Chapter 1: The impulse of Loneliness
Summary:
In the dragging aftermath of Charlie's death and Claudia's despair, she comes to one conclusion: Claudia is going to make her immortal companion, she will never let this loneliness eat her again.
Notes:
Trigger list for this one-shot: Depression, murder, mentions of suicide and self harm, disassociation
Chapter Text
It has been a month since Claudia was forced to watch Charlie’s corpse burn. Since then many events and changes have happened in their dark home. Since the true understanding of permanency came to Claudia.
Lestat boarded up the skylight in response to Louis' distress at Claudia’s self-harm. The scissors and knives get locked away after they find her bald with bloody nicks all over sitting in the bathtub that next night. Finally, Louis moved her back to his coffin. This response came after Lestat jerked her out of her own coffin while she was having another crisis of loneliness. She had beaten her hands into the wood of her own coffin until they were broken and bloody stumps and the top of the coffin was one tap from crumbling.
This is week one of their new lives.
Next week, after Louis forced a pigeon or two into her, Lestat forced Claudia to drink from his wrist so Louis didn’t mope about her malnourishment. When she’s not screaming or scribbling madly in her diary, Louis dresses her up, Lestat props her up in their automobile and they parade down the street.
Claudia had taken to just staring out at them all as humid Nola winds breezed over her. However, she couldn’t feel it, she couldn’t feel a lot of things anymore. Her one ravenous appetite was a hollow in her, the sounds of the world and her adult companions were whomps. Even the words she wrote down in her diary were dragging drabbles of confusion.
So during the current car ride, Claudia’s mind found purpose in reaching out to the crowds to find a heartbeat to match her own. For someone to admire her and her alone, for something to eat back at her depression.
The car kept driving, her body kept sitting but Claudia felt her soul wandering. It goes through the bars and house parties and jazz clubs full of young people her age ( Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-one. Never thirteen. Never Fourteen, Never Fifthteen,). Her soul sat quietly next to them, heart and mind prodding them to turn to her, to include her, to love her. Her presence simply causes chills.
Claudia finally snaps back to her body when her mouth is forced to Lestat’s wrist and his blood hits her gums. She blinked owlishly at finding them back home and Louis is reading poetry aloud.
“Drink mon petite, I made sure to indulge in sweeter blood for you tonight.” Lestat said. His declaration of effort makes Louis smile at them as Claudia grasps his wrist and pulls from her maker in small sips.
“Missing your vigor.” Lestat scolded, Louis rolled his eyes.
“Give her time.”
Claudia’s eyes bounced to the fire in thought as once she’s had a proper fill that makes her dull hunger vanish back to dull nothingness. She remembered when Lestat snatched that wrist from her the night she was turned.
Wait.
Claudia eyed Lestat, her maker. Then looks at Louis, a vampire made for companionship. Claudia fought a smile as she laid down, pillowing her head in Lestast’s lap. It surprised the man, made him flinch even but he gave a hum of intrigue and allowed it. Louis is practically vibrating at the scene. Claudia let her soul wander out again, lulled by the sound of blood pumping around her maker’s veins. Such sweet blood that can give the dark gift. That blood flows through her.
Dear diary, I’ve moped enough. I’m a woman, a grown woman. I can simply make my own Louis. Make my own Lestat. Make my own immortal companion, we'll be perfect.
Things for a Perfect Companion:
Young enough to be seen with me
Nice to me
Would be gentle to me
Fun
Would appreciate the hunt
Instructions:
Drain them to near death.
Feed them the blood.
Watch them turn.
Stay with them while they die.
Take them out for their first hunt.
“Little Waif?” Louis thought to Claudia. Claudia quickly blocked the truth of her mind up to him, instead she responded with a simple, “Yes?”
“Do you need help getting ready? We are heading out in thirty minutes.” he responded and Claudia shared the smile in her mind to him.
“Not tonight. I want to get ready and hunt on my own tonight. I’ll be down soon.” She laughed out loud when she heard Louis loud gasp from his room, Louis played it off as Lestat asked what was wrong. “Very well, darlin’.”
Claudia got dressed in a mute yellow plaid press, a soft pink lip and wore the emeralds Lestat gave her years ago. Claudia tentatively stepped out, she is met by the worried yet curious looks of her elders.
