Work Text:
“Guillermo, I’m sorry, but I don’t think this is working for me.” They were in the kitchen on the first floor of the mansion and Nandor was holding a mop. The name badge on the left breast of his blue jumpsuit read “Matthew”.
Guillermo sighed and began untying his tie. “No, don’t be sorry. You’re right. It’s not working for me either.”
“I appreciate the work you put into it. But I think perhaps the memory of my recent humiliation is still too fresh.”
“I know. I thought maybe, if we played this game, it would help you to move past that.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket. “Do you want to play a different roleplay?”
Nandor unzipped his jumpsuit and stepped out of it. He was wearing his undershirt and nothing else. “We could play vampire and vampire-killer have sex?”
Guillermo smiled. “We’ve played that every night this week.”
“I know,” Nandor leered. “It’s my favorite game.”
“A week ago, after our first time, you told me it was, and I quote, ‘a bit vanilla’. You said it would give me a goal to strive for. So, I’m determined that it will never be vanilla for you again.”
Nandor hesitated. “Perhaps I was too hasty in saying that.” He moved closer to Guillermo and began to unbutton his white shirt, taking the opportunity to run his hands over Guillermo’s soft skin. “I did not realize you would take it to heart so strongly. Vanilla is nice sometimes.” He leaned down and kissed Guillermo’s upturned lips.
Guillermo returned the kiss for a few seconds, pressing his body into Nandor’s, fingers automatically winding themselves in Nandor’s hair, then he pulled away. “Nope! This is happening; resign yourself to it. We are going to do something we haven’t done before, every night until we both run out of ideas.”
“That could be a long time.”
“Yep. So let’s brainstorm.”
“Hmmm. We could invite the others to join us?”
Guillermo took a moment to picture what that would be like, then dismissed it. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Other thoughts?”
Nandor noted the ‘yet’ in Guillermo’s answer, then said, “I do think you were on to something with the roleplay idea. We just need a different scenario.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
And that was how Guillermo found himself in the attic, kneeling in front of Nandor, wearing a pink and gold I Dream of Jeannie costume. It was tight at the waist but otherwise it was size women’s XXL so it fit okay. He had veils covering most of him including the lower half of his face. He spit out the piece of veil that kept getting in his mouth.
“Where did you get this thing anyway,” he said, as he rearranged some dangling coins and adjusted his veils. Nandor stood looking down at him. He was wearing his cream-colored linen wrap shirt and loose pants with his knife strapped to his chest, the same thing he had worn the night Colin Robinson had “died”. He held his sword in his right hand.
“I bought it years ago at the costume store. I suppose I was feeling nostalgic.”
“And is it authentic? Did women really wear something like this?”
Nandor shrugged. “Not really. We didn’t have polyester back then. And I think the beads are plastic. But the silhouette is similar. Anyway, this is not about authenticity. You are not really a woman.”
“Right. Okay. So, who am I supposed to be then?”
“You are spoils of war, the newest member of my harem, taken after my army besieged and sacked your city,” Nandor growled imperiously, glowering savagely down at Guillermo.
“My knees hurt.”
“That’s not all that’s going to hurt soon!”
“What?!?”
Nandor waved a hand and said in his normal voice, “Don’t worry about it. Do you remember your safe word?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause during which neither of them said anything. “What was it again?” asked Nandor.
“Tomatoes.”
“Yes, right, of course. I remembered that.” Guillermo looked skeptical.
“So, do we…” Before he could finish the sentence, Nandor’s sword whipped up, the point resting on his throat. Guillermo held his breath. He knew how sharp that sword was; he had cut himself on it several times. Nandor lifted Guillermo’s chin slightly with the flat of the sword so that Guillermo was looking him in the eye.
“You will speak only with permission. Do you understand?”
Guillermo gulped. “Yes, I understand.”
Nandor bent at the waist just slightly, capturing Guillermo’s full attention. He snarled, “I am your new lord. You will call me…Master.”
Holy shit. Was Nandor acting? Or was this…a memory? Either way, it was already working much better than Matthew-The-Janitor. Guillermo’s cock twitched in anticipation. “Yes, Master.”
