Author's Notes:
Well, this baby's been a long time coming. I'm the Cool Kat. I've been away for a while, and I've decided to put off "The Winter Festival" (which won't be written anywhere near Christmas now anyway) so I could write "The Wolf and the Panda" series, the first Po/Wolf Boss fics EVER to be written.
My first year on the site, I was admittedly terrified of what others would think of my ideas so my first two fics were a bit awkward and under-developed (don't worry, I've fixed them now and fleshed them both out to match the quality of the others). When my second year came around, I was a bit more confident having befriended guys like AniUniverse, Joe 'Po' Navark, and That Nerd Next Door. But I still wound up only writing three fanfics ("Erdan 2" was drawn out for two/thirds of that year because of a combination of unfortunate circumstances and pure laziness).
But I can proudly say that during those three fics I got comfortable enough to experiment with different ideas about how a conventional story should be written. A lot of them were centered around bold ideas that I never thought I'd be writing. "Erdan 2", as you know, was about the feared, intimidating Wolf Boss being kind enough to have a son (an idea lots of guys before me have tinkered with, but not a lot people have really went places with it except for Wolflover111, Hidden Stranger, and TheDrawerProductions). While my collaboration fic with Kodiwolf321 ("The Revenge and Redemption of Steele"), combined gay and straight slash pairings to create a story about unrequited love. So I'm far more satisfied with my past year as a writer than the one before simply because I took bigger risks. This year, I'm prepared to keep doing that.
A lot of things for me about 2013 are different than 2012. I'm seventeen now (my birthday was back on Dec 22). I have a laptop now, so I can take my work with me instead of having to write my family's desktop (though I still don't have any connection to wireless internet). I just survived my first Doomsday scare (well, technically my first was Y2K back in 2000, but I was too young then to remember that). My favorite show, "Doctor Who", is gonna turn fifty in November. And my schedule is finally cleared up, allowing me lots of free time for writing now. This year, I'm gonna try to write a cornucopia of stories of all different kinds, in all different categories, and hopefully all of them will entertain. Starting with this fic.
I've been a Po/Wolf Boss shipper ever since I first saw "Kung Fu Panda 2", and I've always found it weird that there are no Po/Wolf Boss fics on this archive. Seriously, the sequel has been out for two years now, and no one has ever thought about writing a slash fic between him and the Dragon Warrior? I know it's not because fans can't see him as a gay character, because there are plenty of slash fics about him and Shen. This might just be me, but I figure that so long as there are stories about him falling in love with the man who would someday kill him, there should be stories about him and the man who could help him find redemption (and the fact that he hit Po in the face with a hammer and helped Shen kill his family only adds to the drama). I didn't have any time to write them (my schedule was crazy last year), but I had plenty of time to think of ideas for them.
"The Wolf and the Panda" is a series of one-shots revolving around Po and Zhong (Animation Universe's version of Wolf Boss which I've come to know and love quite bit over the past year writing for his character). Instead of being part of a collection, they'll all being released separately since they all have different ratings. The reason for this is that it's a solution to a problem that's been bugging me for a while now.
Different people, gay or straight, like different kinds of slash fics. Some, like AniUniverse tells me he does, show more interest in fluff pieces. While others, like me, are also interested in seeing how sex between fictional characters is handled (though I can't resist a good fluff fic either). And there are also guys and girls who enjoy mutual angst between pairings.
Many people besides me have probably been waiting a long time for Po/Wolf Boss fics, and I didn't want to alienate any of them, so I decide to write one-shots of different natures and ratings. Ranging from cute moments between lovers, to a wolf and panda's first time, to deep moments of misery and regret.
I figured I'd start you guys off with a fluff one (Ani, if you're reading this, and I know you are, this one is right up your alley). There's not a lot of action in this one, and no one really gets past second base, but on the bright side that allows me to focus more on the characters themselves. It's at least partially inspired by "Brokeback Mountain".
This story (and the entire Wolf and the Panda series) takes place after Animation Universe's "Sometimes A Wolf Gets A Second Chance", in which Wolf Boss redeems himself by becoming a student of Master Shifu, and working with Po and the Furious Five to save the Valley of Peace.