“Will you be riding with us?” Lestat asked and she shook her head.
“I’m ready to head back out. I need the hunt.”
“Good, your blues were starting to paint us. You are greater than moping over some human boy. It has been, what? Two years? That is a blink.”
“Lestat! Have some damn decorum.” Louis scolded and Claudia just chuckled.
“It’s fine daddy Lou.” “Don’t you remember? He is the dumb one.”
Claudia kissed their cheeks as she tucked the checklist and instructions into her pocket.
Tonight, she was going to make her own immortal companion and be happy again.
--------
Fuck, I drained them dead. “Lord, turn on the lights!”
Fuck, I drained them dead. “Be gone Devil!”
Fuck, I drained them dead. “gurgles”
Louis sighed and Lestat huffed in dismay when Claudia stormed home crying and slamming herself into her room. She told the frenchie to fuck off and blocked Louis out. Claudia screamed through the oak door to prove she’s alive when Louis rattled the knob. She doesn’t spare them a glance when she strikes out on her own once again. She’s going to make her immortal companion, she will never let this loneliness eat her again.
Fuck, I drained them dead. “ Mavis, run!”
Fuck, I drained them dead. “I’ll haunt you bitch!”
I did it! She drank it. ..… she didn’t wake back up. Fuck you diary.
This one wasn’t as nice as he could have been and he tasted salty, but he drank me. He didn’t wake up.
Fuck, I drained them dead. “Hail Mary”
Claudia is going to make her immortal companion, she will never let this loneliness eat her again.
He was kinda old but he was so nice. He didn’t drink enough of me. His wife wouldn’t stop screaming, I drained her dead. The child is like 5, may as well finish him and be full can't torture a baby like this.
He was boring. I drained him dead.
She wouldn’t stop praying, wouldn’t swallow. I ate her heart, she tasted like a cucumber salad.
Can I make a cat drink my blood? That school teacher’s tabby won’t stop following me.
He tasted like brandy.
She tasted like wine.
She’s opium.
He was so sick, it made him sour.
Fuck me, they just won’t wake up.
I mixed my blood with milk. The baby just kept screaming, I had to shut her up with a pillow.
It wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough.
I wasn’t enough.
Fuck it!
Reefer, opuim, Woozy, Reefers, morphine, morphine, morphine.
Beer, wine, vodka, whisky, wine, wine, wine, wine. Yet they wouldn’t drink a drop from me. I think I like ‘em dead.
Well, we’re all dead, aren’t we diary?
Claudia jerks up at the sound of nightsticks knocking the door. She wobbles up from the sofa and pressed so hard into the door, the wood creaks.
Diary, I think I miss the taste of pork.
“New Orleans Authority, please open up.”
Chapter 2: A Bitter Syrup
Summary:
While Louis returns to his family, Lestat and Claudia take on the night in a bountiful hunt.
Lestat face the terror of fatherhood when harm comes to her.
He never wants this fear again.
Notes:
Tigger list for this one-shot: poisoning, graphic distress, vomiting, lots of blood but this show is about vampires lol.
Chapter Text
“The sun has barely set, mon coeur.” Lestat argues. Louis hums and kisses Lestat again while buttoning his suit jacket.
“Grace has convinced Maman to have a late dinner, 8 is pushing it. I have my umbrella.” Louis declares.
Lestat scoffs again, crossing his arms in a pout that makes Louis chuckle.
“You can take Claudia out for driving lessons and a hunt again. Help the bond.” Louis suggests. Lestat hums now, a proud smile gracing his face. It has been 9 months of this new family arrangement. Lestat could admit that watching Claudia’s bloody glee and thrill in their dark gift sings to his heart in a soft way that couldn't be explained. This ‘parenthood’ thing is… odd he feels so vulnerable yet so enraptured by it.
“Ah, so I get to have all the fun tonight! The waif and I shall have to send you a postcard.” Lestat purrs, practically preening as Louis kisses him again.
“Can’t wait to hear all about it. I should be home by 1. Don’t keep her out until early again! You know how fussy she gets when she’s too close to sunrise.” Louis warns and Lestat dramatically scoffs with a toss of his hair.
