Archive of Our Own

They met through a dating app of all things.

After Armand started dating Daniel after his break-up with Louis, he’d asked Louis about getting back out there and seeing someone new. Louis had brushed it off and said that he didn’t need anyone in his life right now; he was happy just the way he was.

Daniel ended up being the one who ultimately changed that by putting the idea of getting a dating app into Louis’ head.

Everything started back when Armand and Louis had met, when Louis went to a theatre one night known as the Théâtre des Vampires, where they performed plays inspired by interviews with people who claimed to be real life vampires. These ‘vampires’ could be found all over New York - where the theatre itself was also based - and the interviews in question were conducted by Armand’s then reporter friend, Daniel Molloy, along with the theatre’s conductor and playwright, Nicolas de Lenfent, whose responsibility it was to translate the interviews into plays. At the end of the performance Louis attended, there was an after-party to celebrate a new member of the troupe. The only reason Louis had been invited was due to a certain auburn haired theatre director, who had noticed him in the audience during the play and - feeling attraction towards this striking being - struck up a conversation on the way out. This conversation didn’t end even when it had been time for Armand to head off to the party, instead offering to continue their chat which led them both to the get-together.

Over time the pair kept up with their talks, eventually resulting in a romantic relationship between them lasting only three years before parting ways. That was in July 2017. This break up was an end to their romance alone however, due to a mutual agreement that though things weren’t working out amorously between them, they would still make for good friends. If anything, their split drew them closer together as friends, most likely because they realised what platonic love they could have missed out on had they parted for good.

Four months later in November of 2017, Armand began a relationship with his long term friend, Daniel. At first Armand had been hesitant, not wanting to hurt Louis by getting into a new relationship so soon after theirs had ended, but after letting him in on his feelings for Daniel, Louis reassured Armand that he was happy for him and not to worry about him. So long as Armand was happy, Louis was happy.

“So what about you?” Armand asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you planning on getting out there again? It’s not like you’d find it all that difficult finding someone new, not with those picturesque looks of yours.”

“Armand, really!” Louis felt his face burn up and allowed himself to gain some composure before responding. “No, I don’t think so. I’m perfectly content as I am. I’m in no hurry to find someone new just yet.”

“Was I really that bad?” Armand teased and gave him a playful smile.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Louis smiled back. “I just don’t think there’s any need for me to start searching right now. Like I said, I’m okay being single.”

Armand’s smile softened as he placed a hand over Louis’. “I don’t like the thought of you being alone.”

“I’m fine, Armand, honestly.”

“I know, I believe you. Just. . . I’m still here, you know that right? I’ll always be here for you, all you have to do is give me a shout.”

Louis felt his eyes water slightly and Armand pulled him into a hug, burying his face in his hair. “As if I could get rid of you so easily.” They stayed like that for a moment, then Louis murmured into Armand’s shoulder, “Love you, Armand.”

“Love you too, Louis.”

Daniel had moved into Trinity Gate along with Armand and Louis (who was still living there despite his split with Armand. They still got on perfectly fine and anyway, he’d been living in the conjoined townhouses for the past few years so all his belongings were of course already there. He had offered to move out but Armand wouldn’t hear anything of it, though he had obviously moved to his own separate bedroom).

Louis and Daniel were good friends, so much so, that Daniel felt it wasn’t too untoward to bring up the topic of dating. “Armand said you’ve decided to stay single.”

Louis turned the page of his book and without looking up said, “He did, did he?”

“Sure did.” A pause. “I think you should try dating again.”

“Do you now?”

“Yep.”

Louis set his book down and looked at Daniel with a somewhat unimpressed expression, opening his mouth to speak. Daniel beat him to it, his hands held up in defence. “Okay, okay. I know what you’re about to say. No dating then. . . You never said anything about hookups.”

“Daniel, I really don’t think –”

“Hear me out. If you set yourself up on a dating app then it would technically still get you back into the game, without actually having to commit to anything. I mean if we’re being completely honest, nobody’s going on a dating app to look into getting into a serious relationship. Anyone who’s on there is just down to fuck, no strings attached.”

“I meant what I said, Daniel. I’m not interested in anything like that right now. No dating, no hookups, nothing.”

“But you’ll consider it, right?”

“Daniel.”

“Okay. No dating, no hookups. Got it.”

December rolled around with no more mentions of dating or hookups of any kind, which Louis was grateful for. He did have a sneaking suspicion that Armand had caught wind of Daniel’s attempt to persuade him back into the dating pool and had told him to knock it off, not that either of them would admit it if he asked. Either way, Louis was glad the subject had been dropped.

One small problem. Daniel’s idea had, over time, weaselled its way into Louis’ head, only mildly, but enough that on occasions he found himself debating it. There were times when he caught himself thinking about his past relationship and how it could be nice to reconsider his current relationship status. No, it’s an absurd idea. But is it though? Daniel did make a valid point, people on dating apps are generally on there for a quick meet up and then that’s it, you never have to see them ever again. No strings attached, he had said, no commitments.

He could always get an app and if he decided that actually he didn’t want to go through with it after all, then no-one ever had to know about it. Louis pulled out his phone and went to download the first dating app he came across. He hesitated slightly before thinking ‘fuck it’, and hit download.

Once it was on his phone, he opened the app and scrolled through various profiles after setting up his own with not much thought. Some he matched with, although he had little care for who. After all, it’s not like he’d be getting to know any of these people.

There was one guy called Liam who messaged Louis with a few generic questions about himself for courtesy’s sake, then asked if he wanted to meet up the following evening. Louis read the message, responding with a ‘sure, sounds good’. He wasn’t sure though, deep down.

The next evening Louis began getting himself ready, having agreed to meet this Liam guy at a nearby bar. Just as he was about to leave, Daniel spotted him and got his attention. “Where you heading off to? You never mentioned anything about going out.”

