Chapter 30 - But I'm Not

The boys left Pina's room and moved into the kitchen, where a pan of baked ziti was placed in the center of the table. Pina made sure Bill got a seat next to him before his parents could prevent it somehow.

The tiger sniffed the food. "Smells good."

"Well, I hope so!" Gianna exclaimed in a singsong voice. "Just don't eat too much! Save some for us little animals!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Pina mumbled under his breath for only Bill to hear.

"Ah...I-I won't," the tiger mumbled.

Everyone grabbed their serving, and vegetables were soon brought out as well along with glasses of water. Pina started to eat, but Gianna and Terzo just sat there, staring at Bill and waiting for him to take a bite.

The tiger didn't notice, taking his fork and cutting a medium bite off.

Gianna barely gave him any time to chew before asking, "Is it good?"

Bill nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's very good!"

The cook wiped imaginary sweat off her brow. "Whew! I never cooked for a carnivore before, so I wasn't sure if you'd like it. "

Carnivores eat a lot of the same stuff herbivores do, mom." Pina pointed out, albeit with the usual edge from his voice removed.

"Yeah! I enjoy everything!" Bill grinned.

Terzo took a bite. "Sho." He swallowed. "Bill, what do sheep taste like?"

The tiger froze, blinking. "Uh?"

Pina wanted to smash his face into his place.

The older dall sheep continued. "Well, we know all carnivores eat meat, so we were just curious if you've ever tasted sheep before."

The feline swallowed. "That feels a little personal..."

"Just curious!" Terzo continued. "As a carnivore you probably talk about the meat you eat all the time."

Bill frowned.

Gianna butted in. "Oh, don't be so shy! We're not those herbivores that pretend the black market doesn't exist! We know about it and we know carnivores go there! We just never got to ask one what a sheep tastes like!"

Pina could only watch in silence at the disaster unfolding in front of him. He felt like he didn't even know his parents at that point.

Bill just took another bite. "No. I haven't."

A deafening silence blanketed the kitchen, soon broken by the clinks of silverware as everyone ate their meal. Even Pina, despite his insides, feeling like they were twisting around broken glass.

Bill was obviously uncomfortable by the previous question, staying silent as he ate his food, trying not to make eye contact with any sheep.

Pina moved his leg over, hooking his foot around one of Bill's legs to let him know he was there.

"So, Pina? How are your grades?"

He let out a sigh of relief at the subject change, even if it was one he wasn't too fond of either. "Fine. I've actually started tutoring some first years in my free time."

The cat's ear twitched. He remembered Pina telling him about that. It was nice his boyfriend was so smart.

Terzo pushed up his glasses, looking at his son. "What about college? Have you started looking?"

Pina took a spoonful of peas to his mouth as he averted his gaze from his father. "I just started my second year...I'll get to it later."

"Well, you should start thinking about it now. If you wait until the last minute, then you'll regret it."

Pina fidgeted as he remembered what he and Bill were just discussing in his room. "Well, I think I'd either want to act or be a model...so that's a start..."

The tiger continued to remain silent.

"We can start looking after. What about out of country? Would you be willing to travel?"

Pina looked over at Bill. "I think...that'd be nice."

The tiger's ears flattened. "I need to use the bathroom." He stood up. "Where is it?"

"Pinaaa!" Gianna slapped the table gently. "You didn't even show him the bathroom?"

"I forgot. I'll be right back." Bill's boyfriend pushed himself out from the table and got up, beckoning for Bill to follow.

The cat did so, following as the two disappeared down the hall.

They walked in silence. The bathroom's location was quite obvious, and it was clear Pina didn't need to escort him.

Once inside, Pina shut the door and kept his back to Bill.

The cat sighed. "They think I'm some dangerous meat eater, but I'm not! I've changed!"

Pina stayed still and silent. His shoulders rose and fell slightly as he listened.

Bill grabbed his shoulders. "Right? You don't think so, right?"

A long, shuddering breath was his answer before he raised an arm to wipe his eyes.

"A-are you...crying?" Bill stepped back.

Pina choked, now bringing two hands up to his eyes. He couldn't do this. He was supposed to be the rock.