Soulmates:
'The Winter Festival has just passed and Valentine's Day is coming up soon. A day for people to be with their better halves, and shower them with love and affection. It's the day we all stop to reflect on how lucky we are to have our soulmates in our lives, the ones we're destined to be with until the end of our days. Which is great and all if you're into that kind of sappy thing, which I'm not. Plus, Valentine's Day is only a great big deal when you actually have a soulmate. Me? All I have is an out of shape panda, a bug with an attitude problem, a tiger with an even bigger one (though a lot of people would call me a loose cannon too), a bird with really long legs, a touchy-feely snake, and a wise-guy monkey. So if you're gonna me ask why I'm bursting with excitement about Valentine's Day, think about that for a few minutes, and you'll understand why'.
- Zhong Yu.
But Zhong was lying. Out of all the people he just listed, one of them was indeed the soulmate that had been waiting for him his entire life, even if neither of them knew it.
((()-()))
"So did you find anyone?", Monkey asked, leaning against the kitchen table.
"Nah, all the girls were either already taken or staying home this year", Po replied.
"You probably didn't even ask anyone", Mantis said.
Po gasped in an overly-exaggerated way, and frowned at the insect. "Are you trying to say I'm afraid to ask girls to the dance?", he asked.
"Yes", the bug said simply.
"That's ridiculous. Besides, who are you bringing?", the panda asked, trying to change the subject.
Mantis opened his mouth, but no words came out, and the Dragon Warrior grinned smugly. "That's what I thought. You're the greatest warriors in China, and you're still just as single as me", he resolved.
"Face it guys, we're just going to have to go to the dance with each other as 'friends' again this year", Monkey sighed.
Every year the Valley of Peace held a Valentine's Day dance to celebrate the holiday. By tradition, Shifu's students were required to host festivities like they did most celebrations, and every year they came dateless. Because they were all so busy training and saving the world all the time that none of them had found that special someone. And the chances of that ever changing seemed bleak.
Standing a few feet away from Po, Mantis, and Monkey, Zhong leaned casually against one of the palace walls. It was no surprise the one-eyed wolf was separated from the conversation. Besides being the oldest of Shifu's students (a good thirty years older than Po, though he hardly looked or acted like it), he was also one of the most reclusive. He kept to himself most of the time and didn't like being in the public eye, probably a lingering habit from his old occupation. So naturally, he wasn't exactly looking forward to this village dance. He had just helped host the Winter Feast two months ago, and now this. How many holidays did these people have?
Zhong groaned and rubbed his face with his paw. He knew he was complaining. Normally he wouldn't let something as trivial as a dance get to him, if it wasn't for the fact that the entire time he would be watching a town full of people laughing and dancing with their loved ones, while he…
Zhong's head snapped up, and he realized Master Shifu had just joined them in the Jade Palace's kitchen.
"Ah, I see you're all talking about the Valentine's Day dance", the red panda noted.
"You mean the dance we go to every year where we realize our lives haven't changed at all? Yeah, that dance", Mantis said sarcastically.
"Patience Mantis, you cannot rush these things. They'll happen when they'll happen", Shifu replied.
"Well master, how will we know when it does happen?", Viper asked. Like her teammates, relationships was usually at the very back at her mind every day, but on the rare occasions she did think about it she was just as curious as they were.
"Yeah, you keep telling us that someday we'll find our soulmates, but what does finding one feel like?", Crane asked.
Shifu rubbed his goatee, and sat down next to his pupils at the table. "Good question. I suppose the sensation is a little bit different for every person, but the basics are mostly the same. The realization that you love someone isn't something that will appear all at once. The feelings would have been there for a long while, and they'll slowly manifest over time", Shifu explained.
"What kind of feelings?", Po asked suddenly.
"Sentiment, devotion, happiness. A soulmate is someone who brings a smile to your face every time you see them. They're someone you enjoy spending every minute with, and count the minutes until you see them again. They're someone you can easily picture spending the rest of your life with. They're someone you would do anything for, and never have to think twice about risking your life for. But most of all, a soulmate is someone who feels the same way about you", Shifu specified.
"Whoa", Po exclaimed.
"So there's a girl somewhere out there, just waiting for me to find her?", Monkey asked hopefully.
"Perhaps, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a girl", Shifu replied.
Po tensed, and the panda immediately held his head down when he realized where Shifu was going with this. Their master's enlightening speech just turned awkward in a heartbeat, or at least for him it had.
"A person's soulmate isn't just restricted to the opposite sex, or even their own kind. It can be anyone or anything. Male or female, Master Oogway always believed that as long as both lovers were happy, any kind of unity could prosper. So remember my students, if you're ever to find that person, try to keep an open mind", the red panda informed.