Louis stood in the entrance to the house and blinked at Daniel as he tried to come up with an excuse for his departure. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Dressed like that.” Daniel looked him up and down, eyeing up his button down shirt and jeans. Not fancy, per se, but certainly not casual enough just for taking a walk in. Louis nodded wordlessly while avoiding eye contact, instead looking just past him. Daniel narrowed his eyes. “You’re not meeting anyone, are you?” Again, Louis said nothing as he shook his head. “Liar.”

“Excuse me?”

Daniel gestured at Louis. “There’s no way you’re just ‘going for a walk’ in that. You’re not too dressed up but that shirt tells me you’re leaving for a specific reason. Almost as if you were going to meet up with somebody who you’ve never met before and it’s serious enough that first impressions mean something.” He stopped and thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up and a grin spread its way across his face. “You’re going on a date.” Louis opened his mouth to object but Daniel cut him off. “You are, I know it. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped you prepare.”

“Because it’s not a date, it’s just a meetup.”

Daniel let out an almost theatrical gasp. “You’re hooking up with this guy! You, Louis, going for a one night stand!” Louis’ face flushed and he turned away, trying not to meet Daniel’s eyes. “So you’ve taken my advice after all. Good for you. What time are you meeting him?”

“Half eight.” Louis mumbled just loud enough for Daniel to hear.

Daniel checked his watch. “Damn, it’s eight now. I won’t keep you, wouldn’t want to make you late.” He winked at him and waved as he went into the living room to his left. “Good luck, don’t come back too early.” Louis heard him laughing as he disappeared through the doorway.

He pulled on a coat and exited the house. As he walked through the streets, Louis started to overthink this whole idea. Should he just turn around and go back home? No, he could do this, everything would be fine.

Eventually he made it to the bar, let himself in and found a seat. It appeared that he was the first one here. He and Liam had told the other what they looked like and what they’d be wearing so they knew who to look for when they got there, and nobody at the bar fit Liam’s description. A few minutes later, a man walked in with short brown hair and a lightly stubbled jawline. His shirt was most definitely a size too small, clearly in an attempt to show off his muscles. He caught sight of Louis and made his way over. Louis’ stomach began tying itself in knots. He felt sick with nerves.

Finally Liam reached the table and sat opposite Louis. “Hey, you must be Louis.” He had a conventionally attractive voice, if that’s even a thing, to match his conventionally attractive face. He was painfully generic.

“That’s me,” Louis replied, “and you must be Liam.”

“Sure am.” Liam gave him a wink and a flashy smile making Louis cringe internally. “So what do you do?”

Looks like we’re getting straight into it then. Louis thought to himself. I’m sure I’ve already told him this. At least it’s only for tonight and then I never have to see him again. “I do photography for –”

“Yeah, that sounds cool.” Liam interrupted him abruptly, sounding completely uninterested. “Did I tell you I’m a mechanic? Yeah, it’s an alright job. I always wanted to work with cars, ever since I was a kid.”

Louis smiled politely and nodded, but in reality he’d zoned out, the listening part of his mind switched off altogether. This went on for about half an hour until Liam stopped his incessant rambling about cars and asked, “So are you coming back to my place or shall we go to yours? I suppose either’s good but I would prefer to go back to mine. Ya know, so I don’t need to walk back home.” He looked expectantly at Louis.

Louis cleared his throat. “Actually, I can feel a bit of a headache coming on. I should probably get going.”

Liam stared at him in disbelief, then his expression turned angry. “Are you serious? What, you’re just gonna up and leave.”

“I’m really sorry.” Louis rose from his seat and hurried to make his exit.

“Just say you’re a frigid little bitch!” Liam called after him. “Good luck tryna get laid, I feel sorry for the next person tryna get a good fuck outta you!”

As Louis rushed through the streets back to Trinity Gate, Liam’s words replayed through his head. His focus was to get home, curl up in bed and forget about everything that had happened. He didn’t stop until he was through the front doors of the house with the doors shut firmly behind him. As he stood with his hand on the handle and his head resting against the door, eyes closed, a voice came from behind him.

“Louis? What’s the matter, are you alright?” Armand rested a hand on Louis’ shoulder. “Come, let’s go to the living room, I’ve got a fire going.” He took him gently by the arm and led him into the adjacent room to sit before the blazing fireplace. They settled on the sofa, Armand giving Louis a moment before asking him about what had happened. “Daniel told me you were going to meet someone. I take it it didn’t go well.”

Louis let out a groan and put his head in his hands. “From the moment he arrived, all he spoke about was himself; I didn’t get a word in edge-ways.”

“How self absorbed. Sounds to me like he was a dreadful person, probably just as well you left. I assume you left.” Armand put an arm around him in comfort.

“I did. I made some excuse about getting a headache so he said I was frigid and that he felt sorry for the next person who tries to sleep with me.”

Armand’s face darkened and his voice came out dangerously low. “He said what? What was this man’s name? Tell me, Louis.”

“It’s fine, Armand.” Louis looked up at him with tired eyes.

“No, Louis, it’s not fine. How dare he speak to you like that. His name, what was it?”

“Leave it, it’s not worth it.”

“Louis –”

“I’m tired. I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.” With that, Louis stood and made his way up the stairs to his room. After shutting the door behind him, he removed his coat and shoes, and immediately climbed under the covers and into bed where he managed to drift off to sleep. That night his dreams were filled with various people saying he was too up tight, that he needed to live a little, he was just playing hard to get, nobody wanted someone who didn’t know how to have fun and those weren’t even the worst of the comments made.

The next morning when Louis awoke he had gone down to the kitchen to find a note in Armand’s handwriting which read: I have a big hug waiting for you anytime you need one. He smiled and began making himself a coffee when Daniel walked in. “Hey, Lou. You alright this morning?”

Louis moved to sit at the island as Daniel went about sorting breakfast for himself. “Yes, thank you, and you?”

“I’m doing pretty good. . . Soooo. . .” he trailed off and shot a glance at Louis who looked back at him expectantly. “I heard about what happened last night, at your hookup. Sorry you had to go through that, it was really shitty of that guy.”