The carnivore didn't know what to do. Pina never got like this. "H-hey...turn around..."

Pina cleared his throat and did just that. His big, beautiful eyes were red and puffy, and his wool was wet. He stared up at Bill with a scowl. "...Hey."

The tiger raised a hand to wipe a tear with his thumb. "Erm...I don't know what I'm doing but...It'll be okay? That's what you always say, right?"

"I shouldn't have brought you here. They're being horrible to you." Pina sniffed, leaning into Bill's touch.

His boyfriend grinned, fangs and all. "Aw, it's not big deal. I'm a strong tiger! This is nothing!"

"I should be defending you though. I should be telling them how close we are and how much you mean to me. But no, I turn into a...sniveling, cowardly herbivore." Pina crossed his arms and shuddered.

"Then why don't you tell them? They'll find out when we get married." Bill was already certain that was how it would be, anyway.

The herbivore froze. Had they even talked about that. He slowly looked Bill in the eye and managed to crack a smile. "You...you're supposed to buy me a ring first."

"With what money?" He shook his head. "Do you...really want to leave the country?"

He cleared his throat again, trying to clear up all the mucus gathered in his sinuses. "I'd like to...if you came with me. I think we might be rushing things by talking about marriage this early on, though. If I'm being completely honest." He held his hands up quickly as to dissuade any of the tiger's fears. "Hey, I think it'd be pretty cool, but we have to be smart about it. Not like Legosi and Louis who just tripped into it."

"I meant if we keep being together. If we never tell them, that's when they'd find out. If it happens, ya know..."

"I got you. I should get back before they see what we're doing." Pina sighed and opened the door.

Bill nodded, watching him leave, then going the mirror and looking at himself, pushing up his lips to look at his fangs. You can do this, Bill. So what if they don't trust you? Give 'em a reason to! You can do this! It's for him...You've changed. You aren't the animal you used to be. He smiled. It's just a weekend.

Pina did his best to wipe all his tears up before returning to the table. His parents looked at him in confusion as he sat again.

"What, you get lost?" Gianna joked although the undertone it carried was very apparent.

"You hurt his feelings," Pina stated, taking a bite of food.

His mom gave an exaggerated gasp as she held a hand to her chest. "Wha? A big feline like him? We hurt his feelings?"

Terzo rolled his eyes. "A big cat like that? No way. Carnivores are tough."

"Bill is sensitive. He's a stage actor. We're all sensitive." Pina looked back up at them. "My other friend, Legosi, is even more sensitive than he is. And he's a big wolf."

"Maybe he just does it for attention," Terzo stated, off-handedly.

"That's not-" Pina cut himself off angrily, taking more bites of his food. He just wanted to finish this meal and get away from them.

Bill came back, sitting down.

Pina's father immediately spoke up. "Pina said we hurt your feelings. Is this true? A big cat like you?"

The feline shook his head. "Nope! I'm fine!"

Terzo nodded. "Good, good."

Pina huffed, shoveling gulp after gulp of food into his mouth.

Gianna clapped her hands. "There you go, Pina! Maybe you won't be so skinny anymore!"

Bill looked up. "Models are skinny. Animals like skinny."

"Yeah plus I don't wanna grow out of all my clothes." Pina slowed down his eating, mostly because he was almost done.

"Oh, but you could use some new ones." His mom pointed out. She looked over at Bill. "Does he talk about being a model a lot? Today is the first we've heard of it."

"All the time," Bill lied. Neither of them really gave any attention to their futures.

Pina put his fork down, suddenly feeling bold. "Yeah. I even put on makeup sometimes. I even ordered a dress for the New Year's dance."

Terzo blinked. "What? A dress? So you're a queer now?"

Fuck it. With Bill by my side, I have nothing to be afraid of anymore. Pina turned to his father with a big smile. "Have been for years, dad!"

The older dall sheep blinked, then looked to his wife. "Next thing we know, he tells us he wants to be one of those transgenders, too."

"N-now now, dear. This is definitely something we will talk about later. For now we...have a guest." She smiled sweetly at Bill.