"Well, those are some pretty wise words master, but with all due respect I'm pretty sure mine will be a girl", Mantis replied.
"I'm almost certain it will be, I was just trying to make a point", the old man replied, as Po fidgeted on the other side of the table.
Po didn't know why he was so nervous. It was not like anyone suspected anything, in fact, trying to avoid making eye contact with Shifu was probably drawing more attention to him than diverting it. But he could have sworn that when Shifu said 'anyone', the old man was looking at right him. So now he was trying his best to look at something, anything besides Shifu, so his master wouldn't see him sweat.
He never did have a good poker face.
The thing that eventually managed to catch his eye was ironically the thing that had blended into the background during the whole conversation. Zhong, who was sitting rigidly on his side of the table, staring down at his oatmeal as he took bite after bite. He didn't seem to be listening to a word Shifu or Mantis was saying, uninterested as usual. Or maybe, he wasn't listening because he was bored, but because he was trying not to. But why? Because he wasn't interested in a soulmate? Because he didn't share the same beliefs as Shifu?
That last thought filled Po with dread. Did Zhong?...
Before he could think about it some more, Po was snapped out of his thoughts by a finger snapping in front his face. "Panda!", Shifu said, frustrated. Apparently, while Po was spacing out, Shifu had been trying to talk to him, and when he got tired of talking to thin air he got up, went to Po's side of the table and gave him a rude awakening.
"Wha?", Po asked, dazed.
"I said, you are to start packing as soon as breakfast is over", the red panda said, returning to his seat and the smoking hot cup of tea that was waiting for him.
"Packing? Where am I going?", the Dragon Warrior asked, confused.
"Don't you remember? Last week you damaged the palace floors when you decided to show everyone 'how much weight you could lift with one hand'", the old man frowned.
"Oh…right", Po said, ears drooping.
"You and Zhong are to make a three day trip to the next village to get some more marble", Shifu continued.
Zhong had been so quiet since he woke up that everyone else besides Po had practically forgotten he was in the room with them. Now they remembered his presence. "What?! Why do I have to go with him to fix his mistake?", the wolf asked, shooting up out of his chair.
"It's a two man job transporting the marble on the return trip. And besides, you'll be passing through bandit territory, I'd never send one of my students there alone", Shifu explained, taking a sip of his tea.
"But Shifu, we'll miss the dance", Po whined.
"If you leave today, you'll make it back with plenty of time to spare", Shifu replied, in his 'my mind is made up, so drop it' tone.
Po groaned, and sank back into his seat. He didn't even look at Zhong, because he knew the wolf was already scowling at him with eyes (or rather 'eye') of steel.
Monkey grinned, and poked the chubby bear in the ribs. "I envy you man. At least you won't have to show up to the dance dateless", he laughed.
"Hooray", the panda said unenthusiastically.
((()-()))
Zhong growled under his breath, as the wolf nailed in the first stake to their tent with his hammer. He'd been in a mood like this the entire day, not speaking to Po at all as they left the Jade Palace that morning and passed through the mountains that afternoon. Now it was evening time, and Po was desperately trying to get his comrade to say something to him before they went to bed.
"You know, I thought you'd be happy. Instead of being stuck at some boring dance, we're on an adventure, just the two of us", the panda said, punching his shoulder. When Zhong still didn't say anything, Po started to lose hope. "Come on, you can't stay mad at me forever", he whined.
Zhong sighed. "I'm not mad panda. I'm just tired. We've been walking all day, I'm ready to turn in, and we're losing daylight", he complained, pointing at the honey-yellow orb setting in the western mountain range.
Eventually, they did get the tent pitched, and the two (large) animals stuffed themselves inside. But as soon as they lied down, they realized they had another problem.
"It's kinda cramped", Po noted, his friend's arm poking him in the shoulder. The tent was obviously designed for only one person, not a half-ton panda and a fully grown canine. There was barely enough space for both of them to stretch their legs, and whenever they tried to move to the side to give each other space the tent wouldn't let them. The stretched and contorted fabric would only push them back towards each other. Needless say, it was a very awkward arrangement.
"Um, are you sure you're okay with this?", Po asked, sitting up.
"During the first years of our exile, my men and I used to spend winter nights sleeping in fields, over a hundred of us huddled around a few measly fires to keep our fur warm. Right now we have a blanket and a roof over our heads panda. That's all that matters", Zhong replied, closing his eyes.