“I rile not.”
----
Lestat doesn't fear much of anything, especially fear of a car wreck, he’s supernaturally durable after all. However, as Claudia tries to stomp the pedal through the thin floor with her little loafer, Lestat finds that one fear. He crumbles the upper metal of the door in his scared grip as they fly down the road towards thickets around the dam.
“The road! The road! You have the vision of night, use it!” he barks, it blends into the cherry sweet sound of Claudia’s bubbling laughter.
“The wind is fun, Uncle Les! We need the speed!”
“You can run this fast!”
“The speed!”
Soon the two park half-hazard into a cove of trees near the dirt road. Lestat stalks them towards a rowdy bunch of men around a bonfire in a lower, near-swampy thicket. Claudia hisses in anticipation, fangs gleaming in the moonlight, it makes Lestat chuckle and shush her with a soft tap to the nose.
“That fat one smells like candied almonds, and that red head is pralines!” Claudia explains. Lestat hums warmly as they get right to the clearing edge.
“I am a gentleman, Ladies first.” he offers with a loose wave towards them all. Claudia lunges forward, Lestat takes in the blur of her form before laughing as the fat one falls with gurgling screams.
He springs forward after her.
Lestat has no need to feel bad, they’ve taught this lesson to Claudia before, she may be famished but she must have control. Especially considering her small frame and the bounty of bigger prey. Louis would have stopped her at two bodies with a strict scolding, but Lestat let her indulge to four. They even shared that last man!
“Uhgh…Urg!”
Lestat winces at the uncomfortable groans and hiccups coming from his little fledging. Claudia is woozy as she holds onto his arm on their way back to the car. He frowns as she does small swallows every few seconds, a gleam of pink sweat cropping up around the base of her neck and forehead.
“Uncle Les… too… too much. Cannya carry me?”
“I’ve told you before mon petite, we are vampires, not ticks.”
“The second one tasted like Power-Sours and lemon drops. And…and the almonds.” she mumbles as her steps stagger to a stop. Before Lestat can comment she’s slump into his side with an empty retch, Lestat sighs as he grabs her into a princess hold. He flinches at the utterly frigged and cold thing that is Claudia.
She just ate three times herself in blood, she should be overtly warm. Yet, she was a cold as a corpse on ice.
“Claudia? Claudia!” he says, shaking her a bit as he starts to rush to the automobile now. Claudia just groans in his arms, pink sweat starting to drip and drench off her as bloody tears trickle from her eyes.
“Unc.. Lesss.. Lestat!”
Lestat sits her into the car seat just as she jerks out of her stupor and vomits over the both of them. The blood is dark like deadly ink on their clothes, Lestat recoils at the sick and rank stench of it.
“Les??? Poppa? Sumthin’, not ri’t.” Claudia slurs.
“Putain de merde!” Lestat swears as he jerks out the way in time to miss Claudia getting sick again.
“Whass happen’?” Claudia cries out, her eyes blotted out with the amount of bloody tears pouring out of them. Lestat is speechless as thinks over what possibly could even trigger a reaction like this out of a vampire. Over-indulgences, sick blood, dead blood, poisoned blood.
Poison…
“Shit!” Lestat curses, with a flash run he goes back to their pile of dead men. He pushes through the bodies until he comes to the fat one Claudia had drained first. He takes a deep smell of the man then balks at the reek of almonds and death.
Arsenic, fuck .
“Les!” Claudia cries from the car is a slurring shriek. Lestat flashes back just in time to catch her tumbling forward as she vomits again, her balance gone as well. Forgetting the car, Lestat bundles his fledgling child to his chest and bolts into flight back to their home. What was a 30 minute drive was now a 5 minute race, the whole time Claudia thrashes as she gurgles in pain, black blood dribbling over Lestat's chest.
Claudia whimpers when they get home, Lestat settles her into a bathtub, then sets the shower to hot. She starts to sweat even more, the steam softening the Rigor mortis that came to plague her.
“Lestat, make it stop. Please, please, I’ll be good. It hur-.” Lestat clutches her close, her sobs muffling into his ruined shirt sleeve as she gets sick again. Lestat swallows nervously. It would take ages for her to purge the tainted blood out on her own. Lestat knows this as he looks in the mirror across from them and sees Claudia physically graying from sickness.
