FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Are we ready?" the white tiger asks, placing his hands on my shoulder and smile, looking into my eyes.

"Is this really fine?" I look at myself. We're meeting his parents after all. They did request casual, but is this... too casual?

"Yep, don't go too formal, my mom won't like it. So don't worry, okay?" Jin says, planting a kiss on my forehead. I sigh as I nod my head in agreement. I can only trust my tiger's words about his parents. I was told that they were very strict people that do not tolerate any form of nonsense. I gulp when I first found out, because these are the people that you generally don't cross or joke with. How Jin came to be with parents as he describes is beyond my comprehension. My tiger don't seem to take after them too much, if you ask me.

We are together for months already, and we kept it pretty quiet, until my short tempered kitty blurted out to his parents. He has been working on that temper issue for a while since we got together. It wasn't really that bad actually and he has been a lot more patient ever since. But a family argument was enough for him to snap apparently.

He was _fucking_sorry that next day for letting his temper get hold of him. I was in a loss between being angry with him and wanting to console him. I know he was genuinely sorry from his rare expression of being a lost kitty that has done something wrong. (Can you believe how oddly cute it was to have a big cat of his size to make that face?) What's done is done, I told myself, and I couldn't get angry at him when he was making that expression. So I forgave him and we made plans to meet his parents, as they insisted. Eventually we settled for a time, date and a hastily added dress code.

Now I am getting tenser as the time ticks closer to the arranged meeting. The white tiger came all the way down to fetch me with his car, only to find me still not ready for the meeting. He didn't blame me, of course. Meeting your boyfriend's parents is a scary deal, even to my huge white tiger... or so he claims after having to greet my mom earlier to access my room.

My parents obviously do not know about us. They never really asked about a white tiger visiting their home once every now and then, so there was nothing to answer for. Sometimes I wonder if they even care, but my tiger has been assuring me that they do all the time. I couldn't figure if he was telling the truth or just appeasing me.

"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath, "Let's go. Are we going to be late?"

"Nope," he smiles at me, "I came earlier to pick you 'cuz I know you're gonna need some... support."

I give my white tiger a hug in return, "Thank you. You're the best."

He chuckles when I let go of him, he opens the door and say, "Of course, sweetheart... You're my mate."

-

I was rather silent as he drives me towards his parents'. Well, partially because I have to let him concentrate on the road, and also because I have a lot on my mind. Jin's house is pretty far from our suburb area. He lives over the bridge, near the city. When we were still in high school, he would take a fifteen minute walk to and back from the school bus stop. But now he has his driving license and a car for his birthday (I know, right?), he's been driving me around for our dates. I feel bad for relying on him for transport, and even offered to pay for his monthly petrol fees; but he simply laughs at me and said that I was crazy since he can afford it. But about that...

When his parents first wanted to meet me, I was scared not only for me, but for Jin. I raised my concerns to him, that what if his parents didn't like me and he insisted on staying with me? What if they decide to abandon him?

My concerns worried him a little, before he came up with his own ten dollars a day challenge. He surprisingly survived pretty well and lost a bit of weight because of that. I hope that this dinner will go well. I certainly don't want to see my beautiful tiger work a few part times and suffer. Of course I would support him as much as I can; I might even work with him to earn more money...

He shakes me by the shoulders as I snap back to reality. "You're worrying about later, aren't you?" the tiger asks with a frown. "I can't help it," I say, "I don't want you to suffer from your parents' wrath..."

He drives on until his house is within sight. He stops at the side and kills the car engine. My white tiger undoes his seat belt and turn to me. "My parents may not be the most welcoming, but they are certainly not bad people. I think they might be reasonable and approve our relationship," he says while holding on to both my paws.

"You... think?" I raise my eyebrow.

"Well, I believe that our relationship is perfectly reasonable. But that doesn't mean that they feel the same way," he says and looks up in thought, "Does that make sense?"

"Anyway," he continues, "We still have a few minutes before it's time. We will leave the car on your call, okay?"

I blow a deep breath and clasps his paws together, "Yeah, let's do this man."