Bill took a sip of his water. "I'm a queer, too," he shrugged.

Terzo blinked. "Well, that was obvious."

That just made the cat make a face.

Gianna looked between her son and the feline incredulously. Pina kept on smiling as he finished his meal.

Terzo cleared his throat. "Stay away from my son, though." He said it lightheartedly but meant it wholeheartedly.

Pina's blood boiled, but his tone matched his father's. "Well, you can't stop him!"

Gianna gasped, shaking.

Bill grunted. "No. I'm not going to eat you. I think you knowing that your son is a carnivore-loving queer is enough." He stood up. "And you know what? That's fine. I don't understand why you don't trust me, but I saved your son. If I wanted to eat him, I would have. But that's not me." He stepped forward. "I may have eaten meat in the past, but I'm not that animal anymore. I'm a carnivore who saved an herbivore."

Pina stood up with him. "I know I'm not turning out the way you guys want me to, but I'm my own animal! I get to choose my path in life, and I've decided to have Bill by my side as I go. Whether you want to lose another son or not is up to you!"

Both of the older sheep stared at them, aghast. Gianna spoke first. "P-Pina! What's happened to you! You never used to be like this! You were a quiet, polite boy who-"

Bill, instead of continuing to get closer to Terzo, went by Pina's side, grabbing his hand. "I know this may be stupid and reckless, and maybe it is, but you need to trust your son. This is his choice."

Terzo opened his mouth to speak, but Bill raised his hand to stop him.

"I know you're about to say I'm just a carnivore or call me a meat-eater again, but I'm an animal with feelings, too. Just like you. And my feelings lie with your son, whether you like it or not. So, you have two options. You can enjoy the time you have with us or you can kick us out and have Pina never talk to you again. And you know whose fault that would be? Your own."

Pina watched his parents' expressions with a giddy look on his face. He was so damn proud of his tiger.

Terzo swallowed. He didn't know what to say or do.

"Oh, mom, the food was really good. Thank you." The sheep said sweetly.

Gianna just stared straight ahead, looking like she had just run a marathon.

Bill sighed. "It seems the cat has your tongue, so I'll make the choice for you. You're going to get to know your son and learn to trust me. I think it would be stupid if you just threw your relationship with your only son away. I already know my family hates me for being this way, but Pina doesn't deserve that."

Pina smirked. "We'll give you some time to think. Me and Bill are gonna be in my room. We've been together since December, so it's not like this is a new thing." He turned around and tugged on Bill's hand.

Bill moved his head once more. "Please think about it. I promise I won't hurt him." He sighed, and they left once more.

Pina lead him into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He looked up at Bill, feeling giddy. "...So...that just happened."

The cat became less tense. "Yeah."

His boyfriend shot up and brought his head down to kiss him.

The tiger kissed back, lovingly. "I'm sorry."

"What're you sorry about?" Pina asked gently.

"I mean, they're your parents and I just told them what to do..."

"Taste of their own medicine." Pina licked his lips. "God, you're so fucking hot right now you wouldn't believe it."

"I am?"

"Yeah. Guess standing up to my parents is my kink." Pina shrugged and disengaged his arms from the tiger. He turned around and flopped onto the bed.

Bill chuckled and locked the door, then came over, laying on him, but lifting his head to look down at him. "I had to and I don't care what they think."

"Too bad they can't be smart like me and think you're a cute tiger who's also brave as fuck." Pina brought his hands to Bill's biceps.

The cat nuzzled him. "Well, I think I can be smart too, sometimes. That was probably really dumb, huh?"

"No, we were going to suffocate unless we did something. They were being fucking ridiculous and we stood our ground." The skinny animal traced the stripes on his boyfriend's arm.

"I couldn't let them kick us out."

"They still might." Pina mused. "What's the plan if they do? Going back to Cherryton means we're separated."

"Of course it does," he puffed his cheeks and huffed.

The sheep's lithe hands moved to cup the tiger's fuzzy cheeks. "Guess we just have to wait to see what they do with us, then." Pina smiled. He knew he should be scared or sad or anything else, but he was happy. He was free.

Bill nodded. "Then here we go waiting, then."