"Oh, good then", Po grinned, lying down again.
But then he was up again in just a few seconds. "Are you sure you're sure?", he repeated.
"Panda, is something bothering you?", Zhong suggested; his eyes were still closed but no one could miss the frown on his face.
Po's smile faded, and the bear nervously shook his head. "No", he said.
Zhong sat up and made direct eye contact with him, giving him that accursed glare of his that he knew would intimidate anyone. "You're lying", he noted.
Po scoffed, and wiped a tiny bead of sweat off his brow. "Lying? Ha, what would I be lying about?", he stammered.
"Panda, tell me whatever it is that's on your mind so we can go to sleep", the wolf said.
"It's nothing important", Po insisted.
"Panda", Zhong growled impatiently.
The panda, when he realized that his teammate wasn't going to drop it, sighed. "I can't", he admitted, hanging his head down.
Zhong's glare softened, and the wolf tilted his head to the side. "This is something serious, isn't it?", he guessed. Po nodded, and Zhong chuckled. "Well this is new. Aren't I usually the one keeping all the secrets, and you're the one pressuring me to tell the world?", he said sarcastically.
"Zhong, if I told you what I was thinking, you'd want to bite my head off", Po explained, rubbing his shoulder.
"Well I couldn't get any more angry than I would be if you kept me up all night", his comrade shrugged.
Po glanced up at him hopefully. "Are you sure?", he asked.
"Yes", Zhong said firmly.
"Well…just remember that a few minutes from now", Po warned, before taking a deep breath. "You and I are friends, right?", he asked.
"Yeah', Zhong nodded.
"I helped you and you saved me from some boars. Typical give-and-take friendship stuff. But over the past few months, I've noticed that things between you and me have changed. Or at least they have for me", Po explained.
"How?", the wolf besides him asked, curious.
"You and I used to get on each other's nerves all the time. But now, however bad and frustrating my day's been, it always gets a little bit better when I see you. It started off with little things, like passing each other in hallway every morning. I laughed when you helped in the kitchen that morning and you sprayed yourself in the face with dish water. And working at my dad's shop got a whole lot easier to do when you helping me hold down the fort one day", Po chuckled, but his laughter was nothing but a façade to hide how scared he really was.
His eyes were fixed completely on Zhong, who was being completely silent the whole time, but the contemplative look in his sole eye revealed the gears turning in his head. He knew the wolf had to be guessing where he was going with this by now. He looked and acted like a brute, but the retired soldier was actually pretty sharp when he needed to be. Po only hoped he would remember his promise to stay calm when he reached his inevitable conclusion, since it was too late to turn back now.
"But then on the days you weren't here, I would feel weird, like something was missing. I know you like to meditate in the forest, so sometimes I would go there looking for you. It was funny to watch you try and sit still for hours", the panda continued. Again, Zhong was quiet, even though Po had just confessed to following him and spying on him. All of this silence was unlike him, and it only unsettled Po more. Still he forged on, because he knew he needed to get this off his chest once and for all.
"It took me weeks to notice what was happening to me, and it took even longer to understand it. But I guess the clincher was when your face started to appear in my dreams, over and over again. And we were…kissing", he explained. He thought he saw a little glint of something appear in Zhong's eye (surprise, shock, anger?), and he knew the wolf had returned from wherever he had been in his thoughts.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is…I love you", the panda confessed.
If Po had been expecting a lot of racket after this, he was sorely mistaken. The silence that had been haunting the tent for the past three minutes remained, and Zhong continued to stare at him with an unintelligible expression. The wolf opened his mouth to say something several times, but he never managed to get words to come out.
Eventually, the panda couldn't stand the suspense anymore. "For god's sake Zhong, say something!", he demanded.
"What do you want me to say Po?", Zhong asked sarcastically, tilting his head to the side.
Oh, now he could speak.
"I don't know! Hit me, yell at me, ask me if I'm crazy, call me a freak, anything! Just don't sit there looking at me like that. Tell me what you're thinking!", the Dragon Warrior insisted.
The wolf raised his eyebrow and rubbed the back of his mohawk. "Well, I'm thinking that I'm angry", he mused.
"You said you wouldn't be", Po quickly reminded him.
"Angry that you think I'd hit you for being honest", Zhong finished, cracking a smile. "Seriously Po, is that what of you think of me? That I'm some thug who goes around punching anyone who dares to talk to him?", he grinned.
