( Steve is Just Like This if you are killer coded in his estimation. why he doesn't act up w Louis, THE MAN THAT KILLED PPL, is mostly due to Louis being nice to him. I never said it was fair. )
I died keeping this castle from swandiving into a volcano. The fact you can be a pain in the ass right now should be worth a cigarette.
( Steve kinda knew that wasn't gonna fly. it's still annoying. it is so vampire to not be grateful to be alive, while literally victimizing the entire human race to not be dead. but you miss every shot you don't take, and at this point Steve is not so proud he won't whiff a potential basket from across the court, even though he knows the odds. especially in this instance, because his best shot is also his worst option. )
Fine.
( is he really gonna do this? it's possibly the dumbest idea he's ever had. he's really putting a lot of faith in Louis liking him better alive for the chance at lung cancer. Steve knows he should quit while he's ahead. there's still time for him to have common sense, right? )
( wrong. if there was he wouldn't have even started this conversation. his attempt at being smart about this fails in less than 10 minutes, and then he's back like he never left to throw the only card he has carelessly across the table. )
I get a smoke. You get a snack. ( Lestat is always dropping hints about being hungry — also a super vampire-y thing to do, by the way!!! it is all Steve has that he can barter. so, why not? he's been vampire lunch for no reward before, this won't be that different. ) And when I say snack I mean SNACK. Like a nip. Not all you can eat. Got it?
( he means nip like those cute little bottles of Fireball they keep by the register. not nip like bite. but once he thinks it he thinks about the biting part too, which is a wild spin of fear, hopelessness, desperation, and a little bit of familiar intrigue. like maybe he's thought about this before. then Steve remembers how brain messages work and hits mute the best he can. maybe it's even somewhat effective. Steve is a rare talent in refusing to engage with thoughts he doesn't want to have. )
[ While Steve's efforts to contain his inside thoughts is a noble effort, this is a vampire that can already sift through his thoughts and memories without the help of the Crucible's ways. Not that he necessarily is at this given moment, a brief wave of Steve's anxiety tells all that he needs to know.
If the vampire is pleased with the offering, it doesn't slip through the connection. On his end, he is smiling. ]
Not a drop more after you tell me to stop. Is that fair to you?
It's less of a hassle if I take it directly from the source. [ You want this man to quest for a cup? Be real, Steve. The tone of his voice grows a murmur warmer as he casually goes on: ] Your neck, your wrist.. the inside of your thigh.
( he shouldn't be surprised. this is Mr. "I've watched men suck cock for Opium". Steve should just expect the guy to bust out of pocket shit at this point. but, nope, Steve still manages to find pearls to clutch about it all the same. and, you know what, he's actually good, and has 0 interest in letting a vampire that close to his dick.
okay, well, not 0 interest, but. it's still not happening. )
The arm then. ( Steve actually isn't worried about the pain. he is downright confident he's had worse. and... to be fair, he probably has. arm seems like it'd be easiest to cover, just in case Lestat leaves him raw and weeping after. it's a perfectly practical place to get bitten. waaaaaay less complicated than the other offerings. ofc my vanilla gay panic prince would go for the tamest vampire feeding location known to man. ππ )
A safe choice, a boring one. [ Steve is as predictable as they come. ] But you'll hear no complaints from me.
[ Something, something about choosing beggars. Lestat is hungry. He'd love nothing more than to tear someone apart, but sure... let him suck on the dainty wrist of monsieur teen aquanet. Louis will rue filling a book full of malicious slander against him being a monster. Look at him, being so nice and gentle to a man who cannot even appreciate it. What a misunderstood monster is he, etc etc.]
Where do you want me to find you?
[ Not where are you, not where can I find you. If they're close enough to speak comfortably without headaches, he doesn't need Steve to tell him where he is. This is courtesy. ]
( a quick flare of aggravation for being negged about his bite location request, because WHATTTT is boring about letting somebody VORE HIM ???
as for where... well, not anywhere remotely by his room. he does not need his hot roommates to know about this. nor anywhere remotely by Quentin's favorite places to haunt, for similar reasons but far more extreme reasons. not as far as the gatehouse, either, though. Steve has lost a notable amount of blood before. he wants to be able to get back to his bed if he needs to sleep it off. )
There's gotta be a balcony nobody is using somewhere.