-

We walk down the steps towards his house under the evening glow. Even though I have been here a few times, it still never ceases to amaze me. His house is both unique and stunning. Personally designed by his mother, the house is not your usual squareish kind; the exterior shape of the house has no edges at all. It's all in curves and waves, following the general wind direction and keeping the house naturally ventilated while avoiding the glaring sunrays mostly at the relaxing areas like the living room and bedrooms. The white tiger's double story house is spacious and beautiful, possibly the best designed in this area. Hell, there's even an indoor Jacuzzi! Everything in the house just screams of style! How can I not be worried to face parents that are capable of... of this!

Still, no matter how scared I am, Jin and I have to go through this one day. Might as well conquer this day faster and have one less to worry about. The white tiger fiddles with the doorbell informing our presence through the speaker and his parents grant us entry to their house. My white tiger looks at me one last time with a paw on the doorknob before twisting it to open and guides me in.

There stands his parents; it's the first time I've met them. I note that both tigers have their usual orange coat unlike my boyfriend. Big and menacing, the large male tiger on the left squint his eyes at me upon our entry. He is slightly taller but is as large as Jin. Mrs Tygrif approaches me first. She is slim, slender and wears spectacles. She gives an impression that she's the one in control, cool and collected. She may be slightly shorter than I am and even more smaller compared to her husband and son, but I can also see that she has a strong position in the family.

"Welcome to the Tygrif household," she says and offers a handshake. I quickly return the handshake and I realise that her grip is firm, confirming my first impression of her. "Thank you having me here today," I reply, returning her a firm handshake.

Jin's dad offers his paw next after we exchange pleasantries. He grips my paw very hard, as though crushing it on purpose. I wince inside, but I never let it show on my muzzle. Their stern approach towards me seems to ignite my defiant self, as though not giving them the pleasure of intimidating me. I return the grip firm, not trying to crush back that huge orange paw.

"I hope you are in mood for salmon today," she says as we walk down the hall to the dining area. The table has already been set, and the dishes are plated so nicely it's as though it's from a restaurant. We take our seats and I continue looking at the well-plated dishes. Is this how she normally cooks?

"It's good to finally meet you, Typh," she says, "My son has spoken to us a little about you, I hope you do not mind if we get carried away asking you questions... My husband and I are just quite curious."

I can't decide if there were any hidden meanings in her sentences. "Of course I don't ma'am, I will be happy to answer them," I reply politely with a slight smile.

"Before we start, can you pass me the cream sauce?" his dad says in his gruff deep voice. Automatically I stand up and reach forward towards the small pot of sauce. I barely hear the 'Wait!' from his mom before my paws touches the hot surface. I recoil my touch slightly from the surface with a grunt, and look at her.

"Scott!" she scolds her husband, "The pot is still hot! Pass him your plate instead with the scoop at the end of the table."

I can see that his dad have been staring at me before he passes his plate with a small ladle, "Sorry, kid."

"Did you hurt yourself?" my white tiger asks, muzzle filled with concern.

I smile back at my boyfriend while serving the sauce for everyone, "Nah, it doesn't hurt. It's just a little hot, nothing big."

I sit back down after pouring the sauce for myself. I feel my boyfriend's tail curling protectively against me while I look at the tasty dish. I cut a small piece and chew and on it. It has a crispy skin and it is cooked slightly rawer in the core than usual. "This is really good, Mrs Tygrif. The dish looks great and I like how the salmon skin is fully coated with sesame to give it an extra crunch," I say truthfully.

She smiles for the first time, "I admit that I may not cook the best tasting dishes, but my plating makes up for that."

I relax a little as the attention shifts away from me to Jin. It is just small talk, nothing really major. His mom claps her hands after a while and goes to bring the dessert.

"Hey, kid... Typh, right?" his dad asks.

"Yeah?" I let my tongue slip, before quickly adding, "Yes, Mr. Tygrif."

"You should eat more, you're small. Do you work out?" he remarks.

I hate exercising, but after I got together with Jin, the white cat has been pulling me to work out with him. "Once in a while," I say then add, "Mr. T-"

"Stop calling me that," he growls at me as Jin drops his utensils, he raise a paw at his son while continue staring at me, "Drop the formalities when my wife isn't around. There's no need to act being well-mannered."