Louis sighed and looked down at his mug. “It’s okay Daniel. It’s all in the past now. It’s not as though I’m going to be crossing paths with him again.”

“Yeah but still, he shouldn’t have said those things to you. Just ‘cause he’s an obnoxious, stuck up prick, doesn’t mean he gets to treat you like shit.” He came to sit beside Louis before speaking up again. “Armand would be here but he got called into the theatre. Something about Nicki. His medication stopped working so he’s not all there at the moment. Armand’s sorting some stuff out while he takes some time off.”

“Is he okay? Nicki that is.”

“Sure. Well, probably not right now but he’ll be good. Just needs to be put on something different I guess.”

Louis nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing, leaving the pair in companionable silence for a short while. While they sat, Louis’ mind took him back to the comments Liam had made, and the dreams he’d had the previous night. “Daniel?”

“Mhmm.” Daniel said through a mouthful of cereal.

“Am I too uptight?”

“No,” he sounded confused at the sudden question, “I mean, you have your ways, sure, but I wouldn’t say you were uptight or anything. Why’d you ask? ”

“No reason.”

Daniel put his spoon down and faced Louis directly. “You wouldn’t be asking if there wasn’t a reason. Now why’d you ask, honestly.”

Louis fidgeted a bit, then answered in a somewhat embarrassed voice, “It’s nothing. I had some dreams last night, that’s all. It’s silly really, just forget I said anything.”

“It’s not silly. I bet it was that guy wasn’t it, he’s got to your head. Don’t listen to him Louis, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If he’s too up his own ass to give a fuck about anyone else, especially you, then that’s his problem, not yours.” Daniel leaned over to give Louis a hug. “Come on, hug it out, you’ll be alright.”

When they separated, Daniel suggested, “Now how about we go out and do something, like. . . I don’t know. What about a museum, you enjoy those.” Louis admired Daniel’s attempt to cheer him up. Daniel hated museums, he said they were ‘boring and for old people’, so the fact that he suggested it meant a lot to Louis; it showed he really cared enough about him to do something he didn’t personally enjoy for the sake of his friend.

“Sure, that sounds good.” Louis gave him a warm smile.

They spent their day going around museums and bookstores. Armand even managed to get off work early enough to join them for lunch and a walk around Central Park. In the end, Louis had forgotten all about Liam and the dating app, his mind too preoccupied with his two friends and their successful attempt to take his mind off it.

Until the message came through.

The three of them had been sitting watching TV, Blade Runner to be specific. (Armand had told Louis he could choose the film but when looking for something to watch, they came across Armand’s favourite so Louis said they could watch that.) They were a good forty-five minutes in when Louis’ phone pinged.

When he looked and saw it was a notification from the dating app, he switched the screen off and continued watching the film without even looking at the message. It wasn’t until the credits rolled and he excused himself to go to bed that he finally looked at the notification. Louis could almost hear his own heartbeat thudding loudly in his ears as he opened up the app. He was expecting it to be from Liam, thinking he wasn’t finished with cussing him out from the night before.

The pressure in his chest lifted slightly when he realised he was wrong.

Hey Sent 09:07 pm

Louis stared at the singular word displayed on his phone screen. Glancing to the top of the screen, he noticed it was from someone called Lestat. Strange name. He stared blankly at it for several minutes, wondering whether or not he should respond. Did he even remember coming across a Lestat during his swiping the other night? Regardless, he must have done because it said they were matched.

After some careful consideration Louis decided he was going to go for it. Why let one arrogant man ruin his chances with anyone else?

There was nothing else for a while so Louis figured he’d leave it and go to sleep; come back to it in the morning. Then another message came through.

I guess we’ve matched then Sent 10:51 pm

How are you? Sent 10:55 pm

You suppose? You don’t sound too sure Sent 10:58 pm

Why was he telling him all this? He doesn’t even know this guy.

Damn, that sucks. What happened? Sent 11:04 pm

That bad, huh? That’s cool, we can talk about
something else. Sent 11:07 pm

Louis stayed up talking to Lestat for a good hour after that, asking each other basic questions about each other. Louis found out that Lestat was thirty four and was the singer for a band: The Vampire Lestat. It was a band with a concept and lore behind it, where Lestat played the part of an over two-hundred year old vampire. In turn, Louis told Lestat how he was twenty eight and was a photographer. They spoke about likes and dislikes as well as the other same old ‘get to know each other’ kind of questions.

Overall, Louis decided this Lestat guy wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, he quite enjoyed speaking to him, even if it was just ice breaker type questions over the DMs of a dating app. He went to sleep that night feeling much lighter than he had the previous night.

When Louis woke up the next morning he was in a noticeably better mood than before, so much so that when he entered the kitchen, Armand and Daniel glanced at each other, then at Louis. “You seem happier today.” Armand remarked.

Louis hadn’t noticed his friends watching him and Armand’s comment surprised him. “Do I? You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Of course it’s not a bad thing, I mean to say that for the last couple of days you seemed lost in your own head. You seem more yourself today and I’m glad to see it.”

“What’s got you so happy anyway?” Daniel piped in.

Armand rolled his eyes. “Louis’ allowed to just be happy, there doesn’t need to be a reason.”

From the opposite side of the table, Louis laughed as he took a seat. “He’s alright, Armand. I spent my day yesterday with two very close friends of mine, who know just how to lighten my mood, and I thank them for it.” He gave them each a warm smile.

Daniel grinned back and nodded his acknowledgement. Armand on the other hand, peered at Louis curiously with his head ever so slightly tilted to one side. “There’s something else, isn’t there.” It wasn’t a question.

“What do you mean?” Daniel looked confused.

“I know you, Louis. I can tell when you're hiding something.” Armand’s tone wasn’t malicious in any way, rather warm and fond in manner. This caused Louis to shift his eyes down and to the side, a bashful expression creeping onto his face. “What’s happened?” Louis mumbled something too quiet for either Armand or Daniel to hear. “I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat that?”