“Better.” Nandor lowered the sword and began to pace, not looking at Guillermo but carelessly twirling the sword just inches from his head. Guillermo watched him like a gazelle watches a lion. He knew Nandor was very skilled, but nevertheless he held still and tried not to flinch. Nandor’s voice was deep, regal, and terrifying, sending shivers up Guillermo’s spine. “You are now a concubine in my harem. You will have the run of this part of the fortress, as long as you do not try to escape. As you know, your brother, the prince, is being held in my palace as a hostage against your good behavior.” He continued to pace as he extemporized. “That is your bed chamber.” He gestured over his shoulder to some mattresses in the corner, left over from when Nandor’s real harem had been sleeping here. “You will make yourself ready for me at all times. I may send a boy to fetch you to me, or I may come to you.” He stopped pacing. He reached into a pocket of his pants and pulled something out. “Take this.”
Guillermo reached out, curious, and Nandor put a small bottle in his hand. It was lube. Oh shit. Guillermo stared at the bottle, then up at Nandor’s eyes, even as Nandor looked down on him from his full height. Is that what Nandor wanted to do tonight? They had not done it yet, and Nandor had seemed perfectly content with the status quo. Guillermo always assumed that they would do it eventually, but he hadn’t been quite brave enough to ask for it. He groped under the veils for his own pocket to tuck the bottle away, and, finding none, he remembered. Women’s clothing. Apparently even in the Middle Ages women didn’t get pockets.
“Nan— Master?”
“Yes?”
Guillermo didn’t continue for a few moments. He was thinking. He had been about to ask Nandor if he intended to fuck him, but wouldn’t that take them out of the fantasy? If he was really this harem girl, then he wouldn’t know what to expect, right? He looked up at Nandor looming over him, fierce and terrifying, and (if he was honest) the scariness was incredibly sexy. He imagined Nandor ordering him to perform sexual acts on him on demand. Well, he could play along for a little while, right? He repeated his safe word to himself a few times, then said, “Never mind.”
“No questions? Good. I do not tolerate my orders being questioned, Princess. You would not enjoy the consequences for disobedience.” He looked at Guillermo, who was now smiling widely under his veil. “Guillermo, you are supposed to hate me. At least at first, until I win you over with my charm and sexual prowess.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He wiped the smile off his face.
Nandor was back in character instantly, resuming his pacing. “I will leave for a certain amount of time. It is not for you to know how long I will be gone. But when I do return, I will teach you the duties of a concubine. Do you understand? You may speak.”
“Ummmm.” The part of his brain that craved organization and efficiency rebelled against his desire to play along. “Any chance I could get a list of those duties in advance?”
Nandor rolled his eyes. “No! This is serious.” And by way of proving how serious it was, he whipped the tip of his sword across Guillermo’s chest. Guillermo yelped and looked down at himself. He was unhurt, but the veil that covered his chest had a six-inch gash running horizontally at about nipple-height.
“Now. Make your prayers to whatever deities you worship and prepare yourself.” He swept out of the attic door and Guillermo could hear him going down the steps, leaving him alone on his knees in the middle of the attic. Well. That was different. Guillermo stood up carefully, stretching out his back and tight hamstrings, then he examined the slash in his veil. He reached his hand under the veil and poked it through the rip in the cheap, sheer fabric. That fabric had been draped not an inch away from his chest. Impressive.
He busied himself with getting the attic ready for…whatever was coming. He pulled a couple of the mattresses out of the pile and laid them on the floor next to each other, then he sat down on one to test it. It was an old-style thin one, not super comfortable, but not much worse than what he’d been sleeping on for years. He sat with his back against the wall, picked up the plastic bottle of lube, and examined it. Nandor had said, “Prepare yourself.” But the flowy pants he was wearing were too tight at the waist to comfortably get his hand down inside them. And he didn’t really want to take them off. He kind of wanted Nandor to do it. So he carefully put the lube down next to the mattress, along with his glasses, and set his faculties to work preparing himself mentally instead.
First order of business: what was he really afraid of? That it would hurt? He wasn’t a virgin. He’d been fucked by men countless times. Well, not countless. 17 times, actually. And only by two men. Mostly just the one man. But he was well aware that it hurt, at first, but then you get used to it and it starts to feel really good. So it was worth enduring that burning sensation. But the other men had had normal, average size dicks. And Nandor’s wasn’t normal. It was huge. Nandor claimed it was over a foot in length, which he had demonstrated to Guillermo by bringing his foot up and laying his penis down next to it.
