Daddy's Pet (on hold)

Seventeen

A/N: Comment & Vote!

"Luca play outside?"

"Sorry cupcake. We have to go to work again. Did you get your coloring book?"

Luca tipped his head back and whined. Sven put a bowl of ground sausage and quail eggs in front of him. It was upgrade from the cereal he was unusually given and Tanner noticed. He graced his assistant with a smile and Sven couldn't help but return the gesture. Luca eagerly scooped the mix into his mouth.

"This good!"

Tanner was impressed--Luca didn't normally comment on his food or eat with as much enthusiasm as he currently was. Luca disappointment in the fact that despite his two days with Daddy, he hadn't yet dug a single hole in the back yard, he was distracted by the yummy food. "Is that the synth pork?"

"No. It's a beef, pork blend. They sell the real stuff--it's absolutely disgusting by the way. And it has a ridiculously short shelf life."

"And you went to one of those fancy stores and bought one?" Tanner was even more impressed.

Sven shrugged. "I felt like taking a drive. And he wasn't really eating the cold grain so I figured some protein might suit him better."

"What's a quail?"

"It's livestock. Like what they feed humans at those designer blood banks? The ridiculously overpriced stuff?"

Tanner hadn't done his own grocery shopping in so long he just took his word for it. "Huh."

"Daddy eat!" The boy had formed a chunk of brown and light yellow stuff. It was a sizable bite--too large for Luca himself.

"Oh cupcake--" he searched for a reason not to eat the substance.

Luca frowned, beginning to look at the food more critically. If Daddy wouldn't eat it, didn't that make it bad? "Luca not want!" He pushed the bowl away.

Tanner quickly tried to do damage control. "Daddy will eat some too. Look."

He took the bite and immediately wanted to spit it out. None of it was made for vampire consumption and Tanner hadn't eaten anything organic since...he was human. The flavor was absolutely awful--rotten and horribly bitter. It overwhelmed his senses and he felt his stomach growing uneasy. What was the feeling again? Nausea--a feeling he hadn't experienced since, again, he was a human.

But he gulped it down with a pained, animated 'yum' for his little one's sake. Luca smiled gleefully and accepted the fork back. "It's good." He said again.

"Tanner did you just eat that?" Sven had stepped out with Tanner's morning mug of Grab N Go brand B positive when he watched the man choking down the food.

"I did. I'd really like that please." Tanner wanted the taste gone. He felt a bit queasy now.

"The packing says suitable for humans and carnivorous weres. I'm pretty sure vampires aren't supposed to eat it." Sven passed the mug hesitantly.

Tanner shrugged. "I'm sure I'll be alright. I ate it when I was human...I think."

The memories were so far gone now. Sven looked uneasy however. "It could poison you."

"The only known poison to vampires was developed by weres. And they no long sell the necessary ingredients anyway."

"Well...alright." Sven replied. He could hardly stomach the smell of cooking, much less the idea of eating the junk. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, no. Just your usual duties will be fine. Although Luca likes this kind of stuff--do you think you could find more like this?"

Sven nodded. "It would take most of the day. I might go over--"

"The sixty hour limit doesn't apply to you Sven. It's for the real help."

The Finnish man couldn't help but smile a bit, flirting lightly. "What am I then? Fake help?"

Tanner smiled. "Special help." He decided. "Why don't you have a glass of A negative and take a seat? I've got a few minutes. It's been a while since we really talked."

"Talked?" Sven was impressed the vampire recalled his taste in blood.

"Sure. If you want of course."

Sven sucked on his teeth a moment. "Alright."

Luca finished off the bowl, leaving a few pieces and got down telling his Daddy that 'he'd be back'. Sven sat down and frowned. "You didn't have him drink his stuff."

"Stuff?"

"It from those plants. They juice the bulbs? It's good for werepups--I got it in the breeder section." Sven explained briefly gesturing to the orange liquid. "It's even got pulp--whatever that is."

"You don't know what it is but you want Luca to drink it? He doesn't know what it is either." Tanner replied. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Proper nutrition for weres is important for them to grow to the proper size--especially in his case!"

"What do you mean? Luca is perfect."

"He was the runt so he'll always be small but they can get sick really easily. Besides runts have a life expectancy of only half a were. That's, what? Half a decade? 50 years?"

"He's perfectly healthy." It was like the floor and dropped out on Tanner.

He hadn't even thought about these things. He hadn't even thought to bring Luca to a specialist to get checked. How stupid on his part. And how awful of Sven to say such a thing. "I'm not trying to upset you Tanner--I want to see the pup go as long as he can. But to do that you're going to have to be a little more strict. Eating the right things, drinking the right things--"

"Okay okay." Interrupted Tanner.

He wasn't sure if it was the dark topic or whatever the hell he'd consumed, but his queasiness was hitting levels that made him nervous. Luca came pattering back in with a coloring book and a box of crayons. "Luca make pretty picture now."

Tanner gestured to the juice and excused himself as he dealt with the usual feeling. Sven watched the boy beginning to color and pondered how the juice drink could appeal to him. "Hello Luca." His voice was full of poise--- habit he hadn't quite dropped from his time of loyalty. The only person he was able to change his tone for, was Tanner. For all others, he spoke down to them.

"Hi Fen."

Sven blinked at the improper pronunciation. However he found he liked it. It was... endearing.  "You didn't drink this."

"Don't want." Luca held out a crayon. "Fen like green? Wear green today."

Sven glanced down at his button up. Yes, rn was in fact green. "Green is a good color." He decides. "Why don't you want it?"

"Luca not like."

"Has Luca tried it?" Great, now he was speaking in the third person.

The boy hummed. "No."

"Can you try it for me?"

"Try for Fen?" The boy looked reluctant and Sven thought he was going to refuse outright. "Okay! Luca try for Fen."

Sven smiled. He understood why Tanner was so invested. Luca had a quality that just captures your heart immediately.

QOTC: thoughts? Is little Luca growing on Sven?! 🤔
Goal: 30 Comments ❤️

A/N 2.0: Reagan's story/issue becomes more apparent NEXT chapter.