WHAT: Father/Daughter bonding in which Guillermo is assured Dani's happy (despitee, uhh... if you know WWDIS then you know) WHERE: Vampire Residence (Not Staten Island) WHEN: Before Halloween! WARNINGS: None STATUS: Complete
It wasnât awful! Or, well, it was a little halfway awful - they were in the middle of renovations so there were some things that looked familiar, and other things that made her wonder why would anyone live like this (but it was at least fitting for the Halloween vibe). Daniela did her best not to judge, though. This was always going to be home no matter what it looked like. The people in it were what made it home, and she was very happy to be here to catch a glimpse of what life was like before her.
(Though some of the documentary crew looked a little different. Did some quit? Were they eatânevermind, not her business!)
It did take her a surprising amount of time to fight a duster and a half-empty bottle of Febreeze. Some corners looked - and smelled - a little rough, wreaking havoc on her sensitive nose, and she thought it would help her Papi out?
Her very human Papi? That was a little weird.
âCan I help with anything?â Dani asked Guillermo - Papi - when she approached the kitchen, cleaning equipment in her hands. âI wonât ask for an allowance this time!â
Guillermo had gotten used to really only cooking for himself, which wasnât anything elaborate. He didnât have his abuelaâs cooking skills by a long-shot, though Danielaâs arrival was enough to make him nervous on that end. Was he doing good enough? She was a vegetarian, which was another thing he hadnât quite been prepared to deal with, but-- it was fine. This was fine.
This was totally out of his league.
A kid with Nandor was-- wow. Big. Unexpected, given Nandorâs everything and Guillermo wanting so desperately to become a vampire and that typically didnât come with a family. But she was perfect and Guillermo couldnât help running around with a large amount of chaotic energy trying to do everything for her that he could manage.
âUh- You donât- I mean of course we can give you an allowance? Or something from the treasure room?â Money was better than gold, probably, but at least some places here in Vallo took the latter. âSorry we werenât better prepared for all of this, itâs been a big work in progress.â
Dani tried not to giggle. âIâm kidding, itâs okay!â Did she have much of a need for money right now? Not⌠really. She didnât mind going out to explore Past Vallo to see how things were like, and she had friends that came through this hiccup of time too that she could visit - but it was also really cool to see how stuff was before she was found in their basement?
After it recovered from water damage, that is.
âI think Miss Laudna is the one fixing the house up?â she chatted breezily, fine with a little bit of awkwardness - she was always pretty easy and sociable. Could be the genetics. âIt will look really good! And - I think itâs kinda cool with the way things are? Itâs very Halloween. With the cobwebs, and the⌠holes.â
Itâs okay translated to the firm fact that Guillermo was going to get money for allowance, as soon as possible. They had money, especially with Nandorâs treasure room and their jobs, but so much of it had gone into the renovations.
But heâd already fallen into the desperate need of being the father than Dani deserved. That included allowance. He hadnât had much as a child, or even as an adult, but she was never going to want for anything. âUm- yeah. She just started a few weeks ago? So weâre making do.â The darkness and cobwebs were-- well, kind of a staple of the house, though, and it made him curious. âIs it a lot more family oriented in the future? More homey? Did you-- I mean, do you like it there?â
âOh,â she blinked, not having expected those questions. They werenât bad questions! Guillermo had always been the worrywart parent, though, so she supposed it made sense. Dani set the cleaning equipment down and smoothed her hands down her overalls. âUmmmmmâŚâ
Her nose did this twitch, and she pulled her mouth into a slow smile. âItâs still a little crazy,â she admitted. âBut in a fun way? I donât know what I would do if it wasnât a little whacky. We have pictures of us on the walls, and you guys always bought me a lot of toys and a lot of books. I think I slept on the indoor trampoline you guys got for my birthday for a whole month because I loved it a lot. When I was little I used to steal dirt from the coffins and run around the house, and you guys would chase me and it was fun!.â As it turns out that wasnât the best idea, but⌠âYou guys played with me a lot.â
Dani climbed onto a stool. It made a weird creaky noise, and she hoped her weight wouldnât make it collapse. âWe have traditions in the kitchen too,â she added. âLike - baking stuff, even if you donât really eat with me.â
All of that sounded amazing enough that Guillermo just stood there clutching the spatula in his hands. It almost sounded too good to be true, that a child could grow up in this household, with these ridiculous beings, and be happy.