And he wasn’t afraid of it, per se. In fact, Guillermo loved Nandor’s cock. They’d had a lot of sex over the last week and Guillermo had worshipped it in every way he could think of with his hands and his mouth, and Nandor had definitely shown his appreciation. But when they had fucked, he had been the one on top. And he really, really loved that: tangling their limbs together, pressing against him, getting as close to him as possible until their bodies intersected. He even had his favorite positions now, ones where he could watch Nandor’s face, watch him come apart and know that he had been the one to make it happen. It was like…claiming him, in a way (although no one could really claim Nandor). So, didn’t Nandor deserve to feel that way about him, too?
But Guillermo’s cock was also normal (very proportional, thank you!). And even if it hadn’t been, Nandor didn’t feel the pain in the same way Guillermo certainly would. He didn’t bother with lube or preparation – he was just always ready. Sexy vampire powers.
His thoughts ran this way for a while. He knew that if he decided he didn’t want this, Nandor would accept it, and he’d be happy to just roll around on the mattresses with him, making out and groping each other. That was tempting. He imagined getting his hands down inside those linen pants. But ultimately, he decided to take the risk. He’d taken many worse risks over the years. So, he would play along with the game, and if Nandor asked, he would let him put that monster cock inside of him. Or try, anyway. He was tough enough to take it.
Just then he heard Nandor’s footsteps coming up the stairs. He remembered that Nandor had also told him to say his prayers. Dios mío.
Nandor came in the attic door looking very serious indeed. He had left his sword downstairs and as he approached, Guillermo could see he had a bottle of water in his hand. Wordlessly, he handed it to Guillermo. This was a level of thoughtfulness from Nandor that was very rare and Guillermo appreciated it. As he opened the bottle and took a sip, Nandor sat down on the mattress facing him, cross-legged, mirroring Guillermo’s pose. He gave a small sigh and unsheathed his knife, placing it equidistant between them on the mattress. Then he met Guillermo’s eyes. Guillermo waited.
“Princess,” he began solemnly, “you are here through no wrongdoing of your own. Nevertheless, you must accept your fate. I will teach you to accept it. And this lesson can take one of two paths: either pleasant, or very, very unpleasant." He paused. "For you. I assure you that whichever path you choose, it will be pleasant for me.” Quietly, he added. “You do not have permission to speak.”
A shiver ran up Guillermo’s spine as Nandor picked up the knife. His vampire-killer instincts were screaming at him to react, to get up, to move, but he fought them. It’s just pretend, he thought. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. But he didn’t say it out loud.
On Guillermo’s head sat a silly pink hat about the size of a can of tuna. The veil over his face was connected to this hat. Nandor reached out with the knife, slid it under the hat and flicked his wrist. The hat fell off and the veil, now severed from the hat, floated down into his lap. Ooh, his penis liked that. It liked it a lot. What did that mean?? File it away to think about later.
“Now that I can see your face, you may give me your answer. Will you choose the pleasant or the unpleasant path?”
Guillermo hesitated, not sure what to choose. The silence stretched out until it became a little awkward. Finally, Nandor leaned in and whispered, “Do not worry, Guillermo. There is no wrong answer. The unpleasant path will just be a little more…demanding.” Gillermo wondered again briefly if Nandor had played this game before. Maybe in real life.
“In that case I choose unpleasant.” He failed to suppress a grin. Nandor grinned back, eyes flashing, then quickly sobered.
“I see. So you have decided to fight me. They always do, and they always regret it,” he said sadly. His knife flickered again, severing the torn veil that had been previously sliced. The flimsy square of fabric joined the other in Guillermo’s lap. Guillermo instinctively covered himself with his arms, then he remembered his dignity.
“I am not afraid of you, Nandor the Relentless. You have raided and sacked my city, ravaged my citizens regardless of gender, took many of them as slaves, and looted our treasure. There is nothing you can do to me that is worse than what you have already done.” He sat up a little straighter, trying to channel a medieval Ottoman princess. He didn’t actually know if there even was such a thing and it seemed like a bad time to ask.
The fuchsia-colored women’s XXL top that he was wearing pushed his pec muscles together so they kind of looked like actual breasts. Nandor sliced the knife down into his cleavage, splitting the gold ric rac trim and making a cut in the fabric about an inch long. The fabric, already under pressure, started to tear at the cut. “Hey!”