I didn't know what I was thinking but I glare back at him defensively. "What do you mean that I'm acting?" I say, keeping myself as calmly as I can, "I've been saying the truth so far, sir."

"Really?" his dad sneers, showing his fangs, "Aren't you just another pretty, submissive queer that simply raise your tail over anything?"

My eyes widen at his insults. I can't help but bare my fangs and growl back at him in anger, "Why the hell are you insulting me for?"

His father smirks, seemingly pleased at my response. "I like you," he says, "you have fight. You're not the same as those fairies. They would have cried when shaking my hand or touching a hot pot. Or even pee on themselves when I flare at them. But you... you dared to growl back at me."

"You knew?!" I grit my teeth.

"This family do not tolerate the weak," his dad says, "I'm not going to let some queen corrupt my son. I do apologise to test you this way, but I have my reasons. I simply cannot stand fucking fairies. If my son were to bring a girly man home, I would rather he find a girl instead."

Jin is fuming beside me as well, he grips my paw before arguing, "Pa, how could you-"

It is then where his mom comes back with a huge white dome. Jin quiets down immediately, letting it go for now as his mom sets the cake on the table.

"Is that a baked Alaska?!" I exclaim, "That is like one of the hardest cake to bake. It is a very technical dessert to make."

His mom beams in pride, "You seem to know a thing or two about food. Do you cook?"

I give a small shrug, "Once in a while... Perhaps not as tasty, much less on plating and technique."

"Don't kid her," Jin says, patting my back, "This wolf can cook quite well. I agree on the plating part though."

His mom gives me a look of interest as she hands out the dessert which I gratefully accept it. Baked Alaska is a dish that's usually rare around this area; I feel my tail wagging lazily as I enjoy the dessert. Jin's dad offers to clear the table, while his mom wants to talk to me. Jin decides to help out his dad with the dishes. Cleaning up alone is never fun after all.

"I heard what happen earlier," his mom says when her other two tigers are off, "I'm sorry in behalf of my husband, But I hope you understand where he's coming from."

"As parents, we want the best for our child. Scott and I gave our best to nurture Jin; teaching him the things we know, choosing the best for him. But as you can see, we are not the best at expressing ourselves. There was a time when Jin didn't understand and hated us for our actions. We are strict, but we can never mean him any harm. We want him to grow strong and perfect... but I guess it backfired on us," she says with a sad smile.

"It is our second nature to review decisions; it's what we both do at work all the time. When Jin first told us about you, we don't know if he was simply doing it out of spite; so we wanted to see you personally," she continues, "And I know my husband, being that typical muscle head and a Tygrif, he only likes people with strength. I just didn't expect him to actually make things hard for you... but he isn't a bad person. Just a tiger that's proud of his family name."

"I don't blame him," I reply, "You guys have the right to." I slowly understand why Jin tells me that my parents do care even if they don't show it. From what I just heard, I can somewhat relate to my white tiger.

"And I'm glad that you're so understanding," she adjusts her spectacles and smile, "My son is a good boy though he may not be the brightest. Please take care of him; I've never seen him as happy as recently."

I look at her in surprise, "Does... does that mean..?"

"You heard her, kid," his dad says from behind, I turn back to see two tigers walking back, the white one looking surprised at the other.

"We still do want our child to be perfect," she laughs, "But we also understand that there are certain things that are out of our control... like his fur coat. You can say that my son is a very unique person to begin with."

His dad walks to me with a paw outstretched, "No hard feelings?"

I stand up while Jin walks to my side; I grip the offered paw and find that it isn't crushing me like earlier. "None at all," I smile while returning a firm handshake.

My big cat snuffles a little while pulling me by my waist to bring me closer to him. "Pa, ma... Thank you so much," he says quietly.

The female tiger stands up and folds her arms, "Before you get too excited, I do have to lay down some ground rules here. We will start with no making out in front of us, keep your voices low after eleven and no leaving of mating scents even in Jin's room, understand?"

Jin chuckles as his mom returns to her usual self. But rules matter no more, not when the hardest hurdle has passed.