Thirty - Eight

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Tanner loomed in the bedroom as he listened to the shower running.

Sven was in there, deliciously naked, and for some reason apparently upset with Tanner. Why else would he be torturing him with this mystery 'friend' he had run off to see? His mood was very quickly turning sour as he heard the spout shut off.

Sven would pay his body dry next, wrapping the towel around his torso and grabbing the glass container of moisturizer that did nothing but leave a sweet smell on his skin. The door opened and Sven blinked in surprise about Tanner's tense stance. "I didn't know I had an audience." He commented dryly.

He sat on the chaise in the corner and dabbed two fingers into the fluffy cream and began to rub it into his feet as he waited for the onslaught of an argument. Some things never changed. "Why are you doing this?" Spit Tanner, eyes narrowed furiously.

"While my skin doesn't take in the lotion--and doesn't really need it either--I like how it smells. And feels." He was taunting Tanner and he knew it. But it was amusing as the old vampire's face grew pinched. "It was a friend Tanner. This lack of trust is insulting if not concerning."

"Why should you be insulted? You're the one hiding it." His voice was a few notches louder than it should have been but Sven wasn't easily shaken. "I thought you wanted to make this work!"

"Do you expect me to spend every waking moment at your beck and call? I don't appreciate being grilled like this Tanner. Especially by someone with a track record like yours."

"Oh you just love bringing that up don't you?" Sneered Tanner. "Well I'm not out fucking Gavin am I?"

"No. Because you killed him." Sven's voice wavered ever so slightly and Tanner's face morphed from anger to surprise then back to fury.

"That's neither here nor there."

"You murdered your last lover? Why Tanner?"

"He was a companion I never meant to turn. It was a different time Sven--when he would have been my responsibility. He had no control and no will to fight his urges."

"So you made the decision to murder him."

Tanner shrugged. "The decision was made. How did you find out?" His tone was crisp in his own suspicions.

"Spare me the formalities Tanner. Gavin wasn't your first vampire kill."

Tanner sucked on his teeth as he realized the direction Sven was taking. "Why must we argue?" Tanner asked in a calm tone. Inside however he shaken and livid that Sven would do something so disrespectful.

"Why must you hide such serious..." he trailed off. "I'm not going to argue about this. I just wish you would respect me."

"I do respect you Sven. Now do you want to bring Luca to the farm tomorrow or not?"

"Will you be there? Like really be there? Not staring at your phone or trying to figure out who I smell like--I saw you smelling my shirt you freak."

Tanner smiled almost apologetically but he wasn't really sorry. If anything he was sorry he couldn't place the smell of the second person who had touched him. His sense of smell was rusty thanks to over processed blood he drank so he couldn't distinguish the length of the contact. "Of course I'll be there. I think Luca will really enjoy it."

"And maybe we can get through the whole day without your binging this back up." Sven suggested sourly.

"Why feeling guilty?" Sven gave him a sharp look and Tanner held his hands up. "Okay. Sorry, sorry."

"You know despite us getting 'back together' we've yet to make it official." There was something about the poorly dressed man that was doing it for him.

The clothes were baggy only the skin on his arms exposed but it was enough. Sven crossed his arms but a small smile tried his lips. "I don't think I'm interested."

"You don't think? Does that mean I can change your mind?" He prowled forward and Sven realized his defenseless position on the attractive piece of furniture.

"I don't think you can and I'd rather you did." He replied shortly. "Let's see how tomorrow goes first."

Tanner hid his disappointment poorly with a joke. "So if I'm the good boy I get a treat?"

Sven smiled despite his stern demeanor. "That's one way of putting it."

***

The next morning they were heading out of the city and into the country side where a fun learning experience awaited Luca.

The boy was all smiles, happy both Daddy and Fen could spend the day with him. "Daddy go fast." He marveled as Tanner passed a large truck.

"Too fast." Agreed Sven. "The speed limit is sixty five Tanner. Jesus."

"I'm going, what, thirty over?" Argued Tanner with a glance down. "I've been driving longer than you've been alive."

