Blossoms in the Sky
A One Shot
By Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Author's note: For kungfupandaprodigy, who asked and waited patiently. Hope you enjoy :)
And toothbrush people! You need a toothbrush! Fluff rots the teeth right out of your head.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The fireworks sang in the sky above, shrieking in their rocket flight across the morning blue, bursting into brilliant color and bringing smiles instead of fear, peace instead of pain. The city would heal, slowly, but for now the happy display was good enough.
Tigress sat on the pier long after the little show as others started to clean up, pulling animals from the water to be arrested or tended to or buried. She tried hard to not think of the last part, and shuddered as she realized how close she and her little family had come to having that same fate.
Shifu was nearby, red fur nearly glowing in a halo of light as the sun rose over the water. It was blinding and beautiful and she felt her heart swell in response. It was hope embodied.
'The very thing the city needs,' she tensed slightly as someone placed a blanket around her damp shoulders, squeezing large paws tightly in gentle reassurance. She glanced up, knowing that very few creatures in the city had paws that large and were bold enough to touch her so freely, "Hello Po."
"Hey," he moved to sit beside her, face upturned with wonder as yet another late firework burst into a delicate, burning blossom, "How ya' feeling?"
"Sore," she answered honestly, turning her paws up in her lap to look at the scorched pads and fur, "Burnt."
"You really shouldn't have done that," he scolded lightly, grasping her right paw lightly in his own and tracing sensitive flesh, sensitive for the first time in years, with a soft fingertip.
"Says the bear that grabbed flaming balls of heated metal and threw them back at Lord Shen," she replied dryly with a mocking grin, curling her fingers lightly around his own to test just how much she could feel, "I can feel this, but the healer said that it wasn't real. That it was just from the burn and my body was trying to figure out what was happening. Like a shadow, she said. A phantom of touch."
"Phantom Touch sounds like an awesome name for a new move," Po chuckled, bringing his other paw up to prod at a few cuts and bruises on her wrist and arm, "It really doesn't hurt?"
"It does," she winced when he pressed too hard and watched as his face went into a comical panic, "but I was expecting it to."
"Yeah, they're not exactly fun when you don't expect to get shot," Po nodded in sympathy, stopping his examination in favor of just holding her one paw, "So you really can't feel this?"
"I feel the pressure," she turned her face back to the sky, sunlight glinting off of white clouds that raced on the back of the wind, "I feel the roughness of your pads against my own, or the sensation of your fur sliding across them, but it's only pressure. Only what I remember it feeling like from when I was a cub."
"Huh," he ran his thumb over her pad again, then gave a half smile. They sat for sometime in silence, no one bothering them as the main commotion moved away from the pier and up the riverside. He turned to her rather suddenly, surprising her with the earnestness with which he spoke, "Don't do it again, okay?"
It took Tigress a moment to figure out just what he was talking about, but as he clung to her paw almost painfully, she realized exactly what he meant. She spoke solemnly, choosing her next words carefully so he would understand, "So long as you don't do it again, either."
"Promise," he replied, leaning his shoulder against her own, the exhaustion catching up to him finally.
"Promise," she echoed, knowing that even before she managed to speak, he was already out, mouth hanging open as he snored lightly. How Po managed to hold of her hand, even in sleep, she really didn't know.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Four months had passed since their encounter with Lord Shen, and as Tigress sat beneath the blossoming peach tree on the hill overlooking the Valley of Peace, a thought hit her. It hit hard, too, like a solid punch.
'Po is…courting me,' she glanced up to her right where the side of the bear's face was visible. He was happily strumming away on his ruan, singing every folk song she knew and loved, and several she'd never even heard of. She was halfway convinced that he made up a great deal of them anyways, but never said anything. It made him happy and so she was happy also.
He dragged her up here often to sit, generally with little protest on her part. The ruan or a basket of dumplings or some small token were always brought along and she realized, now, suddenly, that it was always an offering of some sort, 'To me. He's giving these things to me.'
It was what he was, purely, in all the small things he offered. He was music and song. Food and dumplings and flour and noodles. He put himself into the little action figures he remade of her and their friends. The tiny 'Po' he'd made of himself for her to keep, kung fu action included free of charge he joked. He was in he tiny carving he'd made of the two of them sitting on the pier watching the last firework burst.
It was her secret favorite and tucked away in a hole she'd made beneath her floor, wrapped securely in silk to keep it safe.
He was laughter and life and creativity, all of that she knew about the bear, but this was something deeper that she couldn't explain, and as he began another little love song popular down in the village from the time they would have both been cubs, she made up her mind.
'This is good,' she leaned into his side and began to hum along, surprising him enough that he missed a beat and his ruan rang the wrong chord loudly, causing her to chuckle, 'And this is good too.'