“You did not have permission to speak just then. Each time you disobey me I shall destroy a piece of your clothing. I will not replace them. Do you understand? You will have nothing to wear at all.”
“Shit”, Guillermo whispered. This was fun. Nandor was really good at this. If he really had been a princess in ancient times, he would be pissed. “Oh, I suppose you would like that, wouldn’t you, ‘Master’”, putting a lot of sarcasm into the word Master. “Do your worst.” And then Nandor flashed the knife again, cutting the front of the hot pink top all the way in half in the front so it popped open.
They just looked at each other for a few seconds, then Guillermo started pulling off what remained of the pink top as Nandor tossed the knife over his shoulder, dug his fingers into the waistband of the harem pants, and ripped them open. Guillermo’s erection spilled out as he helped Nandor pull away the remaining shreds of pink wispy fabric. He reached out to Nandor, pulling him in for a desperate kiss. Nandor pushed him down onto the mattress, so he was lying on his back. He placed himself between Guillermo’s legs. Guillermo groped for the bottle of lube and handed it to Nandor, who bit the plastic lid off and spit it out. He poured some into his right hand and handed the bottle back. Holding himself over Guillermo and propping himself up with his left arm, he growled in Guillermo’s ear, “Now I have you at my mercy. You are mine to do with as I please.” He reached down between Guillermo’s legs and pushed two slick fingers into him.
Guillermo noted with relief that Nandor had remembered to remove his rings. The feeling of just two fingers didn’t hurt yet—much. He breathed through it anyway. He could feel the soft cloth of Nandor’s clothes where they touched his bare skin. As soon as Nandor felt him relax he withdrew his fingers and pushed in again with three, then four. He closed his eyes and breathed steadily in and out, focusing on relaxing his muscles. Nandor, watching his face, said, “That’s good. You’re doing so well. So obedient.” He pulled his fingers out and untied his pants, pulled out his cock, and stroked it a few times. He didn’t take anything else off. Guillermo just watched in fascination, still holding the bottle of lube. This was all happening as if in slow motion. Nandor took the bottle from him and spread some over his erection. Then he pulled Guillermo’s legs further apart and leaned over him again. Guillermo shivered as Nandor, eyes never leaving his face, took his erection firmly in his right hand, and centered himself between Guillermo’s spread legs. Guillermo took a breath and held it, but Nandor said, “You shouldn’t do that. You should breathe. This will be easier for you if you do.”
Then he pushed in. Slowly, but smoothly and steadily. It was so big, and it hurt, but it wasn’t more than he could take. His eyes stung and began to water. Guillermo tried to breathe and relax his muscles but it burned. He broke out in a sweat and he fought the urge to push. Nandor stopped and waited until Guillermo nodded his head. He pushed in a little more. Guillermo closed his eyes and focused his mind on just one muscle, willing it to relax. Nandor continued to push until Guillermo could no longer contain himself and he moaned, which Nandor took as some kind of signal to thrust quickly in the rest of the way. Their bodies connected, Nandor as deep inside Guillermo as he could get, filling him completely. The burning had ended and it felt so good. He arched his back and swore in Spanish. Nandor began to stroke in and out, even as his hands explored every inch of Guillermo he could reach, stroking his chest, his stomach, his hips, his thighs. He reached under Guillermo’s buttocks and lifted him up, getting on his knees to get a better angle as he continued to pull out and push in again. He poured a bit more lube into one hand, and, grasping Guillermo’s painfully hard cock he began to stroke. But he only stroked a few times before he motioned to Guillermo. “You do this,” he said, handing over responsibility. So even though every inch of him was already tingling, Guillermo took his own dick in his hand, wrapped his fingers tightly around it, and began to wank.
The combination of Nandor filling him and his own hand on his erection was almost overwhelming as he felt pressure building toward his climax, but Nandor only let it go on for a few seconds. Then he began to withdraw. “Nooo, what are you doing?” Guillermo whined, feeling bereft.
Nandor stopped pulling out and held still. He was holding Guillermo’s butt up off the mattress as he looked down on him. His hair was falling loose around his face and he looked dangerous. He smiled wickedly. “Are we still playing this game?”