"And you learned on a horse and buggy you old fool. If you crash you could seriously hurt Luca."

Tanner stubbornly refused to hear Sven out on such a minuscule detail. He had been driving automobiles since the day they were introduced: if anyone could control one it was him. And when you loved as long as he had going slow help no interest.

Instantaneous is an expectation.

"It's okay Sven really."

The Finnish prince rolled his eyes and keyed into Luca who watching the scenery zipping by with an adorable sense of awe. "Are you excited?" Sven prodded.

"Luca see the humans!" He squeaked excitedly. "They be big and mean? Like Uncle Grif's kitty?"

"No honey no. They're nice and fragile. Like...little birdies." Sven decided. They two had watched a blue bird hatching in the roof rafters.

"Do they sing?"

"They used to. I'm not sure if they still do."

Luca looked thoughtful. "Luca touch them?" His voice was low and hushed.

Sven nodded with a smile. "Yes. During a draining you can touch them. But they are easily frightened so you have to be really careful okay?"

Luca bobbed his head confidently. "Luca knows. Luca be good."

"They let them touch them?" Tanner asked in surprise. "Aren't they worried about them getting hurt? I recall their flesh is quite weak."

Tanner hated how his mouth water at the recollection. He remembered vividly how it felt to have his finger sinking into the soft flesh of his victim as he held them still. He remembered the spicy smell of fear. "You have to be careful." Sven replied. "But I was one heir website and yeah you can walk around their living quarters with them, touch them, interact--"

"Okay but why? They're not cute cuddly creatures." Tanner shrugged. "They look like us--just with imperfections and limited life spans and basic intelligence."

"You know we were both humans right?"

"And what a wretched time that was." Tanner grinned.

"I for one think they're cute." Sven retorted. "Maybe not physically but there's something so refreshing about beings with expiration dates. Their time is so much more valuable. Not to mention that they literally feed us. They should be respected."

"Respected? They couldn't even live with each other properly. Their social structures were flawed and hindered by selfishness and greed."

"We were once human." Sven stubbornly told him again.

"During a different time." Argued Tanner. "When I was alive things we pretty damn great."

Luca sucked in a breath at the bad word and Sven scoffed. "Wonderful? You mean the white elitism? The slaves? Treating women like dogs?"

"It was a different time."

"You can't possible be defending the society you lived in. Didn't your parents own slaves?"

Tanner nodded. "There was a plantation but it was little. And we treated them pretty well if I remember right."

"Well clearly your memory is very flawed. My people were never like that."

"You had slaves!"

"Just poor people. Not a race. That's distasteful."

Tanner laughed. "But enslaving those suffering with poverty is better than enslaving those due  to race? They're equally bad."

"Don't say 'suffering with poverty'. That's a harsh way to put it. They were peasants. That was their duty. How they were born. And we were good to them in Kingdom. They never went hungry during the Harvests."

Tanner shook his head. It was amazing at home righteous Sven truly thought he was during his time as royalty. Tanner had seen the kingdom. He had seen the disgusting squalor the so called peasants lived in and how gaunt they all looked. He also knew how well fed and luxurious the royals were. "You know what? Let's just leave it." Tanner changed the subject. "What's the deal with this place? Organic do-gooders who oppose the Empire and want to sit around in a circle singing Kumbaya?"

"Just because they eat clean doesn't make them hippies Tanner. And it's a learning center."

"So schools will be touring?" Tanner asked with groan. New Borns these days were over educated and far too concerned with stupid things in his book. They focused on the abstract--arts and social justice-/instead of the real professions for the first couple of centuries. The eventually smartened up, or grew sick of be poor, and went back to school for more respectable positions. "Fantastic."

"Maybe. But who cares--this isn't an experience for us as much as it is for Luca."

"This weekend is just full of experiences for you isn't it?" Tanner suggested lightly.

"Tanner you promised."

"Yeah, yeah."

QOTC: what do you think of the Farm so far?