“Easy, mon peitie, easy cherie. Take a breath. Please take a breath.” Lestat coos into her hair. She barely takes two breaths before Lestat dives into the cove between her neck and shoulder, right into the major artery and starts to drain her. He lets his cheeks swell full with blood until he can no longer hold it, then spits it out into the running water.
Claudia flails defensively, any ability to think gone, just reactions. Her nails sink into the back of Lestat’s head over and over again, until she is too weak to even creep her fingertips up his back. Lestat continues to hold her tighter and keeps on pulling the poisoned blood, retching himself as trickles of it end up in his own belly every now and then.
Claudia’s complete gray. Her eyes fluttering as they flicker between the brilliant amber he gifted her to the doe browns they once were 3 years ago. Lestat is shaky as rips his sleeve off before biting himself, leaving a leaking gash, then shoving it into Claudia’s mouth.
He looses the ability to breath at Claudia’s stillness. Not even a twitch or groan escapes her.
“Claudia! Claudia take! Take, ma cherie!” Lestat commands, slapping his arm over and over into her mouth.
Flashes of Louis’s fury and sorrow ache his heart, but there is a cold dread that truly hurts him, piercing through his heart.
She was dead, Claudia was truly gone, and it was all his fault.
Was this the wooden stake that foolish humans always talk about? The maddening sorrow of losing a bond? The implosion of a maker's heart?
“Drink! Drink damn it!” Lestat roars, shaking Claudia and jamming his arm further in, ripping his flesh over her fangs. Lestat feels frenzied as she remains cold and slumped against him. Like he’s on the outskirts of his village once more, lamb in his lap and rifle in his arms as he stares down the menacing wolf pack.
“Claudia! Merci, merci!” he pleads into her curls. Claudia whimpers.
Her tongue weakly drags across the wound. Lestat gasps as she sluggish sips of him, like a butterfly landing on his skin and fluttering away in a moment.
“Drink! Drink, mon milkweed.” he pleads as she slowly grows stronger in drinking off of him. Her hands twitch as they grabs at his shirt, her dull eyes look up at him like he was light. It reminds him of the vigor that filled her when she woke up a new creature on that bed, her burns falling away. Lestat gives a laugh of relief, lightheadness claiming him as Claudia gulps, “Take more. Take more!” he whispers.
She takes a few more drinks. Lestat was ready to be drained dry right then and there, however, Claudia gives a miserable moan and her mouth slips off his arm. Her body went slack, but her skin was becoming brown once more, her body warming, her chest heaving. Alive, she was alive.
Lestat is filled with the urge to pray. To thank some kind of higher power for granting her back to him. His heart is sore as the bond is restored. She is here, Louis' heart breathing in Lestat’s arms.
“Lestat?”
The French man’s head jerks over to the doorway of the bathroom. Louis’s eyes are wide in shock, hands trembling, “Lestat, what the fuck?” Louis shouts. Lestat just shakes his head, laughter bubbling up his throat but bloody tears drowning his eyes.
“Claudia?” Louis says. He hurries forward and pulls her out of Lestat’s arms, into his own. She whimpers again, properly curling up into Louis arms. Lestat sinks back, the buzzing weakness of being half-drained overtaking him.
“Take her to coffin. She’ll need rest for a while.” Lestat pants out. Louis frowns as he looks his companion over but nods as he carries Claudia to their bedroom. As Louis goes, Lestat turns off the shower with a sigh, watching the pink water swirl down the drain. The dread still lingering, this bond, this utter weakness over this girl thrusted upon him…
It can never happen again.
Chapter 3: Screams and Sunbeams
Summary:
A soft sequel to A bitter Syrup.
Claudia and her lonely heart keep burning herself in the sun, Louis is heartbroken, Lestat has the wrong reaction.
Notes:
Trigger list: Attempted Suicide, burning, self harm, domestic violence graphic injury
Chapter Text
It’s 6pm, two hours before true sunset.
Lestat smells it before hearing Claudia's scream shatter all the glass and mirrors on the upper floor of the house.
