The Vampire of Thornton

Chapter 12

For the remainder of the week leading up to the ball, Louis brought Casper back to health. He called in Olivia to take a closer look at him and she simply prescribed as much bed rest as possible. However, the thing that transpired when Casper had almost frozen to death had left a tension in the air that neither party could quite grasp. The morning light crept into Casper's room and shone on his closed eyelids. The brunette yawned and sat up, rubbing his silver eyes.

Louis creaked open the door and stuck his head inside, "Feeling better this morning, my angel?" He smiled awkwardly,

Casper gave a sleepy nod, "Yes," the human looked out the window where it was gently snowing. It hadn't stopped in days and left a thick blanket of white on everything.

"Do you think you'll be well enough to leave the manor this evening?"

"I suppose I would be up for it. Why do you ask?"

Louis shrugged and stepped out of the room for a second before walking back in with a large portmanteau held effortlessly in one hand. "Because, well...My angel, if you've forgotten, the Winter Ball is tonight and we need to make sure you're dressed appropriately."

Casper was staring at the massive case, "S-So, what's in the bag?"

"Oh, just a few suggestions." Louis lifted the bag onto Casper's bed, narrowly missing his toes. The blonde opened it and his eyes shinned. An endless array of formal suits and jackets, slacks, cravats, and cufflinks were somehow all crammed into the one bag.

Casper's mouth hung open, "Surely those all can't be just for me? Some of them have to be for you."

"Not at all," Louis blinked, "of course I've had my ensemble picked out for months. Not to fret, my angel, all of them were tailored to fit you. It's just a matter of what looks best."

"When exactly did you take my measurements?" Casper now knew of Louis' strange habits around him but was doing his best to get used to them. The vampire cleared his throat and his face turned 10 shades of red.

He shuffled his gaze to the window, "The snow's been coming down rather heavily for a while now, perhaps there will be a blizzard soon."

Casper rolled his eyes and got out of bed to take a closer look at the clothing, "You said you already know what you're wearing. Where is it?"

Louis' ruby eyes lit up with delight, "I'm so glad you asked!" he swirled his wrist and his clothes appeared, laid out neatly on Casper's bed. Casper looked them over.

It was similar to Louis' normal style, a coat, a cravat, a waist coat, the occasional pocket watch. But Casper had to admit this did seem fancier. The coat was a snow white and was embroidered with winding vines and blossoms in a silver colored thread, so they were only just visible. The cuffs had a wider girth and Casper noticed a bit of light colored fur sticking out of them, the same went for the collar. The waistcoat was also white, but had gold embroidering on it, defining the patterns clearly. The undershirt didn't have a single wrinkle and looked as soft as rose petals. The slacks were a similar shade and the shoes were black and white and they reminded something that he had found in his father's wardrobe that was reserved for, 'important occasions only'. "What do you think, my angel?" Louis beamed triumphantly at his choice, "Perfectly suited for the Winter Ball, don't you think?"

"I have to congratulate you. It is rather splendid." Casper had a hand on his chin and was still surveying the wardrobe. Louis beamed. He grabbed Casper's wrist in excitement but let go when he saw Casper staring at him.

"Well," he brushed invisible dust off of his waistcoat, "Let's find something for you, shall we?"

Casper knew that getting into this with Louis would be way more than he signed up for. But then again, when had he actually willingly signed up for anything?