Guillermo felt like he was on fire as Nandor held still, half inside of him. He weighed his options quickly. He could end the game, make Nandor stop pulling out, tell him to keep fucking him. Nothing to dislike about that: it was astonishing, and he wished he had let him do it every night. Or he could agree to keep playing and see where Nandor’s imagination was taking them. So far, so good on that score. He decided to let the scenario run its course. “Keep playing,” he gasped. “Please.”.
“Then I’m not going to tell you what I’m doing.” He thrust back in, a little harder this time, making Guillermo yelp. “You are my concubine,” he said fiercely, “and your job is to give me pleasure in the bedroom, not to ask me questions.”
Guillermo grinned like a maniac, not taking his eyes off Nandor’s face. “Sorry, Master.”
Then Nandor pulled all the way out and flipped him over onto his stomach. He landed hard on the mattress. “Oof!” was all he managed to say before Nandor spread his butt cheeks and pushed back into him again with no preamble.
Guillermo knew he wasn’t light. He had layers of deceptive muscle underneath his chubby exterior. But Nandor had flipped him as though he weighed nothing. Flipped him like a pancake. Nandor hardly ever used his vampire powers during sex, a fact which Guillermo hadn’t really thought about until now. So Nandor throwing him around like a rag doll took him quite by surprise. He liked it. He buried his face in the hard old mattress and brought his knees up a bit to brace himself, pushing back against Nandor and preparing to let him fuck him unmercifully. And then Nandor draped himself over Guillermo’s back. His hands cooled Guillermo’s sweaty skin as he ran them up his sides and down his chest and stomach. He kissed a line up his spine, his long silky hair caressing and tickling, making Guillermo shiver again. He whispered in Guillermo’s ear, “You are doing very well, my little slave.” Then he did something – even more unexpected.
People who didn’t personally know any vampires tended to think of them as being like bats, because of the way they were depicted in movies and books. But they always reminded Guillermo of house cats. They were impulsive, nocturnal, and most comfortable slipping through the shadows unnoticed. They lazed around the house most of the time, rousing only when it was time to hunt or play. The way they moved was catlike. And of course, like house cats, they were vicious, soulless, merciless murderers-- among the most efficient killers in the world.
There is a thing that cats do while mating. The male cat, after mounting his chosen female, will bite her (or him – this also happens in the case of two male cats) on the back of the neck. It is instinctive and is done for the purpose of holding her still and preventing her from escaping or turning and attacking the male. It has the effect of calming and controlling her, as it does when a mother cat wants her kittens to hold still for washing.
Nandor didn’t bite him, exactly. At least, he didn’t break the skin. But he wrapped one arm around Guillermo’s shoulders, brushed aside curly black hair at his nape with the other, kissed the back of his neck, and then he opened his mouth and pressed his fangs gently against Guillermo’s sensitive skin. “Oh fuck,” Guillermo breathed. He held perfectly still as Nandor started to thrust harder and faster, reveling in the danger of his situation and fully committing to his role. He moaned out loud, and Nandor came hard inside of him, twitching his hips forward and letting out a moan of his own, somewhat muffled by Guillermo’s skin between his teeth. When he was finished he released Guillermo’s neck and slid out of him, running hands down the sweaty skin of his back as he sat up, then collapsed onto his back on the mattress next to Guillermo.
Guillermo, lying bonelessly on his stomach, draped his right arm over Nandor’s linen-covered torso. Nandor’s softening penis hung out of the opening of his pants, and he absently tucked it in. Then they just lay there, their sides touching, Nandor examining the ceiling and Guillermo staring at Nandor’s regal profile. His asshole hurt and he figured he’d have trouble walking tomorrow. And the vampire semen dripping out of him tickled as it slid down his taint and onto his balls. Totally worth it.
They just lay there for several minutes, quietly enjoying each other’s company. Then Nandor turned his head and looked at him. “Did you like that game, Guillermo?”
“Fuck yes. It was hot. I…um...liked the biting thing.”
“Well, now it is your turn. Make yourself come.” Nandor rolled onto his side so he could look at Guillermo without turning his head.
“I thought the game was over,” said Guillermo. But he rolled onto his back, moved his hand down between his legs and started to stroke his still half-hard penis.
“It is. I just want to watch.” He bared his fangs at Guillermo. Their faces were very close together and Guillermo noticed that Nandor was looking at his eyes, not at his dick.
