Chapter Text
Nandor had never met a man so interesting.
At least, not recently. Not that he could recall. He had flings here and there, people he connected with, but no one had caught his eye so easily. With just a couple pats on the arm, a quip about whatever a "Roomba" is, and a flash of a business card, he was instantly struck with confusing and overwhelming attraction.
The only problem was… the man was dating Guillermo .
As he lay in his coffin, sleep escaping him, Nandor twirled the card around his ringed fingers. Maybe it was the built-up frustration of being married to someone he had so little in common with, or maybe he was just so infatuated with Freddie that he couldn’t bear it, but Nandor knew he had to do something about these feelings. A long list of ideas swirled through his mind.
Flat out steal him from Guillermo? Definitely doable, but far too cruel. Guillermo was his friend after all, based on definition of the word. And, you know, sloppy seconds. Make his own Freddie? He could have used a wish, couldn't he? Well, then it wouldn't have really been the Freddie he fell for, would it? Besides, there was still Marwa to deal with, and as much as he didn’t mind getting his hands a little dirty, it was still cruel to her. Marriage was sacred to him, of course, and she was a person too… also based on definition of the word.
He turned on his side and grumbled. Love was a cruel mistress, indeed. Why now? Things would have been so much easier if Guillermo had just brought Freddie home with him all those months ago. They could have bypassed the whole marriage and Djinn situation altogether. He still would have had to seduce him from under Guillermo, but what's a little partner sharing between friends, right?
And then, it hit him like a knock on his coffin.
Oh, wait, that was an actual knock on his coffin.
He swung the lid open and was greeted by a few documentary crew members: Greg, his favorite cameraman, August, a newly-hired boom operator, and Rhett, the producer in charge of following him around at all times, like a more annoying version of Guillermo. The vampire didn't really feel like talking that night, but after looking at the waiting faces of the men in front of him, he figured it might be good to bounce some ideas off of them.
"...So then I thought," Nandor waxed once he had finished explaining his thought process to the increasingly concerned-looking crew, "why not make an evening of it, enjoyable for everyone involved? A double-date, as the humans call it. We all go out together, talk together, and if one thing leads to another…" a mischievous grin creeped across his face.
August furled his brow and took a breath, only to be interrupted by Rhett indicating the end of the session and confirming the schedule for the next day with Nandor. Greg patted the young sound assistant on the back. "You'll get used to it," he sighed, "Just let him play it out."
Tonight was going to be perfect. And if it wasn’t, Guillermo already knew who was most likely to blame.
The former familiar hummed to himself as he buttoned up the nicest of his new designer shirts. Earlier, at the hotel, Freddie had shown him his to-do list of touristy activities for their date in the city that evening. He had made Guillermo go back to the house so he could have some time to rest and settle in, but once he picked him up at 8, Guillermo was ready to spoil the living hell out of his boyfriend. He did have money to burn now, after all.
Wow, boyfriend . It still felt weird to think about being in an actual relationship, no strings or unfulfilled promises attached. It just felt so simple, so normal, so out of character. How did someone like him land someone like Freddie?
He remembered his days in England fondly. Well, not quite fondly; he’d still been wounded from Laszlo’s betrayal and Nadja’s complete disregard. Deep down he knew it couldn’t have been helped, but a part of him was still bitter that Nandor hadn’t come to his rescue. He mostly spent his days wandering around London, looking for anything to fill the void, until one day a chance meeting with a charmingly average guy became a whirlwind romance. Not perfect by any means, but it was refreshing to be with someone who knew nothing about supernatural beings or the true nature of his rather bloody career. It was boring, but that’s all he wanted from the relationship. A break from the chaos. And besides, it was nice to be wanted by someone for once.
Now all he had to do was keep his past from creeping in and destroying everything again. Nadja dragging him home before he had even landed his first kiss was enough, he didn’t need Nandor sticking his nose in too. After the awkward surprise meeting between the two the night before, he somewhat hoped Nandor would want to stay out of it. Maybe he’s out hunting for virgins, or spending time with his wife, or–
“Guillermo! I have a proposition!”
Great.
Guillermo turned to see Nandor leaning against the doorframe, head barely fitting under the stairs. His eyes flashed to Greg and the rest of the crew behind the vampire, mentally noting that this was going to be another scheme of his if the cameras were involved. Before he could respond, Nandor continued, his dark eyes glowing with impatience.
“I know that you are going on a date with your Freddie tonight, correct?”
“Uhhh…”
“Well, what if we all went on a double-date? It would be good for Marwa and I to have a date night at some point as well, and I figured this would be an opportunity to–”
“Not tonight.” Guillermo pushed past him into the foyer, knocking a small scoff out of the vampire. “Freddie’s only here for the weekend, you can go a few days without me helping you find food.”
“But–!”
The human slipped into his new black corduroy jacket and opened the front door. “See you Sunday night!” And as he shut the door, Guillermo couldn’t help but smile as he pictured the look of consternation that he knew would be burning across his former master’s face at that moment.