Chapter Text
Nights were shorter, and the days were longer. During the summer, it usually meant that Guillermo could occasionally sleep (this week was not the case), and do his chores during the day, at the cost of Nandor and most of the vampire housemates being bored, restless and mopey. This resulted in accidents like Nandor experimenting with becoming mist, and the incident with the air purifier, as well as Laszlo and Nadja going through familiars like hotcakes.
Lately, he’d been restless and tense, the Vampiric Council sending vampire after vampire. Sleep or even thinking about sleep or any kind of rest had flown out the window.
Guillermo had heard that going through days with little sleep, could make you start to hallucinate. That or his chocolate espresso bean buzz, heat exhaustion, or a mixture of all combined, were finally catching up with him.
Maybe he just needed new glasses.
Either way, he was clearly imagining Nandor in modern clothing, in bright, broad daylight, casually browsing vegetables in the supermarket.
If it really was Nandor, he’d be a pile of ash now, let alone flame.
Guillermo’s brain seemed to stop in its tracks, his shopping basket full of bleach and cleaning supplies almost slipping out of grip.
“Master?” He said, without thinking.
“What did you say?” ‘Nandor’ said, turning towards Guillermo, in a north-eastern accent comically unlike his master’s voice. Guillermo near let out a hysterical laugh, holding it in.
“What- oh, um nothing, I-”
Guillermo’s brain seemed to catch up with his body, remembering Nandor had 200,000 direct living descendants. Maybe around the 199,999 mark when excluding Madeline; the stranger in the supermarket was most likely one of them.
Perhaps it was too coincidental to be living on Staten Island as well, but usually trying to figure out aspects of Guillermo’s life just ended in a headache, and let it just fly over his head.
Still, the exact resemblance and the normalcy were uncanny. It seemed like Guillermo had come full circle, and anything too normal was now too strange for him. There were differences: the man’s relaxed posture and expression on the stranger’s face; his shorter, messier hair, he was less pallid, the sweat on his brow, and, of course, his teeth.
“Sorry, the lack of sleep is probably getting to me,” Guillermo laughed awkwardly, “you just look like someone I know. Like a lot, a lot.”
“Oh, really?” He asked. “That wouldn’t be, er, Nandor, is it? Do you know him?”
Guillermo spluttered.
“Wha- Yes, no- I mean-”
“It’s just I’ve just been trying to catch up with distant relatives, you know? So, I sent off my DNA,” the stranger said, “a while ago and I’ve been trying to reconnect with family. He was on the website. He must have put in the wrong information, if he didn’t, he’d be over 800 years old by now.”
“Yeah, well,” Guillermo laughed awkwardly, “that’s my- boss for you. He’s not really up to date with technology.”
“You work for Nandor then?”
“Yeah, I’m his uh- assistant, of sorts,” Guillermo said, quickly diverting the topic, “I didn’t see you on the website - as living nearby?”
“I just registered on the website recently,” he shrugged. “I’m Darius, if I didn’t say.”
“Guillermo.”
“You said we look alike?” Darius asked.
“Ha, yeah, that’s an understatement,” Guillermo said, “if he wants to meet you – if you’d be up for that, I mean – you’ll see what I mean.”
“Sure, I’d be up for that,” he smiled, easily. Guillermo’s brain stuttered.
He hadn’t seen Nandor smile like that before, it was odd to see the expression on an identical stranger’s face. He looked handsome, though the word didn’t quite click in his brain correctly.
“Great,” Guillermo said, a bit breathless, blushing, “could I have your number, then?”
*
Guillermo stepped into the house two days ago, feeling lighter. He barely felt like he was carrying shopping. Somehow, Guillermo had spent the majority of yesterday managing texting with Darius back and forth between chores. He told himself it was a good way of staying awake, being easily distracted by Darius.
After Madeline, Guillermo wasn’t quite sure of how to broach the subject to Nandor. Too long waiting and Nandor would probably accuse him of keeping this from him. Finding the right time was impossible with Nandor, so it best to pick a time randomly and go ahead with it.
This evening, Nandor had taken himself to the library. His cape draped over the back of the chair he was sitting on, reading a letter with mild interest; his posture relaxed. The candles were almost burnt to the wick, the light dim, Guillermo mentally making to soon replace them.
Nandor didn’t look too tense, he could tell him now, and get it over with.
“Master,” Guillermo said, “I have good news!”
“Guillermo, I’m very busy,” Nandor lifted whatever letter he was reading higher, covering his face, as if he was that intent on reading it, “can’t you tell me later?”
“How much later?”
“Six months?”
Guillermo pressed his lips together. He might as well just say it now, rather than ask again.
“You have another relative living in the area, I found out yesterday. His name is Darius; he looks a lot like you.”
“Wait. I’m a Grandad again?” Nandor asked, looking at Guillermo blankly. “He looks like me? Does he have my nose?”
“He has- er- a lot more than your nose, Master.”
“… my ears?”
“I guess so.”
Maybe saying the looked almost exactly alike was a bit too much, for now.
Nandor then frowned.
“Madeline was like a little rabbit, with her heart going out in fright. I don’t want that again.”
“Oh, no, but he’s not-”
“Guillermo, I won’t be responsible for the deaths of all my descendants, that will be on you, if that’s what you’re planning.”
“I’m sure he has a stable heart, Master.”
“Why? Have you tested it?”
“Sure. It’s very stable, Master,” Guillermo said, “he says he doesn’t have that much family left. So he’s been trying to connect with distant relatives.”
“Oh,” Nandor said, shifting in his chair uncomfortably, trying to act aloof. “I suppose, if he’s stable of heart, I would be fine with it.
“Good! Great!” Guillermo said, getting out his phone, “I’ll arrange it.”
“-do you think he’d like the teddy bear?”
“Uh- I think it might be impolite to give someone another person’s gift, Master.” Even if they never received it.
“Oh.”
“He says he likes basketball, though.”
“Yes,” Nandor said, suddenly elated, “he must be my Grandson.”
“I don’t think it was in doubt, Master-”
“Guillermo, make a list! We must prepare!”