“I started talking to someone last night.” Louis said a bit louder this time.

“You did?!” Daniel exclaimed. “Is that what that notification was last night when we were watching TV?” Louis nodded. “Are you going out on a date?”

“Daniel, don’t interrogate him.” Armand turned to Louis. “Is everything okay, he hasn’t said anything to you?”

Louis knew what he meant by that and shook his head. “We just talked about ourselves. And no, Daniel,” he addressed him directly, “we’re not going on a date. Not yet anyway.”

“Not yet. So you will then?”

Louis shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe, maybe not, we’ll see how things go. I don’t know if I even want to yet.”

He said nothing else and gazed out of the window. His mind went back to a few nights prior, when he met up with Liam and how that had ended. He wasn’t sure he could do something like that again. What if this guy was no different? But then again, what if he was. At least this time they had only spoken, no plans had been arranged straight away like before, so perhaps that was a good sign. Or perhaps it only meant Lestat had lost interest in him already. There had been no new messages when he woke up.

As if reading his mind, Armand came round the table to sit beside Louis, taking his hand in his own. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. No one is going to force you to continue anything with this man. However, if you do decide to, that’s okay as well. It’s your choice. Daniel and I are here for you whatever your decision, okay?” From across the table, Daniel nodded his agreement. “And if you do want to continue speaking to him, remember not to let him push you into anything, you take things at your pace.”

“You’re beginning to sound like my mother.” Louis said fondly.

“Only because I care about you.”

“I know.”

The three of them remained in silence for a moment, until Daniel spoke up saying, “So. What’s his name?”

“He’s called Lestat.”

Armand frowned in thought. “Lestat.” He repeated. “That’s an unusual name. It sounds familiar.”

A gasp came from Daniel’s direction. “Lestat! As in Lestat de Lioncourt, The Vampire Lestat!”

“You know him?” Louis asked.

“Not personally, but he’s the frontman of his band. They’re huge. Dude, you have to meet up with him. How have you not heard of him?”

“He did mention he was in a band. Is that where you recognise the name from, Armand?”

Armand was still deep in thought. The name certainly rang a bell but it wasn’t because of his fame. There was something else; something he couldn’t quite place. “It’s not the band I’ve heard him from but I can’t remember from where I have.”

At that moment Louis’ phone pinged. Daniel was buzzing with excitement, asking if it was him. Louis picked it up and unlocked it to see a new message from Lestat.

Hey again Sent 09:38 am

“Is it him?” Daniel was practically jumping up and down as Louis read it. “What did he say?”

“Leave him alone, Daniel. Give him privacy.” Armand rolled his eyes though he wasn’t mad really judging by the smile on his face. Louis stood to leave and as he did so Armand gently caught his hand. “You tell me if he causes you any trouble.” Louis glanced down to find him looking seriously into his eyes.

“I’ll be alright, Armand, don’t worry.” He placed a kiss to the top of his head and headed off to his room to respond to Lestat.

Once the door was shut he took out his phone again and typed out his reply.

I’m good. You? Sent 09:42 am

Talking about me already? You must
be obsessed. That or I’ve made a good
impression ;) Sent 09:48 am

Louis huffed a laugh.

Sounds like you have some good
friends. Everyone needs some of
those Sent 09:53 am

What do you mean? Sent 09:54 am

I have friends Sent 10:03 am

Louis frowned at his screen. He was about to ask what Lestat meant by that when the subject was conveniently changed.

So, what are you up to today? Sent 10:03 am

They spent another half an hour or so conversing about their days until Lestat said he had to go, but that he’d talk again later if Louis wanted. Louis said that was fine and went about his day, waiting for their next conversation.

Later that night, Louis and Daniel were sitting having dinner (Armand had work at the theatre to finish) when Louis’ phone alerted him to a notification which he initially ignored. It was Daniel who convinced him to look there and then. “Do you think it’s him?” He asked. Louis pulled his phone out from his pocket and sure enough there was another new message from Lestat. “It’s him isn’t it.” Daniel’s eyes lit up. “What did he say?”

Hey. I’m gonna be real busy for the
next few days so I probably won’t be
able to talk much. I was wondering
if maybe you wanted to go out some
time next week? We can meet properly
then. Sent 07:36 pm

A second message came through almost immediately.

No pressure obviously. Only if you
want Sent 07:36 pm

“Well?” Daniel persisted.

“He wants to know if I want to meet up with him next week.” Louis replied, still staring at his phone.

Cutlery clattered on a plate followed the scraping of a chair against the floor as Daniel shot up and hurried to Louis’ side, snatching the phone from his hands. His eyes passed quickly over the words on the screen and then, “No way! Louis, he’s asked you out. The Lestat has asked you out on a date!”

“I can read thank you, Daniel.” Louis said somewhat impatiently, plucking his phone from Daniel’s grip.

“This is huge. What are you gonna say?” Daniel started pacing up and down the length of the table.

“I don’t know,” Louis said, exasperated.

The front door opened and a voice called out to them. “Daniel, Louis, I’m home.”

“We’re in the dining room.” Daniel called back. Armand entered and was caught off guard as his lover came rushing towards him. “You’ll never guess what just happened.” Armand leaned up to give him a kiss and went over to the table with Daniel hot on his heels.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it can’t possibly be that exciting.”

“Lestat asked Louis out on a date.” Daniel blurted out.

Armand stopped and looked at Louis who was still sitting and watching the whole exchange. “Already?”

“Next week. He’s busy for the next few days.” Louis explained. “I haven’t answered yet, he only just asked.”

“Do you think you’ll go?” Armand took a seat at the table opposite Louis.

“I haven’t decided. He said there was no pressure though.”

Armand nodded. “That’s good. Would you like to talk about it?”

Louis shook his head and made to stand. “I need to think. I’m going to take a walk if that’s alright.” His friends reassured him they were there if he needed them and with that Louis grabbed his shoes and coat and set out for Central Park to clear his head.

