#iwtv era

[desertfangs]

A Ghost in Our House [AO3]

Armand/Louis - Mature - 3098 words

After traveling to New York City together in the early 1900s, Louis is living like a ghost in their shared home. Armand wants to bring back his passion and joie de vivre, but doesn't know how.

This was written for the @valenfangs prompt "Unrequited."

Before anyone gets upset, let me just say I don't think Armand's love here is unrequited, but at this point in time, Armand believes it is. Louis is so mired in his grief and misery that he is unable to appreciate or reciprocate the way Armand wants him to.

I find this era with them so fascinating because Louis describes it as entirely miserable and cold, and then Armand leaves him because he can't get him out of his malaise, so we know that's true, but also, I believe they had good nights and intimacy during this era, too.

Short Excerpt:

Armand looked down at Louis' pallid face, soft in sleep, surrounded by a mane of inky black hair. He spent countless hours studying Louis’ eyelashes, the little lines in his lips, the way his head rested on the small pillow. He was a gorgeous man and the death sleep rendered him more stunning, like a sculpture.

Armand was lingering. He had only opened his coffin to make sure he was there. Normally he did this check before sunrise to ensure Louis had made it home safe, but he hadn’t done so yesterday and thus he’d come in now after sunset to ease his worries. 

Last night, Louis had torn out of their shared home like a tornado, whirling right past Armand who’d been in the living room hoping to catch him. It was as if Armand did not exist. More and more, Louis treated him like a ghost. Or worse, a hideous end table he’d rather pretend wasn’t there. So Armand had gone to his room and stayed there, not bothering to listen for his return, not bothering to ensure he was back before the sun came up, as he so often did. 

Louis was younger in the blood so the death sleep took him sooner, held him longer. It was lucky, really, or Armand might not see Louis at all. 

At least now he could see him sleeping, for all the good it did. He reached down into the coffin, stopping short of touching his face, fingers dangling just above his forehead. He wanted to feel his smooth skin, to have that contact, brief as it was. But he pulled his hand back. It wasn’t the same if the touch was stolen. 

He would have it again. Louis would come out of his malaise. He’d been distant and broken since they left Paris, but there were moments of awe, of pleasure. Moments when Armand saw a spark, felt a change, and thought he might finally be snapping out of it, only for him to retreat back inside of himself again. 

And yet here in New York he’d only gotten worse. He’d sunk further into his dark moods and now Armand had to sneak into his room to get glimpses of him sleeping, lest he never see him at all. 

He snarled at the sleeping form, annoyed that Louis seemed determined to exist as a phantom and in turn, was making Armand into one as well. 

Louis’ face twitched. His eyes fluttered. Armand held his breath. He should close the coffin and go, he knew that, and yet he couldn’t look away as Louis sucked in a breath, his chest rising as he came back to life. His eyes opened, searching around in a panic until they locked onto Armand, hovering above him.

“What is it?” Louis asked, sounding breathless. 

“What do you mean?” Armand asked.

Louis sucked in air as if his vampire lungs required it and sat up slowly in his coffin. “Is there trouble?” 

He looked scared and Armand’s heart squeezed. He wondered if Louis was having nightmares again. Strange that creatures such as them could dream even in the depths of death sleep, that even the comfort of oblivion eluded them. 

“No trouble,” Armand said gently. He reached out but again stopped short of touching him. 

Louis frowned. “Then why are you here?”

Read the Rest on AO3

[cy-lindric]

Chrysanthemums

[secretdazedragon]

[platoapproved]

armand + being annoyed with the coven

[pippingender]

Me every time something kinky happens in interview with the vampire (i.e. all the time):

[corwnvus]

Sketch dump

[malotte00]

Armand 🩸

[nesscuro]

a style experiment….loustat edition

[cuntyarmand]

my favourite armand fits 5,6,7/∞

[lizzyyylmaoooooool]

the way louis and armand where so flirty and warm and glued to each other’s side in front of daniel and when alone they where leaving 5ft of space for jesus and saying about three words to the other don’t play with me whats going on here

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

the thing about the dubai penthouse is that it's a prison it's a birdcage it's a cemetery it's the Garden of Eden it's a theater it's a tomb it's a church it's a haunted mansion it's a dollhouse it's a war zone it's a Venetian palazzo & a New Orleans townhouse it's a waiting room it's a sanctuary it's a mental hospital it's an art museum it's an emblem of exploitative capitalism it's a dick metaphor it's a middle finger to god it's a slowly dying person it's an undead corpse it's a gated community it's a gap between dimensions it's a Venus fly trap it's a castle in the sky it's a child of divorce it's the interior of a burnt skull it is more than anything a very nice place to hang out and gossip with your friends :)

[kittyoperas]

wanted to draw some tender Great Comet of 1812 AU Hawke and Anders because they are so very special to me!!!

[platoapproved]

♫ i fall in love too easily (1944) ♫

[alenseress]

Redrew two of my sketchbook works in digital while I'm having a crisis with my usual artstyle

(1/2)

[onlymywishfulthinking]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

[cthaehart]