( unfortunately, Louis self reported his super sniffer, so Steve is already burdened by the idea Lestat can probably just find him wherever. )
( how does Lestat manage to exist without everyone knowing he's a vampire when he says shit like "no one will catch you dead"? he's like a Scooby Doo villain. are vampires just incapable of any degree of subtlety?
and if the reference of DEAD freaked him out for a second... well... π₯Ίππ leave him alone. he doesn't WANT to be dead. he's hinging a LOT on the idea Louis likes him better alive right about now.
Steve isn't too concerned about the temperature of Lestat's meal. he's concerned about privacy. and since he would like nobody to know this ever happened, somewhere notably unwelcoming and inhospitable is perfectly aligned to his interests. but since Lestat isn't exactly a choosy beggar, and compromise is likely required for him to get his stress cigarette, )
Fine. Whatever. Just give me long enough to find somewhere.
( not too close and not too far. the goldilocks of places to get gnawed on. and if he decides the first two empty sitting rooms weren't empty enough somehow — that's his business. at some point he needs to just get it over with, though, and this empty room is as good as any. the fire is half dead, but it's better than all the way dead. so Steve leans against a musty old timey couch and waits. if his haunt doesn't show up on his own time then he'll brain him. but he just has a feeling. )
[ For all of Lestat's newfound carelessness, using a simple turn of phrase calling out Steve's anxiety about getting caught doing something semi-homoerotic hardly seems condemning. That's just Steve's bias showing. ]
Do you really think I'm careless enough to kill you? [ Lestat's soft, incredulous note chimes up from over Steve's shoulder. Absent one moment, there the next, crouched at the fireplace to toss another log into the fire as though he'd been waiting for his arrival some time. Better dressed this time, it's too cold even for a vampire to go slutting around, open robed and nipples out. ]
Take a breath and a seat. [ A proper one, monsieur bisexual leaner. ]
( grandpa, NOBODY says shit like that! you talk like a vampire!!! ADMIT IT!!!
Steve startles. even though he's expecting the guy. how on earth did he end up BEHIND him? playing stage magician is not doing anything to calm a fella's nerves. Steve straightens, turns around. keeps his attention firmly on the fancy vampire man. like he has any hope of keeping track of a guy that can just appear, apparently. he opens his mouth to ask how the fuck that happened, but either decides he doesn't care, or that Lestat isn't the type to share with the class even if he did. so gives up before he gets that far. )
I don't think you're careless. I think you don't care. ( there's a difference! it's not an apparent ineptitude he's worried about. no, it's that there's no love lost between the two of them, even if they coexisted for about ten minutes to share a cigarette once. it puts him on edge. he's never done this before. it might have been nice to know the person doing the blood sucking had even a mild interest in him still breathing when they were done.
so, it should be no surprise that Steve does not seem particularly inclined to getting cozy first. being recently dead around something that is especially good at killing is harder on his state of mind than he thought it'd be. so his expression is incredulous. ) Are you serious? Why can't we just get it over with? ( he can stick his arm out for the chomping just fine while standing, thanks much! )
[ The vampire rises, dusting his hands as he turns to look at the younger man, arm jutted out like he's waiting for a hand stamp at a nightclub. Go on and get it over with, he says. Doesn't think Lestat cares, he says. Well. ]
No, we are not just getting it over with, [ the Frenchman repeats with obvious disgust. He rounds back around the furniture, eyes on Steve. He doesn't move dangerously, bumbling around like a tired parent trying to get their child to take off their Batman costume so they can go to church. Agitated for the continual misrepresentation.] I happen to care, Steve, not just because Louis has a fondness for you or any other excuse under the sun you can think of as to what keeps my monstrous urges from ravaging the castle.