Through his mind, ran all the possibilities as to what could happen if he accepted Lestat’s request. On the one hand it could end up like the last time. Alternatively, it could go really well. Louis hadn’t planned on getting into another relationship any time soon, and technically he still wasn’t, but at the same time he liked Lestat. They’d only spoken a couple of times but their conversations had lasted a while each time and from what he could tell, they both seemed to click with one another.

He seated himself on a bench and watched as people walked on by. Without even realising it, Louis had removed his phone from his coat pocket and opened up his conversation with Lestat in the dating app. He re-read the previous messages, took a deep breath and typed out his answer.

Louis stared at his message and pressed send before he could start to overthink it and change his mind. A few minutes later, Lestat replied.

Does Thursday at seven work
for you? Sent 08:18 pm

Great, I’ll send you over the
specifics later Sent 08:19 pm

Louis let out a sigh of relief. That had gone well. He said yes to a date and the world had yet to end. All he had to do now was go. The world could still end. He thought.

He remained on the bench for another ten minutes or so, then started on his way back home.

When he arrived back at Trinity Gate, Daniel and Armand were curled up together beneath a large blanket watching a show about house renovations. Most likely, Armand was getting new ideas of what to do with one of the guest rooms. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

Daniel heard Louis come in and turned to face him, causing Armand to do the same. “How did it go?” He lifted the blanket and Louis made himself comfortable, resting his head on Daniel’s shoulder, his eyes on the TV.

“I said I’d go.”

No words were spoken, only Daniel’s arm around him and Armand’s hand reaching over for his under the blanket. A silent acceptance. He felt himself smile. Even if this date with Lestat didn’t go to plan, Louis still had his friends at his side.

Over the next week, Louis didn’t hear much from Lestat, though that was to be expected. Lestat had said he’d be busy. The days went by as normal and Louis tried not to spend too much time dwelling on his meeting with Lestat. That is, until Thursday came around.

From the moment Louis rose from his bed on the morning of his date, his stomach was turning itself inside and out. His appetite was almost non-existent and the anxiety was beginning to eat away at him. About an hour and a half before he was supposed to be meeting Lestat he started to wonder if he should come up with an excuse as to why he wouldn’t be able to make it.

Armand sensed this anxiety. He always could.

After Louis had practically forced himself to shower and ready himself for his outing, Armand sat him down before the vanity mirror in Louis’ room and gently brushed his damp hair. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.” He murmured soothingly, running the brush through his inky waves, careful not to snag the bristles in any knots or tangles.

“And if something goes wrong?”

“Then you only need to call me. Daniel and I will come and collect you, we know where you’re going. But it won’t go wrong, I promise. Would you like me to take you?”

Louis nodded.

Armand finished getting the last of the knots out of his hair and set the brush down. He placed his hands on his shoulders, making eye contact through the reflection of the mirror. “You’ll be okay.” Louis raised his hands to touch Armand’s and Armand leant down, his arms draping over Louis’ chest, embracing him from behind, their hands linked. He rested his head on Louis’ shoulder, still looking at him through the mirror and smiled at him. “If he does try anything I’ll deal with him.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Louis laughed, knowing exactly what his friend meant by ‘deal with him’.

“My offer is always open. Now come on, we’d best get going if you want to make it on time.”

As they stood, Louis took one last glance at himself in the mirror. He was dressed in a deep green silk shirt which complemented his eyes perfectly, and black dress trousers and jacket. His hair was left loose, just reaching his shoulders and curling slightly at the ends.

“You look wonderful,” Armand caught him looking at himself in the mirror, “now come, we’ll take the Rolls Royce.”

The pair said goodbye to Daniel, who wished Louis luck, and went to get into the car; Armand would drive them himself. Louis was to meet Lestat at a restaurant, not the fanciest and most expensive there was to offer, but still more than most people could afford.

When they parked, Louis remained in the car for a moment. “I thought he’d be taking you somewhere a bit flashier than this.” Armand remarked.

“Lestat said he didn’t want to go somewhere he’d draw a lot of attention.”

“Ah, of course. Big rockstar and all that.”

When Louis still didn’t make a move to get out, Armand reached over and took his hand. “If you need anything just call, alright. I’ll pick you up when you’re done if you need me to.”

“Thank you.” Louis leaned over to press a kiss to his friend’s cheek before finally opening the car door and stepping out. “I’ll see you later.” He said, waiting as Armand bade him farewell and good luck before closing the door.

He took a deep breath as he made his way into the building. Once inside, after giving the name the reservation was under (Lestat’s name), the hostess led him to a table where a man with hair resembling a lion’s mane was sat.

When Louis was seated, Lestat was the first to speak. “So you’re Louis.” He picked up his hand and gave it a light kiss. “Enchanté. You look even more captivating than in your photos.” Louis felt his face burn up and looked away. “It’s so good to finally see you in person. Nice to know I haven’t been catfished.”

Louis let out a light laugh. “It’s nice to know you’re real too.”

“I am as real as they come.” Lestat sat back in his chair and gazed at Louis, eyeing him up. “So,” he said after a brief pause, “what’s up with you? Why did I come across someone as beautiful as you on a dating app?”

Louis was taken aback by the question but managed to recover. “I could ask you the same thing. But in answer to your question, the same reason as you I suppose.”

“And what reason would that be?”

“For a quick rendezvous and then we part ways.”

Lestat let out a loud bark of a laugh. “Mon cher, what you’re referring to is a one night stand, and I don’t do those.”

“You don’t?” Louis raised an eyebrow, looking less than convinced.

“Not this time I won’t be.”

Louis felt a shudder go through him in response to Lestat’s piercing gaze and sultry tone. At that moment a waitress came over with the menus. “Merci, ma chérie.” Lestat said, his eyes still fixed to Louis’, who in turn stared back as he thanked the waitress.