The burn of sun has a particular char smell to it, all acidic and overtly sour to the point of nausea. It has Louis rolling out of his coffin gagging and both elder vampires have to flinch away from the stray sunbeams as they race towards Claudia.
The two jerk to a stop and gasp at the growing pile of ash, Claudia’s arms dissolving as she just keeps screaming and crumbling forward. Her head catches in the sunbeams now, her hair sizzling as the curls shrink into embers, then red engulfs her forehead. Louis tackles her off the piano, his feet playing a curt and ugly discontent on the keys before the two thud to the floor. Claudia’s screams pitch high enough the windows tremble with the threat to shatter on them all and engulf them in the sun of her despair.
Lestat closes the hatch, leaving them all in some shadow.
“Let me burn! Just let me burn up instead of alla this lonely!” Claudia pleads to them.
Blood pours out her eyes, her skin still flaking and floating off with angry red peels as she fights in Louis’ hold. Louis yelps as her head cracks back into his nose but continues to hold tightly as she tries to jerk towards the windows. Lestat storms forward, snagging her by the collar of her night gown and with a thunderous smack, he slaps Claudia across her face. It send her sprawling across the landing and into the deep shade under the piano. They all go still and silent. Lestat huffing with wild eyes of shock and frustration. Louis shaking and scowling. Claudia curls up and sobs.
“Lestat! What the fuck!” Louis roar, he bolts up and shoves Lestat across the room, away from the immortal girl. Lestat hit the stair banister with a gasp, grabbing it just in time so he didn’t tumble down the steps. Lestat grows red as he watch Louis curse when he jerks his nose back in place before kneeling down to their daughter.
“Clauida. Babygirl, please.” Louis whispers as Claudia’s whimpers from the pain finally sinking into her pass the toll of emotion. She just curls in tighter and shakes.
“I was his angel, just let me die.” she whispers.
Lestat swallows the metallic taste in his mouth, for once it taste horrible and bitter. His heart hammers as despair and resentment drive ice cold pricks through him. His bond as Claudia’s maker ravishes him in miserable waves of lonely agony. Louis pulls her into his lap, ripping off his night shirt to shrouding her in it. Lestat speeds, making Louis flinch at his sudden appearance at their side.
“Get the fuck back from her! Why the hell did you hit her, she’s already hurting an-” Louis trails off as Lestat tears a chuck out of his own wrist and starts to douse Claudia in his blood.
Claudia cries out, as the spray of blood clears off the sun char and forces regrowth. Louis still holds his angered frown but follows Lestat’s lead. Louis places his hand into Claudia’s mouth, cooing soft comforts as he uses his other hand to close her jaw, sinking her fangs into his flesh and coaxing her to drink of him.
Lestat makes them trade after a minute, he was the stronger blood, he also had a more successful hunt of four bodies the night before. The family of three is quiet and tense as Louis rubs the healing blood over the burns and Lestat forces her to swallow her maker’s blood. They get her to the point where she is simply weak and looks sunburned, save for a chunk of her hair missing. Lestat sags back in exhaustion, he watches numbly as Louis whisks Claudia off to the bathroom to be cleaned.
Lestat rubs at his chest, feeling the bruises of impact the Louis left of him when he was shoved. It is his turn to gag at the pile of ash Claudia had left of herself. He is repulsed at the though of having to sweep up her ashes with the broken glass. Fuck, how was he to dispose of it? Throwing her in the trash felt wrong, even for him.
Rule 4: Do not bestow the Dark Gift to the elderly, cripple, lame, and children.
Lestat has never regretted the truth as much, he listens to Louis run Claudia a bath and tries to get her to speak. Lestat's inability to refuse Louis had doomed Claudia. The cold spike of her sunk more and more into the Frenchman.
He had only felt it once before, it was for this same ravenous creature only 6 years ago.
Poor abomination, his infant death, a doll of despair that tears his heart apart.
Lestat balls it up, balls up the bond of daughter fledgling and painful pride.
Buries her deep in his chest, until she is just a small cold spot under his rib.
How dare she poison his love with this ungrateful ridiculousness.
Claudia will learn to get over this foolishness, Lestat will make her.
He can’t feel like this again and survive.
sleepystardew on Chapter 3 Thu 05 Dec 2024 12:48AM UTC
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