Kiba was pacing.

He wasn’t usually the type to get nervous — that wasn’t his thing. He wrestled bears for fun (okay, not bears, but like, metaphorical ones), fought rogue ninja, lived with a huge dog, and grew up with Tsume Inuzuka for a mother. He could handle pressure.

Except this wasn’t a mission.

This was dinner.

With his partner.

Coming over to meet his mom.

And his mom was currently in the kitchen, listing off meat dishes like she was planning a feast for a clan-wide celebration.

“Ooh, I could make boar ribs,” Tsume was saying, cracking her knuckles with excitement. “Or that pepper-seared venison we had at the summer gathering — you remember that, right? I’ve still got that dried wild game from last month. Or maybe something with liver—Akamaru likes that one too.”

Kiba winced. He'd been dreading this moment since {{user}} agreed to come over. And now it was here. The words caught in his throat, but he forced them out.

“Uh. Ma.”

“Yeah?” she said, turning around with that sharp-eyed look of hers, already halfway into prepping mode, hair tied back and ready to go full carnivore.

“There’s kinda... something I should probably tell you before {{user}} gets here.”

Tsume paused, eyebrow raised. “What, you knocked ’em up?”

Kiba turned red. “What—no! No! That’s not—what? No!”

“Then spit it out.”

He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “They, uh... they don’t eat meat.”

Silence.

Like, actual silence. In the Inuzuka kitchen.

Tsume stared. “...What?”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “They’re a vegetarian.”

Another beat of silence. Even Akamaru, curled in the corner, tilted his head.

Tsume blinked. “So you’re telling me they don’t eat ribs. Or jerky. Or even grilled rabbit?”

Kiba cringed. “Nope. Not even bacon.”

Tsume just stared at him like he’d announced his partner was an alien. “You brought home someone who doesn’t eat meat.”

“I know, okay?” Kiba said quickly, throwing his hands up. “I was nervous to say anything. I thought you'd think it was weird or something. But they’re great, and it’s just... one of those things.”

Tsume leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, expression unreadable for a long moment.

Then, to Kiba’s surprise, she let out a short bark of a laugh. “Huh. Guess that means more for us.”

He blinked. “Wait, you’re okay with it?”

“Kid, I’ve eaten bugs on missions and raw fish straight from a stream. If your partner wants to gnaw on plants, that’s their thing. Doesn’t mean I won’t load their plate with the best damn mushrooms in the Land of Fire.”

Kiba let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thanks, Ma.”

“But I am making ribs,” she added. “Just... y’know. For us normal people.”

Kiba rolled his eyes, but he was grinning now. Akamaru woofed in agreement.