[ when armand pulls back all louis can do is look at him in the pale light. there's a vampiric flush in his face, nothing like the sickly flush of death creeping in. his eyes a familiar burnt umber, his expression filled with a different kind of anguish. death has already laid its kiss upon armand's head once in life, and now twice.

he sighs, looking down. ]

Seventy-seven years. That ain't nothing. [ quiet, like he's trying to find words for something that cannot be put into words. ] We gotta live long enough against time alone. Better to go into the next century with others than alone.

[ he looks back up and touches his forehead to armand's. ] It isn't always easy. Hasn't been. Both of us done our share of bad, but if we turn against one another now then eternity is only going to feel longer. [ a beat, then: ] Gonna take time for me to trust you like I did before. I got a right to be angry about it.

[ he tightens his old on armand, tugging him closer. ]

But it doesn't change the fact that you and I have something. It's complicated, it's not perfect, needs some work. But nearly eighty years - that's not nothing.