“Okay. Dirty old man.” Nandor smiled wider. Guillermo was back to fully erect already. With Nandor looking at him like that, it wouldn’t be long. As he began to stroke harder and faster, Nandor leaned over and began to kiss a line from Guillermo’s shoulder, over the soft skin of his neck, up to his ear. He lingered on each kiss. His cool left hand roamed over Guillermo’s chest, arms, and stomach.
“Your skin is so soft and warm, Guillermo,” Nandor whispered in his ear. “I love…touching you.” His fingers caressed up Guillermo’s treasure trail and Guillermo felt himself nudging closer to his climax. He began to breathe harder. Nandor leaned over further and kissed him, capturing his breath. His hand drifted lower, reaching around Guillermo’s hand to squeeze his balls gently. And then Guillermo came, arching his back, moaning and panting into Nandor’s mouth. Nandor made a contented sound, breaking the kiss so he could watch Guillermo’s face carefully. “That’s so good. You are so good at that.”
Guillermo laughed a little, still panting. “Well, I’ve had a lot of practice.” Nandor trailed his fingers through the puddle on Guillermo’s lower abdomen. With a deep sigh, Guillermo reached over and grabbed a couple of shreds of the Jeannie costume, using them to clean himself off. “I guess this is irreparably ruined anyway.” Nandor was still looking at him. Guillermo wondered what was so interesting. “Nandor, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“The role you were playing – conquering warlord sacking cities, taking princesses as concubines…the…other stuff…”
“You wish to know if I was playing myself?” He paused. “Parts of it, yes, of course. I have told you many stories about my life. But some of it - I don’t remember. Many of the day-to-day details of that time are fuzzy. You know how it is after 700 years.” He examined Guillermo’s expression. His own face was serious. “Does that worry you? I’m not that man anymore, if I ever really was.”
“I’ve seen you angry. It’s not hard for me to imagine you like that. As a fierce, merciless warlord.” He really wanted to know the answer to one more question, but he was afraid of breaking the mood of the afterglow. So he just looked at Nandor.
Nandor rolled his eyes. “Yeesh. I know you, Guillermo. I can tell you have something more you want to say. Spit it out.”
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
“I will make no such promise.”
“Okay… Then I guess I’ll just ask and hope for the best.” Nandor waited. Guillermo plunged ahead, words tumbling over each other to get out of his brain. “The non-consent stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. But I knew it was just for fun, and I had a safe word. Did you do that, force them like that? With real concubines?” He actually hated asking the question, but he knew if he didn’t get at least some kind of answer, good or bad, the wondering would spoil his memory of this otherwise amazing few hours.
Nandor was silent for a long moment. Guillermo wished he’d kept his stupid question to himself. It was pointless to be worried about people who died hundreds of years ago, when he’d just seen Nandor murder someone last week. Not to mention hundreds of others during his time as Nandor’s familiar. But roleplaying a concubine had made it seem… more real maybe. He added, “You don’t really have to answer that if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, it’s fine,” Nandor began thoughtfully. “It was a different time. I treated my wives and concubines the way they expected to be treated, and the way I was expected to treat them. As I said, I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I don’t remember them fighting me…very much. Most of them were given to me, by their fathers or guardians in exchange for influence or for some other political purpose. And they had much better lives with me than they would have had otherwise, for what that's worth. Good food, company, and very easy duties most of the time. Of course, a lot of them hated me anyway.” Suddenly he sat up and pulled Guillermo into a sitting position across from him. He held both of Guillermo’s hands in his. Guillermo was still naked, and he suddenly felt vulnerable as Nandor looked him in the eye. “You remember my wives, yes?“ Guillermo nodded. “Did they seem afraid of me?”
Guillermo raised his eyebrows in surprise. “No, not at all.” Nandor nodded decisively, as if that settled the discussion. And perhaps it did.
------
Later, after Guillermo had found his real clothes and Nandor had recovered his knife from where he had tossed it, and Guillermo had gathered up the shreds of the costume and the ruined, empty lube bottle, and they were heading down the attic stairs to go to sleep, Nandor reached for Guillermo’s spare hand, weaving their fingers together. He said, “I know you said you don’t want to do anything we’ve already done until we are out of ideas. But I hope you will change your mind. I really liked this.”
Guillermo’s heart leapt. He hadn’t ruined it with his questions after all. “I’ll consider it,” he said happily.
The End