Now it was Po's turn to stare at him, mouth agape. "How can you be joking about this? How can you be okay with this?!", he asked, confused.
Zhong shrugged. "Po, our lives were world apart, but we live in the same country. I've done a lot of things in my lifetime, things I'm not proud of, but that doesn't mean I wasn't raised with a sense of morality like you were. I only chose to ignore it until now", he explained, lying down again.
Po's mouth slowly closed shut, and the panda laid down besides the wolf, letting comprehension wash over him.
"Besides, in the royal guard, it didn't matter who your mate was, so long as you stayed focused and you could fight. So do you know how many of my men were attracted to males and/or females out of an army of three hundred?", he asked.
"Uh…", the panda drawled, struggling to think of a sensible number. In the end, Zhong answered for him.
"Sixty-two. Including me", he said matter-of-factly.
Po's green eyes widened. "Wha?", he asked, shocked. Where the hell did that come from?! Wasn't he supposed to be one dropping all the bombshells on Zhong?
"Everyone has instincts panda, even you. Instincts to survive, instincts to kill, and instincts to mate. When I joined the royal guard I discovered I preferred males of my kind over the females, but I never acted on those feelings. A soldier can't afford to let anything distract them when they're at war", he replied nonchalantly.
"And you never told me any of this because?...", Po asked incredulously.
"I could ask you the same thing. There are some things you don't even tell your friends, or your teammates", he replied. "Although, now that you've come clean, it does make my confession a lot easier", he grinned, though there was a hint of nervousness in his voice that hadn't been there before, one that betrayed his cocky exterior.
"Confession?", Po mumbled, struggling to come to terms with the information dump. The bear's world was spinning. In just a few minutes he went from trying to hide things from Zhong, to telling the wolf he loved him, to learning even more stories about the royal guard that Zhong had apparently never clued anyone else in before. Even his own men. Why was everyone else besides him so good at keeping secrets? Shouldn't the Dragon Warrior be an awesome secret keeper?
"You said you wanted me to call you a freak Po. Well if you're one, then I'm a bigger one. Imagine a wolf wanting a panda for a mate", Zhong explained.
"You…you want me to be your mate?", Po stuttered.
"Mmm-hmm, I have for a few months now. I've met a lot of my kind over the years, and plenty of them would have been a suitable mate for me, but none of them were like you. They were all your run-of-mill thieves, like me, but you, you were different. You were special Po", he replied.
"When you accepted me into the palace and forgave me like you did, I was in awe of you. I had sunk so low I stopped thinking people like you existed. But you were kind to me, you stuck up for me, and you made me want to be a better person", he explained. "Don't let this go to your head panda, but in a way I admire you, and I'll always be in your debt", Zhong declared.
"But just like they did for you, after a while things changed. I started to realize I more than admired you. And all that panda fat you have suddenly went from being something to laugh at to being very appealing. And that's before the dreams started", the wolf said, licking his lips as he eyed the panda from top to bottom, causing Po to look down at his stomach and rub it self-consciously.
"My mate had always been you Po. I'd never noticed it before because you were my enemy, but once you befriended me things couldn't be clearer. Of course I ignored it. I had made a good life for myself here, and I wasn't going to mess all that up because I had developed some kind of weird crush on one of my teammates, who wasn't even interested in males. Or so I thought", he added, grinning slyly. The wolf rolled over towards the panda, moving in just close enough for their noses to almost touch. "You thought you I was going to be mad with you for liking me, but you've made me the happiest man in the world", he said.
Po's eyes lit up. "You really love me back? You wanna be my partner?", he asked. Zhong nodded, and Po's whole demeanor changed entirely. "Then that means we're soulmates", he realized, remembering the speech Shifu gave that he had shied away from before.
"Maybe, but there's only one way to know for sure", Zhong replied. "Po, you said you've been dreaming about me for months now. Do you want me to make those dreams a reality?", the lupine asked him, sitting up again.
Po sat up too, and took a moment to think. He knew he wanted this. If he didn't he wouldn't have been fantasizing about if for weeks. But those were dreams, and this was the real world. What if he did this and felt nothing? Or worse, what if he did this and found out that he and Zhong were only attracted to each other psychically and not emotionally?
He had spent his entire life looking for his soulmate, and he was looking for love, not sex. If he did this, and he found out Zhong wasn't 'the one', he'd be crushed. But if he didn't do it, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
There was one thing Shifu forgot to mention that morning when he told his students what would happen when they found a soulmate. Sometimes finding one also meant taking a chance at getting hurt.