She chuckled and kept right on humming, allowing herself the simple pleasure of leaning against his large side as he quickly recovered and picked up the tune in time with her soft voice. She closed her eyes and let the music wrap around both of them, the tempo slow, the notes soft, and Po's strong voice happily filling in the words that she wasn't brave enough to sing yet.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Two months after her revelation, Tigress was settling into the rhythm that came with accepting Po on that deeper level. He was a creature that craved attention and constantly sought the pleasure of company. Her company in particular, she noticed quickly.
'Always together, but never alone,' she chuckled as they sat talking at the small kitchen table, Po pushing a fresh batch of fried tofu her way while Crane enjoyed a cup of tea.
"So, is it better than what you get in the village?" Po kept his eyes attached to the tip of her chopsticks as they picked up a perfectly golden cube, then made the trip to her mouth, "So…..?"
"It is," she answered serenely even as she melted on the inside. The panda could cook. It was a shame she hadn't really taken advantage of his offers earlier.
"Oh, love tofu is always the best tofu," Crane nodded wisely, the crinkle around his eyes giving away his teasing.
"Crane," Po whined as he whipped around, swinging widely at the bird. He dodged easily, still sipping his tea, as it was all in good fun. The pair bickered lightly for a while as Tigress inhaled the rest of her food. By the time Po turned back around she was lightly dabbing a napkin at the corners of her mouth, the bowl empty.
"That good huh?" he looked between the bowl and the tiger, a little shocked that she'd eaten all of it.
"You're improving," she grinned into the napkin, hoping her voice wouldn't give her away, "but you should probably keep trying to perfect it."
"Guess you'll have to keep me around until I do," he had caught on and she blushed, turning away.
"I suppose I will."
"D'aw are they being all cute again?" Mantis strolled through the door, Viper close behind, "I love it when they're all cute."
'Never alone,' she sighed to herself as Po happily got into a fight with his friends, enjoying a little roughhousing before he made a big batch of soup for everyone to share.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Winter snow fell in beautiful white curtains while Sun Lanterns dotted every village window, driving away the cold and the dark of the longest night of the year. The village center held a huge bonfire, and warmed every creature to the bone. The freezing air would not pierce their night so long as they stayed close to the blaze.
"Dance with me," he cajoled, pulling her paws and trying desperately with his boyish charm to win her over, "Just one."
"I've never danced one!" but he was getting stronger and managed to tug her from her seat, pulling her into line with the other villagers as the folk dances began. She glanced around for a place to set her unfinished Moon Cake when Po leaned forward and took it right from her paw with his teeth, a roughish grin on his face as he chewed and the song started.
One turned into seven and soon even the Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress were too tired to dance another. They collapsed against one another, laughing and happy as others continued in their place.
Po turned to face her suddenly to gently bump his nose against her own, and startled, she pulled back, pressing a paw to his upper arm, "Po?"
"Sorry," he was blushing badly, white fur turning pink, "I just…I'm sorry."
"No," she shook her head, paw sliding down his arm as she looked down between them, then up through her eyelashes, "It startled me, but…it was nice."
"Yeah?" he caught her eye by dipping his head, hope sparking in his green eyes and causing a spark in her belly in return. He gently leaned his nose into hers, and then nuzzled against her lightly, muzzle sliding against muzzle, savoring the contact. She shocked herself by pushing her cheek roughly against his own, effectively marking him with her scent, without really even thinking.
She fought down a blush at his pleased and surprised bark of laughter.
It was a Winter Festival she would never forget.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
She felt like a young cub, laughing and carrying on as fireworks burst above them. The New Year was dawning, with a bright full moon hanging high in the dark sky and lighting the hill they sat on. Above colors chased colors and sounds chased sounds around them.
He pulled her close, nose-to-nose, grinning and teasing, as he whispered softly in her ear, "Love you."
She had heard these words many times by now, alone and in the presence of others, loud, soft, in the cold and in the heat, wet, dry, fighting, talking, meditating, and still she had not returned the sentiment. He didn't push her for it, didn't beg or demand to hear it. He knew, and that was why he was smiling at her.
It was really just a game now, but it was one that she was ready to bring to an end.
A bright red flower blossomed above their hill and she timed her words so that they were drowned out by the deafening thunderous noise. She kissed him soundly just as the glow ended, but he pulled away sharply, disbelief lighting his glowing green eyes.
"Say it again," he spoke loudly, happily, voice booming above the crack and shriek and bang of the rockets, his joyful energy radiating around them, nearly tangible.
"I love you," she whispered, pulling him more tightly against her body.
"That. Is. Awesome!" he yelled, and she was fairly certain the entire Valley of Peace heard.
Tigress couldn't help thinking that it was pretty awesome to be in love with Ping Po, panda and Dragon Warrior and stealer of her heart.