Were-Vamp Anthology

Troy's Day Off

Troy is given a day off.

"This is unnecessary, master."

Calvin put his hand out to silence him. "Nonsense. You haven't taken time off in decades. So my family and I insist."

"But master. Who will watch over the house?" Troy asked.

"Me and my family, of course." Calvin chirped happily. "And everyone volunteered to do the chores on your to-do list."

"No! I mean, there's no need to trouble yourselves with such labor."

"No need to fret, Troy. Now, go out and enjoy yourself." Calvin is escorting him onto the front porch. "I expect to see you refreshed and ready by tomorrow morning." He shut the doors. Troy could only stare with an incredulous look plastered on his face.

Sometime later, Troy is in his living quarters staring at the wall as thoughts race his mind. 'There's a butt-load of laundry to do. Not to mention the mountain of dishes to wash. Is the brisket in need of sauce? There's also dusting, sweeping, mopping, tending to the garden, and car maintenance.'

When the last thought hit him, he rushed out. 'If they scratch it or worse, they're dead-meat.' He sprinted across the courtyard when he heard an explosion.

"What did you do to my pride and joy!?" He yelled as he barged into the garage.

Christian stared wide-eyed with the hood to the Cruella DeVille car propped open, with mechanical tools kept neatly in a green metallic box, an oil-stained rag in his hands, and smells like grease. "Hey Troy." He greeted him timidly.

"What the heck are you doing?!" He stomped over. "Do you have any idea how expensive car parts are and, it's okay." He said when he took a look at it.

"Of course, it's alright." Christian spoke. "They aren't dumb enough to just have anybody tinker with your car."

"You know how to fix cars?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Not much." He said. "Just how to do oil changes, car realignments, tune ups, spark plugs, replacing batteries, and can change flat tires."

"And how did anyone not mention this before?" He questioned.

Christian shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they didn't feel the need to, since half of us don't have cars. Despite everyone getting their license."

Troy hummed in thought. "It's a possibility."

"Do you want me to stop working on it?" Christian asked. "You made it clear you weren't happy a couple minutes ago, and seem twitchy.

"I can't help it." He said. "I'm usually the only one who works on it. And aren't used to others touching it."

Christian was about to step down when Troy stopped him. "You may continue. I'll just supervise, so that it eases my mind a bit." Christian nodded before going about his business.

After a few minutes of awkward silence. "Tell me, how did you learn how to work on cars?"

Christian chuckled. "My second foster home had quite a few teens that would learn mechanics and I was looped in at some point. Especially if I needed a ride somewhere."

Troy can't help staring at how fast and efficient Christian's hands are going. "And you didn't go to trade school to become a mechanic?" He asked as he wondered what else he was capable of doing.

"I guess I could've but it didn't seem like the right job for me."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Did you ever find the right job?" He didn't answer making him sigh. "I may not know what kind of job you really want, but this proves that you can do more than what we give you credit for."

"Gee, thanks." He sounded sarcastic.

There was a knock on the door before Sarah's head poked inside. "Christian, we need your help with the kitchen stove/oven." She spotted their family's caretaker. "Oh, hey Troy."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "May I ask what happened to my kitchen?"

She flapped her hand. "Nothing to worry about. Just go back to your rest and relaxation." She tried to sound reassuring but even Christian didn't buy it.

"I'll be there in a few minutes." He told her, and she went back outside. He turned to Troy. "Do you think you can trust me to fix the oven?"

"Let me guess." He said. "You learned how to work on appliances as well as plumbing and electrical work."

Christian blushed. "Shut it." He barked before shutting the hood. "And don't even think of going inside the house. My family will just kick you out."

"Duly noted." Troy said. "Maybe I'll take this baby out for a drive, and see if I end up stranded somewhere."

Christian rolled his eyes before stomping out.

Troy shook his head before grabbing the keys hanging on the hook on the wall before inserting it into the ignition and turning. "Hear that baby pur. Maybe I'll take a drive into town and explore a few places." He mumbled before buckling up and driving out.

He headed to a few shops, a couple coffee shops and restaurants to do comparisons, the library, and now at the farmer's market.

He is buying groceries for himself as well as searching for the next meal to prepare for his master and his family, guessing that the brisket either had to be thrown or eaten with the oven being worked on.

"Troy?" He turned around and spotted Jason with groceries of his own.

"If it isn't young Jason." He greeted.

"What are you doing here? I didn't think you went out of the manor."

"The master surprised me with a day off." He explained.

"That's why Christian was staying over all day."

He notices a couple candles inside one of Jason's bags. "And I see you are planning to make a romantic dinner when he gets out."

He smiled a bit. "I don't mind. As long as he does the dishes and provides dessert."

Troy scrunched his face. "Please tell me dessert is food and not another sexual escapade of yours." Jason didn't answer, but the silence says it all. "I better get going. Have some reading to catch up on."

He returned to his living quarters and spent hours reading while enjoying a few cups of coffee before finding other activities to keep himself entertained before morning arrived.

He entered the red-brick manor cautiously before sighing in relief when it was cleaned. He then entered the kitchen to find the stove/oven missing.

"Morning Troy." Calvin greeted. "You look nice and refreshed."

"Master, may I ask where the oven went off to?"

"Oh, that. There was a chemical mishap while cleaning here and we tried saving it. Really we did, but it was gone." Troy's got a vice grip on the counter as cracks form on it.

"No need to fret, Troy." Calvin continued as if nothing was wrong. "We ordered a new one that should be in a week or so. And my prodigal son suggested this for the meantime." He presented him with an air fryer, a cookbook, and a microwave."

"What the hell?" He asked.

"You can still cook meals with these handy gizmos and also use recipes to help you get started. Isn't that thoughtful of him?"

Troy has an evil look on his face. "Invite him over for dinner, so I can properly thank him."

At his place, Christian feels shivers going up and down his spine before hearing his phone beeping.