They stayed quiet for a short time while they looked through the menus. Once they’d ordered and the waitress had left, Louis broke the silence in an attempt to gain control of the conversation. “Tell me about yourself, Lestat.”

“What is there to say other than I’m the frontman of one of the biggest bands in today’s day and age.”

“Yes, but that’s all common knowledge. What about you? I want to get to know the real Lestat.”

Lestat looked at Louis, almost as though he was considering whether or not to answer. Ultimately he decided he would comply with Louis’ request. “If it’s the real me you want, then it’s the real me you’ll get. What do you want to know?”

“Everything. I want to know all about how you got to where you are now, I want to know where you grew up, I want to know everything about you.”

“Ah, so you want the whole sob story.” Lestat grinned. “I suppose I could indulge you. Well then, I was born in Auvergne in France. You’ve heard of it, non?” Louis nodded. “I thought as much, you are French too, am I right in saying?”

“I am.”

“Yes, your name is French. You have a slight accent too.”

“I have an accent?”

“Of course. Not as prominent as mine but still very noticeable. Anyway, as I was saying. I was born to a family descended from wealthy aristocrats who were killed by their villagers during the Revolution. The same château my ancestors lived in is still in the family, it’s where I grew up. We were, however, a poor family.” Lestat paused and looked down. “We were also an abusive family. I don’t believe my father and brothers have a kind bone in their bodies. My mother escaped with me when I was seven and we lived with her grandmother in Naples until she could afford to get us a house of our own. My mother raised me alone since that day and I am forever grateful for that. When I was fifteen she managed to get a job here in America so we moved and have lived here ever since. When I was sixteen, I met Nicki.” Lestat’s expression turned sour yet pained at the same time. “Nicolas de Lenfent. My first and last love.”

Louis gasped quietly, but loud enough that Lestat heard. “You know him?”

“He works at my friend’s theatre. He’s the conductor and playwright there.”

“Is that right? How is he holding up these days?”

Louis shifted in his chair. “He has good days and bad days. He struggles a lot mentally, though he is on medication to help.” Louis wasn’t sure how much he should say, if anything, so he left it at that.

“Sounds like him alright.” Lestat sneered, though Louis could tell it was to cover up that hurt he saw come out previously. “Well Nicki and I started out as friends. You asked earlier how I got to where I am today. It’s partially down to him. I grew up during the 80s so I’ve always had a love for music from that decade. I always felt like I had two callings in this world: music and theatre. Obviously I went with music.

“Nicki played violin. I assume he still does. . . I thought so. There, our passions overlapped; in music. It wasn’t long after we became friends that we developed into lovers and it was then that we pursued our mutual love for music. We started a band called Satan’s Night Out; I was the frontman and guitarist and Nicki accompanied with his violin. The rest of the members were friends of ours from school. It shouldn’t have worked, this band of ours, we were just a group of kids after all, but we got a few gigs around town every now and again.

“This lasted until Nicki and I split. His mind deteriorated, he was never well to begin with, and this led to more and more arguments between us, a lot of which were over creative differences in the band. He left eventually. Not just me, but the band, the school we went to. I think it was the mental state he was in, he couldn’t stay. I never saw him again. My only relationships after that and ever since were casual flings or people that stuck around for a month or two before fucking off again. Like I said, Nicki was my first and my last love.”

He stopped, looking at the ground. Louis raised his hand to place it on Lestat’s but before he made contact, Lestat shifted and cleared his throat.

“I stuck with the band, of course. Members came and went until I was left with who I have now.” He grinned. “They’ve been with me for years so I guess they’ll have to do.” Lestat laughed at his own joke. “I may as well skip over the next part. We get discovered and signed to a label and then we get big, yada, yada.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Six years ago, I met a girl called Isabella. She was part of a theatre troupe. I thought I’d fallen in love and soon enough we had come together as lovers. Only a few months after getting together, we found out she was pregnant. She had the baby five years ago, a girl, Isabella didn’t want the responsibility of being a mother so she left, didn’t even name the child. Of course I could never have so much as dreamed of abandoning my darling angel and so I became a single father and have been ever since.” A look of adoration came over Lestat’s face at the thought of his daughter. “My little Claudia. That more or less takes us up to now, really. I got tired of being alone, hopped on a dating app through sheer desperation and look where that led me.” He gestured towards Louis.

As though the timing had been rehearsed, the waitress came back at that exact moment with their food. Once she’d left, Louis spoke up. “I had no idea you were a father.”

“Good, that’s the idea.” Lestat took one glance at Louis’ confused expression and elaborated what he meant. “You have to remember Louis, my public presence is rather big. I may not have the luxury of living a private life, but that doesn’t mean my daughter can’t. It’s not to say her existence is a complete mystery, but the less people that know about her, the better.”

“It’s good to know you care about keeping her out of the public eye, not all celebrities are so considerate. Why is it that you’re telling me now, who knows what I could do with this information?”

Lestat just flashed him a smile. “Because I know you’re not going to tell anyone.”

“You’re correct, but how can you say that so confidently, we barely know each other.”

“You don’t strike me as the sort of person who would go around divulging other people’s personal information. And from what I’ve gathered during our conversations, you yourself seem to me like someone who values their own privacy. And as for why I’m telling you now? Well I didn’t want to tell you immediately because I truly didn’t know you then, I needed to meet you first after getting to know you a bit. It’s not the sort of thing I can keep from someone who’s dating me, that I have a child. But now that I’ve gotten to know you and I’ve met you, I know Claudia will be safe with you.”

“Yes, but what if we never see each other again after this? We don't know each other that well, you’ve still told an almost stranger.”

“Oh but Louis, I think we will be seeing each other again. Don’t you agree?”

“I couldn’t possibly say. How about you ask me again before we leave here.”

Lestat gave Louis a borderline predatory gaze. “Oh, I intend to.”

They sat and ate their meals, making light conversation as they did so. When they had finished and were sitting with a bottle of wine between them, Lestat turned Louis’ earlier request back onto him. “I’ve told you my sob story, but what about yours? Who is Louis?”

