Chapter Text
To tell the truth, Nandor doesn’t even remember why he was going to fetch Guillermo in the first place.
He remembers that, technically, he shouldn’t be bothering Guillermo in the first place. Nandor tries to respect Guillermo’s days off, and the human had even gone as far as to explicitly ask that no one bothers him today. Nadja and Laszlo had barely acknowledged the request, either outright ignoring it or attempting to show that they had no intention of interacting with Guillermo in the first place. Colin hadn’t seemed too interested either, though that meant nothing in regards to whether he was planning to annoy Guillermo, which he likely was.
Nandor, though, was less ambiguous. He made it abundantly clear that he would respect Guillermo’s request, because he is a kind master and it is crucial that Guillermo knows this, lest he gets the silly idea to run off again.
So surely it must have been something important that sent Nandor towards the sad little space beneath the stairs that Guillermo calls his room. Surely it should have been important enough that it shouldn’t have fled entirely from his mind like this!
As far as Nandor was concerned, the initial sight of Guillermo was nothing remarkable, nothing worth noting at all. Sure, he had never seen Guillermo dressed in such a way, wearing a shirt with a spattering of colorful little creatures on it and a pair of very fluffy looking pajama bottoms. And the little bat plush was something Nandor had never seen previously, same for the plethora of colorful little connecting blocks Guillermo had evidently been building something with, but Nandor wasn’t exactly concerned with keeping track of Guillermo’s belongings, so this was really not worth noting either. Perhaps most peculiar was what was in Guillermo’s mouth, a contraption Nandor is certain he had only previously seen being given to human infants to silence their unbearable crying. Regardless, humans are silly little things, especially Guillermo, so it was truly none of Nandor’s concern what all these items were for.
It’s just that, with the way Guillermo looks at him as soon as he walks in, he can no longer remember what was meant to be his concern.
There are few things that Nandor is as familiar with as the spectrum of human fear. Panic, in particular, tends to be his favorite. The sudden, palpable spike in heartrate; the hitching breath, finely paired with a sudden realization; the begging, pleading look in a pair of eyes that would look more fit on frightened deer than a human being; Nandor used to feed on the thrill of it all nearly as much as he fed on the ensuing gush of blood.
All this to say that Guillermo’s panic is instantly noticeable, yet decidedly less enjoyable. So much less enjoyable that it manages to completely short circuit Nandor’s brain and leave him utterly confused at the sheer level of panic Guillermo is exhibiting. He can find nothing that could warrant such a reaction, but then again, Guillermo has always been a bit more skittish than many other humans.
“Relax, I am just here to…” Nandor trails off, attempting to remember what he was here for, or to at least think of a lie to explain why he was bothering Guillermo on his very important day off. He takes a step closer to Guillermo’s bed, further baffled when Guillermo shuffles back, huddling in the corner.
As much as Nandor prefers to pretend otherwise, he knows Guillermo has not been frightened of him for many years now. And yet, despite how much Nandor convinced himself that Guillermo should be afraid of him, the sight of him seeming genuinely frightened by his presence feels unnerving in itself.
“Guillermo? I do not have time for your silly little games. I am of course here to tell you about a very important thing, because it is your day off and therefore I would only interrupt your important day-off business for something of greater importance. And this thing is very important!” Absolutely nailed it. Now if only he has actually thought of what this important thing should be.
Fortunately, Guillermo doesn’t ask. Unfortunately, Guillermo does not seem reassured that Nandor is bothering him for a Totally Important Reason.
Most unfortunately, Guillermo lets out a small whimper in response and, oh no, are those tears?
“Oh no. Please do not do that-” Nandor holds his hands up in supplication. “There is no need for tears!”
Guillermo sniffles, but the tears seem to calm down at least.
“Yes, good. See? No point in silly tears. Now,” Nandor slowly takes a seat on the edge of Guillermo’s bed, not wanting to further frighten the already rattled human. It’s clear he’s in some sort of vulnerable state, and Nandor, being the master of emotions knows that all Guillermo needs is to talk about them. Guillermo always feels better after he talks while Nandor pretends to listen! “How about you tell me what is troubling you?”
Guillermo is silent, save for a few sniffles. Nandor waits, but it seems Guillermo is not intent on talking.
“Very well then.” Nandor stands, intending to leave, but Guillermo just has to drag him right back with another one of those sad noises.
He cries when Nandor arrives, he cries when he leaves… So fickle, his silly little human is.
He could leave, of course, but…
He’s making a choice to stay, because it’s clear Guillermo would not fare well otherwise, and humans are much too fragile for Nandor to start playing around with how much emotional damage one can sustain. Yes, that’s the reason. It’s not that he’s actually concerned if Guillermo is sad, he just knows a sad human is of little use to him
So he sits back down, and slowly but surely, Guillermo inches closer, calming himself in the process. By the time there’s only an inch between them, Guillermo is rubbing his eyes and yawning behind the contraption that had actually done nothing to keep him from crying, leaving Nandor mildly confused as to the devices use in this case.
“You are tired.” Nandor observes astutely. Guillermo nods ever so slightly. “Rest.” Nandor says, more as a command than a suggestion. Guillermo nods again, and before Nandor can even make an attempt at getting up to leave, Guillermo’s head is leaning against his shoulder. It can’t be a comfortable way to sleep.
Nandor stays. He tries endlessly to rationalize why he stays. Guillermo is leaned against him, for one. He could move him easily, but doing so might wake him, and then Nandor’s at risk of facing more tears. And well, the same is a risk if Guillermo wakes to find himself on his own. It really wouldn’t be worth the trouble.
So Nandor stays. Because it’s easier. That’s why.
The moments after Guillermo wakes are frantic, awkward, and wholly unnoteworthy. He is, at least, back to normal. He apologizes for falling asleep on Nandor, sufficiently trapping him in place well into the night. He urges Nandor to go to his room (not that Nandor needed to be urged out) and assures him he’ll be there in a moment.
On Guillermo’s days off, he is not required to help Nandor prepare for bed. Despite this, he still opts to brush Nandor’s hair. It’s a soothing routine, and one Guillermo seems to deeply enjoy, to Nandor’s slight confusion.
“Master?” Guillermo speaks up after the first few minutes of soothing hair brushing.
“Mm?” Nandor hums in acknowledgment.
“I just wanted to thank you… For earlier…”
“I have no clue what you’re speaking of.” Nandor lies. To his relief, Guillermo simply finishes brushing his hair and drops the subject.
There’s nothing to talk about, after all.