But it was well worth the risk.
"Do it", he decided.
Zhong nodded, and now that he had Po's permission, placed his paws on the panda's shoulder. And then he started to lean towards him.
Po closed his eyes. Even though he knew loving someone of the same sex (and in this case, the same sex and the opposite species) was considered to be okay by society, his mind was still screaming at him that this was all wrong. He had always imagined that his mate would be a girl, perhaps a beautiful she-panda or Tigress, the master he had had a crush on since his teen years. So the idea of kissing a middle-aged wolf should have been disturbing and scary enough to make him cringe. IF it wasn't for the fact that this wasn't any ordinary guy; it was Zhong. And this kiss wasn't any ordinary kiss. This was THE kiss. Po's first ever kiss, and the one that would decide his entire future. Even if this betrayed his childhood dreams, it was more than something he felt he needed to, it was something he wanted to do.
When Zhong closed the gap between them, and his lips brushed with Po's for the first time, the panda tensed. They were cold. But he guessed that was to be expected since they were in a tent not far away from the mountains on a February night. He imagined his were cold to Zhong as well, though if they were he hid it well. Again, he envied his friend for being able to keep such a straight face.
And a straight face it was, one that didn't betray the fact he was just as terrified as what would happen next as the panda was. But that still didn't stop him from kissing the bear. He was a soldier. Soldiers didn't let their fear control them, they beat the shit out of it like they would any other enemy and pushed through it to do what needed to be done. So if he faced danger and capture every day of his exile, he sure as hell could buck up the courage to kiss the man he hoped would be his mate. After scraping his lips for a few moments, Zhong bit the bullet and dove in deeper.
The wolf's paws, which had remained stationary on the panda's shoulder since the kiss began, now grabbed his back and pulled him forward. Before Po knew it, he was pressed firmly against Zhong's chest and the wolf had him secured there by wrapping his burly arms around his chubby sides. Po was every bit as soft and fluffy as he had always imagined he would be, and the canine loved holding him in his embrace. But despite having changed position, neither animal had broken the kiss. Instead they really seemed to be getting into it now, rocking back and forth in each other's arms.
Po couldn't believe he had ever been so foolish as to fear this happening. Now that he had warmed up to the feeling of letting someone else invade his mouth, he realized it wasn't disgusting or cringe-worthy. And it wasn't flat or emotionless either. It was amazing.
His virgin lips danced with Zhong's in a miniature tango, giving and taking every few seconds. Every time he moved back, Zhong's lips would mold themselves to his and push inwards. And every time Zhong would move back, the panda would use it as opportunity to wrap his tongue around the wolf's and rub the two together. Yeah sure, it was a clumsy dance, but a fun one nonetheless.
More to the point, Po felt like he could do this forever. He never wanted to part lips with the lupine, and it wasn't because he was turned-on by what was happening. Strangely, arousal was the last thing on his mind. He loved what he and Zhong were doing because he no longer felt they were two different people. The wolf and panda had joined together and become one. They weren't just two guys who had decided to make out and then tear each other's clothes off. They were two halves of the same whole.
"Soulmates", he thought, delighted.
When the moment finally came to an end (both animals had to breathe again eventually), and they parted ways, Po only had one thing to say. "Dude…that was so much more awesome than it was in my dreams", he said, grinning.
Zhong chuckled. "I knew you'd like-oof!", he groaned, as Po pulled him into what would normally be a bone-breaking hug. But even though the panda's enormous stomach was preventing him from moving around, he didn't mind sinking into his seemingly-endless pit of fur, since just like Po, this was what he had been waiting a long time for. His plushy cuddly panda.
((()-()))
A little while later, the Dragon Warrior and his boyfriend (which was still a funny word to use) yawned as they tried for a second time to go to sleep. They had solved their space problem. Instead of making things awkward and cramped for themselves by trying to move away and give each other room, they were now lying side by side, with Zhong's arm flung around Po's chest, resting cozily on his fluffy body.
But despite how comfortable they both were, they still couldn't go to sleep yet. There were still a few unanswered questions. So Zhong decided to ask the first one. "Po, why do you like me?", he asked quietly.
"Why do you ask?", the panda replied.
"Well I told you why I love you. Then I kissed you, and you kissed me. So I figure it's only fair you tell me what your triggered your feelings for me", the wild dog reasoned.