But then it made a weird amount of sense, because most days there was nowhere else Guillermo would rather be. Those ridiculous beings had a way of growing on people.
âI think-- I mean, that sounds. I like that. Thatâs--â He was getting a little emotional, and he felt the tears prick the corners of his eyes. âI kind of never expected that for us. Like, there was-- I really did not expect any of that for us. But Iâm glad? Youâre amazing- um.â He turned back to the spread of ingredients he had laid out. âHave I made vegetarian pozole with you? I was going to give it a shot.â
Oh no. As quick as she had sat down, Dani had gotten back up. That choked stammering had tugged at her, and she was never shy about affection - her dads would make comments about her being very needy, always craving their presence. She didnât hesitate to wind her arms around him tightly from behind.
âYouâre amazing too,â she told him, cheeks dimpled from the broadness of her grin. âAnd you have - itâs a favorite. Your foodâs really good! We can eat together? Your dietâs, um, different. Back home. Not in a bad way!â
So many vampires existed in Vallo anyway, so the blood sucking (and sometimes accidental or purposeful killing) was normal.
Oh. As soon as her arms wrapped around him, Guillermo had to take a second to will the tears from falling. He wrapped a hand onto her arm and held her there for a second, not quite ready to let go until he had his shit together. âI- yeah. Please. Not a bad way, just a vampire way?â
The kind of way that Guillermo had started to think he would never get to until Dani showed up and confirmed it for him. Until Nandor offered. âI really didnât think he was ever going to do it, you know. I was really surprised when he offered when you showed up. So- um. Thank you?â
Daniâs face reddened a little. She hadnât meant for that part to slip out but didnât exactly know better, either - and it was so hard to picture Papi as a human since thatâs not what she knew him to be as. But she made sure to give him an extra tight squeeze as they continued to embrace, cheek pressed against his back.
âIâm glad he did if that is what you always wanted,â she said. âBut it ââ Dani paused. It felt selfish to say that the idea made her sad, in a way. She never wanted for much. Sometimes she wished the bushes outside the house didnât always look like Nadjaâs nether regions but that was minor. Her family was immortal, and she wasnât, and she was still too young to really decide if that was something she wanted for herself, too. âBut if it helps with any nerves you might have,â she recovered, redirecting her thoughts with more pep in her voice. âYou donât change much when youâre a vampire! You still keep it together, which is really good because I think Papa and everyone else would have been killed two years ago after this one incident.â
Breaking the hug, she gave Guillermo a supportive pat to the back.
This one incident pulled him out of his thoughts fairly quickly. Guillermoâs back straightened a little and he rounded a look on her that was one of surprise and worry. Well, now thatâd be keeping him up for the next decade. âThat one incident?â If his voice sounded a ltitle higher pitched-- well. It was. Guillermoâs voice took on a squeaky edge, which was probably the opposite of what Dani was going for.
âOkay, okay--â He forced out a steady breath. He needed to be better for her. âThis is fine. Itâll be fine.â That time he sounded a little more confident. Guillermo squared his shoulders and then wrapped an arm around her own. âWhat matters is youâre healthy and safe and happy here.â
âIt will be fine,â Dani promised, leaning into him because Papi gave great hugs too. She did need to watch out about saying too much - she didnât want to mess up the timeline! Or stress him out. âIt wasnât even that bad, and there was only one fireââ Shoot, Dani, shut up. She coughed into her fist. âAnyway, letâs make food, Iâm starving.â
Yes, she could distract him with cooking and sharing a meal (which, again, she couldnât do back home) and it would be fiiiiine.