“I can assure you, my life’s nothing exciting.” Louis tried to deflect the topic.

“That’s not what I asked. I’m not bothered how exhilarating or how dreary your life is, I told you mine, don’t you think it’s only fair you return the favour?” Lestat raised an eyebrow.

Louis adjusted the way he was sitting, practically squirming under Lestat’s gaze. “You make a fair point. What do you want to know?”

Lestat tutted. “You know what I want to know. The whole life story if you will.” He made a gesture for Louis to proceed.

“Right, well. I too was born in France, Orléans to be specific. My family moved to New Orleans funnily enough when I was a child. I come from quite a wealthy family, it’s safe to say I was raised living in luxury. I had a younger brother, Paul.” Louis could faintly feel his eyes welling up. He stopped to take a breath.

“Had?” Lestat questioned softly, his demeanour entirely different from only moments before.

“He died.” Louis continued. “We never found out whether it was an accident or suicide. Either way I was blamed. One minute he was standing at the top of the stairs, the next, he was lying face down at the bottom with his skull cracked open. He was only fifteen.”

“Why would they blame you?”

“Because it was me he was arguing with right before he died. I don’t even remember what we were arguing about. It was probably something silly. My mother never said anything directly but I know she thought it was my fault. My father died when I was young so I never had to face him, though I can’t decide if it’s better or worse that I know he would have blamed me to my face if he’d been alive. As for my sister. She didn’t accuse me of anything, in fact, she was probably the only person who stood by my side through everything. It’s probably because she knew as well as I did, that Paul wasn’t well before he died.

“After that, my mother never looked at me the same way again. It didn’t help when she found out a few years later that her remaining son liked to sleep with other boys.” Louis’ tone was bitter as he said this.

Judging by the look on Lestat’s face, he must have guessed what Louis was going to say next. “I was quickly disowned and given enough money to keep myself afloat for a couple of months, but apart from that she ensured I would never see any of the family fortune or the family itself again. I still keep in touch with my sister, but she has to do so in secret. If our mother caught her contacting me, she’d cut her off too. I don’t want her ending up like me, so I don’t hold her secrecy against her.

“I moved here, working several jobs at that time just to keep myself alive, until I discovered photography. I’ve always had a fascination for art, and I like to consider photography a form of it. It started off as more of a hobby than anything else, and I’d saved to buy a proper camera. My photos were noticed after I began sharing them online, bear in mind it was more for myself, so I could have some kind of an archive of my photos. I never meant for anyone to see them, let alone for someone to take an interest. Long story short, after working for a few companies for a while, I moved onto doing freelance which I still do now.

“As for why I’m here talking to you now, I came out of a three year relationship only a few months ago. I’m still close friends with him, we just weren’t working out romantically anymore, and now he’s in a new relationship. I do enjoy my own company, I’m perfectly content being alone but. . .” Louis trailed off.

“But you're not just alone, you're lonely.” Lestat finished for him.

Louis sighed. “I never admitted it until now, not even to myself.”

They sat quietly. Lestat was one to break the silence. “What a pair we make. Just two guys with a shit load of trauma, airing out our dirty laundry on the first date.” He laughed to himself, making Louis smile. “Fancy a walk? I think we’re done here.” Before Louis could open his mouth, Lestat said “Oh, and don’t worry about paying. It’s on me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind splitting it.”

“Let me take this one. You can take the next one, oui?” He winked at him playfully to which Louis rolled his eyes while badly trying to hide another smile.

Within ten minutes they were out of the restaurant and walking the dark winter streets of New York. They were making idle conversation when the topic of Louis’ friends came up and Louis suddenly remembered one of his text exchanges with Lestat from the previous week. When there was a lull in the conversation, Louis brought it up. “Do you remember last week, when I told you about telling my friends about you?”

“Vaguely, why?”

“You said something about having close friends, but when I asked you about whether you had any, you didn’t really answer.”

“Right, that.” Lestat looked up into the sky as snow began to fall, closing his eyes and sighing before opening them again. “You’d think I have tons of friends, wouldn’t you. You’re partially correct to think that. The only people I can class as my real friends though, are my bandmates but even then they’re not the sort of people I can go to if I need someone, you know? Everyone else just sort of pretends to be your friend so they can get access to certain places or free shit. Just because I’m rich and famous doesn’t mean I have it all, there are downsides to this lifestyle.”

“That’s not right.”

Lestat shrugged. “It is what it is. It’s the price to pay for fame and fortune: surrounding yourself with fake people who only want you for your money.”

“That still doesn’t make it right. No one deserves to be treated like they’re nothing more than their money.”

“Tell that to them, see if they care.” A buzzing sound came from Lestat’s pocket. “Excuse me, I need to take this.” He said when he took out his phone and saw the caller ID. “Hello? Lucy, is there something wrong?” Lestat stopped in his tracks and his face turned worried for a second, but relaxed as ‘Lucy’ spoke. “Oh, ma bébé, put her on, let me speak to her.” Shuffling at the other end. “Ma petite, qu'est-ce qui ne va pas? You had a nightmare? It’s okay, ce n'était qu'un mauvais rêve. Je serai bientôt à la maison et ensuite je te lirai une histoire, d’accord? I’ll see you soon, I love you.” More shuffling from the other end. “It’s alright, I’ll be back as soon as I can. Okay. Yes, that’s fine. See you in a bit. Bye.” Lestat hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. “I’m really sorry, I’m going to have to get home, Claudia’s woken up after having a nightmare and she won’t sleep unless I’m there.”

“I understand, you need to be with her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, don’t worry.”

“Do you have a ride home or anything? I can quickly take you back if you need me too.”

“I can call my friend, he’ll be able to get me, don’t worry about me.” Lestat didn’t look convinced so Louis added to reassure him, “Honestly, I’m fine. You go home and be with your daughter.”

