise . " now , don't get me wrong . i know i got taste . you're welcome by the way . " he arches an eyebrow while gesturing towards the other man's brand new suit , smirking cockily in an attempt to ease the pain of this moment of vulnerability .

but his bravado flickers . louis' face contorts as if he's trying to swallow something foul . " but , uhm , " he shrugs , finally surrendering . " i wouldn't know where else to take you . " an admittance ㅤ ─ ㅤ he felt guilty for not being able to provide lestat with the same beautiful things he offered him so often . all he knew was booze , women and gambling while lestat seemed to be in touch with all things heavenly . louis feared he might drag his friend down to hell with him .

     lestat’s fingers flex at his sides, brushing the material of his trousers, straining to curb his want to reach for louis. in a million different ways he pictures his hands on him— resting subtly against his lower back, or bringing him in closer by the hip. hips that hide away under his suit and coat and somehow still renders images strong enough that he can imagine the feel of them bumping against his own. they would be another pair in the dark unobtrusively yoked together by the rain. 

     louis determination to stare pointedly ahead amuses him. even from the side, lestat can tell how cracks are made right along the edges of his facade. his lips pondering smiles. they must look strange to the passerby, one not looking at the other while he inversely studies him like he’s some ancient relic. he doesn’t want to miss any sideway glance or the elusive changes to his expression when he talks. louis teases him and thinks of it as camaraderie, but no man has ever been afraid to look at his friend the way he is afraid. “greedy?” he says as if perplexed by the meaning of the word, “i think our miss lily disagrees. she doubled her income, non? in other words, i say she finds me particularly generous.” 

     at the elbow nudge, lestat lets out a soft aïe, pronouncedly exaggerating how much he had felt it. he playfully raises one hand to rub the spot like it’s become immediately sore. he clowns for his attention.

     louis's mind still seems fixed on the fair play and lestat does not immediately understand what he has said to give off the impression that he habors any strong sentiment towards the establishment. lestat shrugs his shoulders but his lips pause in a thin, thoughtful line. he wonders if louis throws out a line and expects him not to bite, if he unknowingly excepts him to leave the bait and backtrack. he’s not in the habit of camouflaging how he feels or what he thinks in the same distinct manner louis does. “i think you mistake my meaning, mon cher,” he croons, watching louis’ eyes carefully, waiting for them to drift or lower again, expecting them to, “i only meant to suggest that i was shamefully hoping for your undivided attention tonight. the saloon is crawling with people eager to take a bit of you, if you let them…” knowing you, i know you’ll let them. 

     “if you insist, i’ll let miss lily be the exception. the body has needs, i understand.” he smirks knowingly at that, raising a hand to tap the hand on the umbrella, “i’ll go anywhere that is dry though.”