A Father and A Son
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I've had this lying around for years, literally. Felt like posting it out for you guys to see, and maybe give some feedback on!
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Sean stood by the window long after the rear lights of the strange car disappeared out of sight, past that familiar bend on the even more familiar stretch of street outside the comfortable two-storied suburban dream home that was in no way different from the others that lined the street.
The tiger's long tail flicked sharply behind him. A low rumble attempted to rise from his chest but failed to go anywhere.
His left paw was tightly closed around the key ring, once held only lightly, but now Sean was clutching the small metal object as if his life was depending on it. Once the tiger became aware of the sensation, he was surprised that his clawtips weren't punching through the skin under his palm furs.
Sean's breath was starting to fog up the window a little. The air was getting cooler outside, and it seemed that it would rain soon. The sky was already suitably dark and promised a thunderstorm, if they were lucky. The lawn would enjoy that.
A subtle rustling sound roused the tiger's attention back into the room, and made his ears flick quickly. The tall male turned slowly to look over his shoulder, but everything he saw was the flash of a tip of a striped tail for a fraction of a second before it disappeared into the kitchen.
The sight made the burning pain in Sean's chest amplify once more, and resonated in another burst of a rumble coming through his sore throat. It hurt to swallow.
Further pawsteps followed after a few odd clattering sounds from the kitchen, approaching before Joshua's lanky form appeared framed on the doorway. He stopped there, as if compelled to not to approach the elder tiger for the moment. His blue eyes burned amidst the slowly hardening curves of his face, and the shortish feline muzzle he had definitely inherited from his father. The boy's paws were stuffed into the pockets of his disrespectable-looking jeans.
For a few moments they just stared at one another, before the younger tiger spoke.
"There's nothing in the fridge," the tiger snapped. "I'm starving."
Sean sighed again, and tried to do it without having that itching, painful feeling in his throat become worse.
"I'm sorry," the rough-voiced tiger replied, and failed in his attempt to make his voice sound as normal as possible, for Joshua's sake. "Would you like me to order us a pizza from Moonshiners?"
The younger tiger didn't reply yet. Sean decided to press on and smiled.
"I sure could use one with anchovies, heh, I haven't had one in ages!" Sean tried to flick his tail cheerfully. "I can call right away with our order."
The tiger tried smiling again, but Joshua simply scowled, baring his teeth in a sharp hiss.
Sean's tail lashed out like a whip and betrayed the mass of tension present in his body. The aggressive gestures coming from the younger tiger were getting on his nervous on an instinctual level, something Sean couldn't help, no matter how well he usually dealt with the boy's normal antics. He had to bite his teeth together to stop himself from baring them in return.
"I don't want a fucking pizza," Joshua hissed between his white, dangerous teeth.
Sean knew that he should have told him off for swearing, but he also knew that he probably didn't have the strength left to raise his voice.
Not today.
Perhaps a single slip would not be the way to disaster, Sean thought, he couldn't make it into a habit, but perhaps today he could...just let it pass, for the sake of keeping things from degenerating into even worse state. It'd get better, he assured himself, almost hysterically, the world would go back to revolving around on its usual rhythm, despite today.
Especially after today.
No slips. That'd be the only way to save Joshua.
Sean's tail flapped against his ankle as he stood there, breathing tensely the bad air between his and the 16-year-old staring at him across the room with one of the least friendly gazes he had yet received from the said tiger.
"Alright," he spoke, and when he did, it sounded almost like a whisper. "I am sorry that we haven't had the time to go shopping. We can go right away and get anything you want. We could get a freshly roasted chicken from the deli, maybe. That could be nice for dinner."
Joshua's paws became fists, pressed against his hips as he stared back at the older tiger. His teeth were ever so visible, and his breaths fell sharp and quick. The sight of that alone would have been enough to make the furs on the back of Sean's neck to prickle unpleasantly.
"I don't want chicken," Joshua grunted.
Sean breathed out.
"How about some beef then?" the tiger suggested. "I could..."
Another silence.
Sean drew a deep breath and gave his son a look-
"I'm sorry but I can't read minds either, Joshua," the tiger started, "You have to tell me what you want to eat, or I have to make the choices for you and you have to face the consequences."
His tail smacked the doorframe.
"Fuck you, dad."
Every muscle in his body tensed as the words were hissed out of his son's muzzle in a flat voice that didn't sound like it had the right to come out of such a delicate young man. He was staring at the older tiger with his big, blue, clear eyes. His body was screaming FUCK YOU! at him while his voice didn't. The voice was still what scared him the most. It sounded resigned, and that was a horrible state for anyone to be, let alone his sweet young son.
That wouldn't do.
"Don't swear, Joshua," he said.
Joshua stormed forward and past the tiger in a blink, heading towards the coat rack that had newly lost about half of its contents, stuffed into the trunk of the car that had disappeared not three minutes ago. The son grabbed his favourite jacket from the hanger and began to put it on. Sean frowned.
"Where're you going?" Sean raised his a voice little.
The son sneered.
"To Aiden's."
He was so agitated that he was having in getting his paws through the sleeves. His tail was cutting the air sharply. Sean frowned.
"You didn't eat yet," Sean said.
"I'll eat there," he wasn't looking at his father as he spoke.
Sean shook his head a little at the anger seeping out of the boy's muzzle with every single word he spoke in his father's direction.
"It's going to start to rain soon," he suggested.
Joshua pulled up the zipper on the front of the jacket. He took an oversized cap from the shelf above the coat rack and placed it on his head. He grunted darkly.
"I don't care."
It seemed like a losing battle.
"At least let me take you there," Sean said. "I'll just get the keys and..."
"I'll rather get wet. Just want to get somewhere where it's still normal."
He was out of the silent home before his father managed another sigh.