“Thank you, I really am sorry. Maybe we could do this again sometime? Tonight was good.”

“Just good?” Lestat realised what he said and stumbled over his words trying to backtrack making Louis laugh. “I’m joking. I had a lovely night too.”

“Is that a yes to doing this again then?”

“It is.”

Lestat began walking backwards as he continued talking to Louis. “Great, I’ll message you again soon and we can arrange something else.”

“Sounds good, I look forward to it.”

Lestat gave Louis a thumbs up and almost hit a lamppost as he went to turn around, to which Louis raised a hand to cover his mouth so Lestat didn’t see him laugh. “I meant to do that.” Lestat called.

“I’m sure you did.” Louis called back.

When Lestat was gone, Louis phoned Armand asking to be picked up. A few minutes later a black Rolls Royce pulled up beside Louis.

“How did it go?” Armand asked once Louis was in. “You didn’t call for backup so I’m going to assume it went well.”

“You would be assuming correctly.” Louis agreed.

“I’m pleased to hear it.”

The rest of the drive home was wordless, but that was soon ended when they got into the house. “Lou, how was he?” Daniel asked when they got inside.

“He was lovely. We had a wonderful time.”

“Are you seeing him again?”

Louis looked from Daniel to Armand, both of them staring at him expectantly. “He said he’d message me to arrange another date.”

“That’s great! I’m so happy for you!”

Armand came up to him and hugged him, whispering, “See, I told you you’d be alright.” Louis hugged him back.

Later on when the three of them were curled up in front of the TV, Louis remembered something Lestat had told him. “You know you said you recognised that name ‘Lestat’?” He asked Armand, who nodded. “It turns out, he’s Nicki’s ex.”

“That’s it.” Armand sat up. “Nicki was ranting about something ages ago, I don’t remember what now, he was in one of his moods, but I do recall the name ‘Lestat’ coming up.”

“Damn, small world.” Daniel remarked.

A few days later, Lestat got back to Louis asking if he was free to go out on another date the next night. Louis said that he was and so they agreed to go and watch a movie. He pretended not to notice when Lestat went to try the whole 'stretching to put an arm around your shoulders' tactic, only for him to accidentally knock the person behind him, forcing him to give up on the act and keep his arms to himself for the duration of the film.

The third date they went to various bookstores as Lestat had discovered Louis’ love for reading and wanted to impress him with something a little more personal. Louis came home with a bookshop’s worth of books that day; Lestat wasn’t one to skimp out as Louis quickly came to realise.

On the fourth date (if you call it that) Louis took Lestat to meet Armand and Daniel as they had been pestering him to no end to introduce them. Lestat and Daniel got on a little too well. Louis could tell he’d probably have to keep an eye on them when they were together, lest they get up to no good. Armand and Lestat on the other hand spent most of their time arguing, however Louis could tell it was more bickering akin to what siblings do rather than any actual aggressiveness. He knew they’d learn to get on just fine in time, though he’d probably still be on standby just in case anything did go awry.

For the fifth date, Lestat took Louis to meet Claudia. The young girl had taken a shine to Louis straight away; she spent a considerable amount of time in his arms as he carried her around, refusing to let him put her down. “I think you’re my replacement.” Lestat had joked. When it had been time for Louis to leave, Claudia threw a tantrum and had to be coaxed away from hugging his legs to prevent him from going.

When the sixth date came around, Lestat took Louis up to the roof of his penthouse. It was a clear night; the stars were twinkling and the moon was casting its silvery light over them. The sounds of the city seemed so far away, leaving Louis feeling like him and Lestat were the only two people in the world.

They had been lying beside each other looking up at the night sky, when Louis sensed Lestat shifting next to him. He paid no attention until he heard him clear his throat. “Louis?” He hummed an answer but still didn’t look. “Louis.”

“What is it, Lestat?” He turned his head to look at him, sitting up as well when he noticed his expression. He looked nervous.

“I need to ask you something.” Louis nodded encouragingly and Lestat took a deep breath as he fiddled with something in his hands. “Doyouwannagooutwithme?” He blurted, refusing to look at Louis directly.

“Sorry? You’ll have to repeat that, you said it too fast.”

Lestat closed his eyes. “Do you want to go out with me?” He winced a little as if he was expecting Louis to slap him or lash out somehow. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to see Louis gazing at him with a fond expression.

“Took you long enough.” Came the answer.

“What?”

“This is our sixth date, Lestat. I figured you would have asked by now.”

Lestat sat there tripping over his words, only stopping when Louis pressed a kiss to his cheek. He stared at him, dumbfounded, then managed to regain his composure. “Is that a yes or. . .?”

Louis laughed harder than he would later care to admit. “Yes.”

Lestat grinned and put a hand to Louis’ face which sobered him up from his laughter. They stared at each other, Lestat’s grin softened to a light smile and slowly moved in until his lips were pressed against Louis’. The first kiss was short and a bit uncertain. The second came immediately after and lasted quite a bit longer. They were much more sure of themselves that time.

“What’s that?” Louis whispered when they parted, like he was worried about disturbing the moment.

“What’s what?” Lestat whispered back.

“In your hand, you’re holding something.”

“Oh, this. Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Louis closed his eyes and felt Lestat take his right hand and slip something onto the ring finger. “Okay, you can open them now.” He opened his eyes and saw a ring made of paper, folded to look like a heart in the middle and coloured in with red felt-tip. “Claudia made it. She told me to give it to you, and said that if I didn’t then she would never speak to me again.”

Louis looked down at it and smiled. “I’ll treasure it always.”

“You better had, Claudia will have your head and mine if you lose it and believe me when I say you do not want to get on her bad side.”

“I promise to look after it.”

“Good.” Lestat leaned in for another kiss which Louis reciprocated.

As they kissed under the light of the moon, Louis thought to himself, Daniel was right. The dating app wasn’t such a bad idea after all. He’d have to thank him later, but for now, Louis would enjoy his newfound romance, and be grateful he gave the dating app a chance.