"Hmm, besides the fact you've got muscles the size of logs?", the panda joked, acknowledging the rather large arm draped over him.
"Yeah, besides that", Zhong chuckled. Apparently, finding a mate also included finding added patience. Normally, he would have gotten annoyed at the bear's antics by now.
"Hmm", Po mumbled. He knew exactly what the reason was; the tricky part was finding the right words to explain it. "I like your kindness", he said simply.
The wolf raised his eyebrow, surprised. Out of all the things Po could have said, he wasn't expecting that.
"Zhong, I'm not gonna lie, if it wasn't for the fact we were friends and I knew I could kick your butt if I wanted to, even I would be afraid of you. You're this badass wolf guy who kicks butt and takes names with the Dragon Warrior. But there's more to you than that. I've seen the way you are in a battle, and the way you are with the villagers back home, and it's like you're two different people", the panda said, him and Zhong rolling onto their sides so they could speak face-to-face.
"You always help them when they need you, and you're so gentle with them, like you're afraid they'll break if you handle them too hard. And their kids, you treat them like they're your own. If I was ever to love someone, it would have to be someone who was kind and loved kids. So when I met you again last year, the real you I mean, is it any surprise I fell for him?", Po explained.
Zhong was quiet for a while, thinking about what his mate said, before the wolf smirked. "So you love me because I turned into a softy for children?", he joked.
"And you fell in love with me because I'm a sucker for bad guys?", the panda countered.
"Alright, alright, you made your point", the wolf said, raising his furry paws as a white flag. "I guess I'm just lucky you don't have a thing for that croc bandit", he added.
"Fung? Nah, Fung and I are just friends, well…frenimies", Po said, correcting himself. Both guys were quiet again after that, but this time it was Po who inevitably broke the silence. "Well I guess Shifu was right. Keep an open mind and you'll 'the one' was right in front of you all along", the panda mused.
"He usually is", Zhong replied. Suddenly, he shot up from underneath the blanket, and the wolf gasped. "Oh…he didn't", he said.
"What?", Po asked, confused.
"He didn't", Zhong repeated, laughing now.
"Didn't what? Zhong, stop talking in riddles, that's Shifu thing", Po complained.
Zhong turned around, and grinned at his boyfriend. "Don't you see panda? This morning Shifu had this whole big talk about 'soulmates' right before Valentine's Day, and right before he sent you and I on this trip. He said it was two man job, but why pick me to go with you? We'd be at each other's throats the whole time, so pairing the two of us together seems like an awfully stupid thing for Shifu would do, unless?...", the wolf suggested, deliberately trailing off at the end so Po could come up with the answer for himself.
With his night vision, Zhong saw Po's green eyes widen and he knew the panda had finally got it. "He knew this would happen", the bear realized.
"He's known about the two of us all along. I don't know how he knew, but he knew. He sent us away from the village, just the two of us, so we'd spill our guts. That crafty old man set us up", Zhong laughed, rubbing his mohawk again.
"But why would he do that? That doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't two of his students being…involved be like dating at the workplace, totally inappropriate?", Po reasoned. The idea of Shifu knowing about them was a very awkward subject, and also kind of terrifying. Because if their master could somehow read people's thoughts now, what else did he know about them?
"No, because the two of us dancing around each other and trying to keep secrets from each other would damage the team morality. Things would be even worse if we were kept letting ourselves be distracted by our feelings. Remember what I told you what about my days in Royal Guard? It didn't matter who your mate was so long as you stayed focused and could fight. I guess we really do have some of the same ideals", the one-eyed canine explained.
There was no arguing with that logic. And it wasn't like it was the first time they had become pawns in an elaborate chess game of Shifu's (Po would never forget the tale of Tong Fo, a shift stone, and a panda turned croc, mostly because he lived it). His eyes widened again, and Zhong's throaty laugh returned when the panda gasped. "Oh my god, he did set us up!", he exclaimed.
For the next half-hour, their tent was filled with good cheer, as the pair laughed themselves to sleep.
((()-()))
"Look here they come", Viper said, pointing her tail to the east side of the square.
It was the night of the Valentine's Day dance, and the festivities were in full swing. According to the villagers, Po and Zhong had returned to the valley earlier that day but none of the Five had seen them until now.
Now the wolf and panda strode into the town square, arms locked and wide smiles on their faces. Po looked eager to join in the fun, while Zhong, as usual, was a bit hesitant. This wasn't exactly unexpected; he did hate to be in the public eye. But little did their friends know, there was another reason the wolf looked so nervous.