[ He's been patient, cordial, a little bit of an asshole, but not all assholes are barely contained, ravenous killers. Check your bias, Steve. What has Lestat actually done before his eyes that makes him so easily written off? It bothers him, it bothers him as much as Louis own perception of him written down in words in that horrendous book that only proved that the man closest in his life didn't understand him. Steve barely knows him, and he gets some grace with that, but he's hit his limit. ]
Before I was a vampire, I was a human, and being turned did not magically remove my humanity. I have standards! [ Louis had painted him a coldhearted killer. Steve's reaction is constantly unsurprising, yet disappointing. All he wants is to be understood. Seen as he is, as he's always been. ] You might understand that if you took your head out of your ass— [ he makes a flippant gesture at him with his hand and gestures again to the couch ] now if you want your cigarette you're going to sit down so I do not have to catch you in the event you feel faint.
[ Or maybe he should just let him drop on the floor, this idiot child. ]
Edited (didnt copypasta the whole tag oops) 2026-03-05 21:32 (UTC)
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I died keeping this castle from swandiving into a volcano. The fact you can be a pain in the ass right now should be worth a cigarette.
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1/2
Fine.
( is he really gonna do this? it's possibly the dumbest idea he's ever had. he's really putting a lot of faith in Louis liking him better alive for the chance at lung cancer. Steve knows he should quit while he's ahead. there's still time for him to have common sense, right? )
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I get a smoke. You get a snack. ( Lestat is always dropping hints about being hungry — also a super vampire-y thing to do, by the way!!! it is all Steve has that he can barter. so, why not? he's been vampire lunch for no reward before, this won't be that different. ) And when I say snack I mean SNACK. Like a nip. Not all you can eat. Got it?
( he means nip like those cute little bottles of Fireball they keep by the register. not nip like bite. but once he thinks it he thinks about the biting part too, which is a wild spin of fear, hopelessness, desperation, and a little bit of familiar intrigue. like maybe he's thought about this before. then Steve remembers how brain messages work and hits mute the best he can. maybe it's even somewhat effective. Steve is a rare talent in refusing to engage with thoughts he doesn't want to have. )
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If the vampire is pleased with the offering, it doesn't slip through the connection. On his end, he is smiling. ]
Not a drop more after you tell me to stop. Is that fair to you?
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Yeah, sure, whatever. ( local loser too distracted to really think about what was said to him, more news at 9 ) Do you take it in like a cup or what?
( sorry, this is also a Dracula-ism. Steve DOES remember vampires exist outside of this guy, he just really got used to him. )
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[ Too queer for Steve, perhaps. ]
It won't hurt for long.
[ He might even enjoy it. ]
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( he shouldn't be surprised. this is Mr. "I've watched men suck cock for Opium". Steve should just expect the guy to bust out of pocket shit at this point. but, nope, Steve still manages to find pearls to clutch about it all the same. and, you know what, he's actually good, and has 0 interest in letting a vampire that close to his dick.
okay, well, not 0 interest, but. it's still not happening. )
The arm then. ( Steve actually isn't worried about the pain. he is downright confident he's had worse. and... to be fair, he probably has. arm seems like it'd be easiest to cover, just in case Lestat leaves him raw and weeping after. it's a perfectly practical place to get bitten. waaaaaay less complicated than the other offerings. ofc my vanilla gay panic prince would go for the tamest vampire feeding location known to man. ππ )
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[ Something, something about choosing beggars. Lestat is hungry. He'd love nothing more than to tear someone apart, but sure... let him suck on the dainty wrist of monsieur teen aquanet. Louis will rue filling a book full of malicious slander against him being a monster. Look at him, being so nice and gentle to a man who cannot even appreciate it. What a misunderstood monster is he, etc etc.]
Where do you want me to find you?
[ Not where are you, not where can I find you. If they're close enough to speak comfortably without headaches, he doesn't need Steve to tell him where he is. This is courtesy. ]
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as for where... well, not anywhere remotely by his room. he does not need his hot roommates to know about this. nor anywhere remotely by Quentin's favorite places to haunt, for similar reasons but far more extreme reasons. not as far as the gatehouse, either, though. Steve has lost a notable amount of blood before. he wants to be able to get back to his bed if he needs to sleep it off. )
There's gotta be a balcony nobody is using somewhere.