"Hey you made it!", Monkey said, running up to greet the twosome.
"Well, we couldn't miss the big dance, could we?", Po replied, shaking the simian's paw.
"Let me guess, Zhong's your date?", Mantis joked, following his monkey friend.
"Yep", the panda said, his head held high. He then elbowed his partner, and encouraged him to do the same. "So Tigress, what did we miss?", he asked, as their tiger teammate joined them.
"Nothing eventful. We trained like we always do, helped the villagers decorate the square, someone tried to tie Viper in a knot", she informed.
"Whoa-whoa, what?", Po interrupted in disbelief. He then glanced at Viper, who had a really sour expression on her usually happy face.
Apparently, a villager mistaked Viper for a streamer (no one knew how, Viper didn't feel like talking), and had already grabbed her by the tail before he realized his goof. When Po looked up again, the snake had excused herself to go get some punch.
"Was she okay?', Zhong asked, concerned.
"She's fine, you should ask the guy she slapped", Monkey laughed.
"So what happened to you two on your trip?", Crane asked.
Po and Zhong eyed each other, and both animals nodded, to their friends' confusion.
"Well-", Po began, when he realized the town band was playing a different song, going from a fairly upbeat tune to a slow dance. "Oh Zhong, come on", the panda said, grabbing his date by the arm and pulling him towards the dancers.
Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane glanced at each other, each of them thinking the same thing. What was that all about?
Viper slithered back to the group, her cup of punch finished and her moment of embarrassment passed; she noticed two of their gang were missing. "Where did the boys go?", she asked.
"I think they're dancing", Crane replied.
"Man, it's gotta suck taking your best friend to the dance", Mantis said, hopping onto Monkey's shoulder.
"I wouldn't say that. They look like they're having a good time", the simian said, eyes wide as he pointed back at their friends. The rest of the Furious Five all turned around at the same time, and were met a bizarre sight.
A few feet away, Po and Zhong had their arms (awkwardly) wrapped around each other, and did their best to ignore all the stares that they knew were fixed solely on them. This night was a night about celebrating lovers, and so all that mattered to them at the moment was each other. It's what Shifu would want for them.
During their entire trip to the next town and back, Zhong and Po had debated about how would tell their friends about their new…relationship (even now it still felt funny to say). They would never believe them, since they could hardly believe it themselves. So instead of trying to tell them, they decided to show them by coming as partners to the dance. Of course, both of them were terrified of the repercussions of doing something so bold and so public (especially Zhong, who had hidden away from the world his entire life), but just like with their first kiss they knew they'd regret it if they didn't do take that chance.
Zhong found that taking his mind off the crowd around them was easier when he had Po captured in his arms, holding him close to him like someone would their beloved. Po's belly jiggled as he moved, and Zhong's neck fur was brushing against his face since the wolf was a few inches taller than him, but neither of them noticed these little annoyances. They swayed back and forth, following the rhythm of the violins as they leaned into each other. For something that was happening completely out in the open for all their friends and neighbors to see, the moment was surprisingly quiet and intimate.
Mantis said this dance came and went every year and nothing about their lives ever changed, but he was wrong. This Valentine's Day would forever be the day the Dragon Warrior and the lone wolf of Gongmen City defied the laws of nature (the never-ending relationship between predator and prey), and became an example of unity that would be remembered for generations.
But that was all to come, because right now Zhong had something uncharacteristically sappy to tell his lover before the slow song ended; so he leaned over and whispered into the bear's ear. "Hey Po", he said, tickling the inside of Po's earlobe with his nice, warm breath.
"Yeah?", Po laughed.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my plush cuddly panda", the wolf said, before he lifted the bear's head and they joined as one once more.
The End.
Author's Notes:
Every entry of "The Wolf and the Panda" takes a different approach on Po and Zhong's relationship. This first story was all about fate and destiny (which I feel is pretty fitting for a story about Ancient China). On a side-note, midway in Zhong jokes that he's lucky Po doesn't have a thing for the croc bandit, Fung. That's a playful nod to the other story I've posted today, "Po and Fung's Stereotypical Cave-In Story", a Po/Fung slash fic.
I'd like to thank AniUniverse, Joe 'Po' Navark, Wolflover111, That Nerd Next Door, Red Aigh, and Sindalstar for playing a hand in helping me write this series (even if some of you didn't know it). I owe you guys.