( unfortunately, Louis self reported his super sniffer, so Steve is already burdened by the idea Lestat can probably just find him wherever. )
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[ He and Louis have been eating their half-frozen rats. He'd like to feed on something warm for once, is that so hard to arrange?? ]
There's dozens of empty chamber rooms and parlors to choose from. I'm certain no one will think to catch you dead in any number of them.
π¬
and if the reference of DEAD freaked him out for a second... well... π₯Ίππ leave him alone. he doesn't WANT to be dead. he's hinging a LOT on the idea Louis likes him better alive right about now.
Steve isn't too concerned about the temperature of Lestat's meal. he's concerned about privacy. and since he would like nobody to know this ever happened, somewhere notably unwelcoming and inhospitable is perfectly aligned to his interests. but since Lestat isn't exactly a choosy beggar, and compromise is likely required for him to get his stress cigarette, )
Fine. Whatever. Just give me long enough to find somewhere.
( not too close and not too far. the goldilocks of places to get gnawed on. and if he decides the first two empty sitting rooms weren't empty enough somehow — that's his business. at some point he needs to just get it over with, though, and this empty room is as good as any. the fire is half dead, but it's better than all the way dead. so Steve leans against a musty old timey couch and waits. if his haunt doesn't show up on his own time then he'll brain him. but he just has a feeling. )
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Do you really think I'm careless enough to kill you? [ Lestat's soft, incredulous note chimes up from over Steve's shoulder. Absent one moment, there the next, crouched at the fireplace to toss another log into the fire as though he'd been waiting for his arrival some time. Better dressed this time, it's too cold even for a vampire to go slutting around, open robed and nipples out. ]
Take a breath and a seat. [ A proper one, monsieur bisexual leaner. ]
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Steve startles. even though he's expecting the guy. how on earth did he end up BEHIND him? playing stage magician is not doing anything to calm a fella's nerves. Steve straightens, turns around. keeps his attention firmly on the fancy vampire man. like he has any hope of keeping track of a guy that can just appear, apparently. he opens his mouth to ask how the fuck that happened, but either decides he doesn't care, or that Lestat isn't the type to share with the class even if he did. so gives up before he gets that far. )
I don't think you're careless. I think you don't care. ( there's a difference! it's not an apparent ineptitude he's worried about. no, it's that there's no love lost between the two of them, even if they coexisted for about ten minutes to share a cigarette once. it puts him on edge. he's never done this before. it might have been nice to know the person doing the blood sucking had even a mild interest in him still breathing when they were done.
so, it should be no surprise that Steve does not seem particularly inclined to getting cozy first. being recently dead around something that is especially good at killing is harder on his state of mind than he thought it'd be. so his expression is incredulous. ) Are you serious? Why can't we just get it over with? ( he can stick his arm out for the chomping just fine while standing, thanks much! )
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No, we are not just getting it over with, [ the Frenchman repeats with obvious disgust. He rounds back around the furniture, eyes on Steve. He doesn't move dangerously, bumbling around like a tired parent trying to get their child to take off their Batman costume so they can go to church. Agitated for the continual misrepresentation.] I happen to care, Steve, not just because Louis has a fondness for you or any other excuse under the sun you can think of as to what keeps my monstrous urges from ravaging the castle.
[ He's been patient, cordial, a little bit of an asshole, but not all assholes are barely contained, ravenous killers. Check your bias, Steve. What has Lestat actually done before his eyes that makes him so easily written off? It bothers him, it bothers him as much as Louis own perception of him written down in words in that horrendous book that only proved that the man closest in his life didn't understand him. Steve barely knows him, and he gets some grace with that, but he's hit his limit. ]
Before I was a vampire, I was a human, and being turned did not magically remove my humanity. I have standards! [ Louis had painted him a coldhearted killer. Steve's reaction is constantly unsurprising, yet disappointing. All he wants is to be understood. Seen as he is, as he's always been. ] You might understand that if you took your head out of your ass— [ he makes a flippant gesture at him with his hand and gestures again to the couch ] now if you want your cigarette you're going to sit down so I do not have to catch you in the event you feel faint.
[ Or maybe he should just let him drop on the floor, this idiot child. ]