Tigress's eyes cracked open when she heard the floorboards creak. Shooting up and immedietely scanning the room for signs of an intruder she spotted a panda silhouetted by the moonlight against the paper walls. Sighing and returning to her bed she listened to his footsteps fade into the night; it helped her sleep knowing he was alive. This was the third time he'd woken her up this week but she didn't care; the nightmares would've gotten her either way. It'd been happening for a while now ever since Gongmen City and Tigress had begun to grow concerned for her friend. Worried when she didn't hear his footsteps return she slid out of bed gently opening the door to her room. Not seeing anyone in the hall she quietly shut the door stepping lightly on the wooden floor to keep it from creaking. Tigress headed over to the kitchen only to find it empty without a trace of the panda.
'Hmmmm. What is he up to?"
Having no clue where he is she took the next best guess. Tigress threw open the doors to the training hall hoping to find him but was instead met with eerie silence and no answers. Slamming the doors closed in frustration she sauntered back outside through the courtyard. Where would he go at this time of night? Going purely on intuition, she started off.
Po swayed in the night air, his movements fluid and effortless. The droplet ran down his arm and back up again before switching to the other. He concentrated on the natural motion making his in tune with it's. The feeling of everything around him began to fade away with his senses leaving only him and the bead of water in perfect harmony. Po smoothly glided across the water from rock to rock in a seemingly wavelike manner before gracefully setting the droplet down on a leaf. Eyes closed, he exhaled.
"What do you call that move, Dragon Warrior?"
Po's eyes flashed open to see pair of golden orbs looking intently at him. He knew who it was.
"It's inner peace. How'd you know I was awake?"
"Your stealth mode could use some work."
"You heard me walking didn't you?"
Tigress didn't answer and moved towards him from the wall she was leaning on. "Why are you up so late?" She studied him questioningly.
"I could ask you that same question."
"Checking up on you."
...
When Po didn't say anything Tigress made a gesture with her hands as if to say it was his turn to speak. The truth is though, Po didn't want to. The whole point of sneaking off in the middle of the night was so no one would know. He didn't want anyone to worry about him, especially Tigress.
"Just dealing with some things."
"Like?"
Po walked over to the edge of the cavern with Tigress, looking down at the valley. "Just some feelings. Problems. You know, stuff." Po sighed a little. " I just wish I was hardcore so I couldn't feel anything, like you."
Déjà vu. A hurt look washed over her face as the their talk on the boat came back to her. Tigress remembered what she was going to say to him that night. "I wasn't always hardcore." Her gaze shifted down into the valley. "Po, when I was at Bao Gu they would call me a monster because of how strong I was so they locked me in a room by myself. I never got to play with any of the other kids. Eventually I just learned to ignore my emotions because they caused me nothing but pain and suffering. But then you came and changed that. Even after all the insults I threw at you when you first came here you didn't hold it against me. You treated me as if I was just another friend and I realized that I was wrong. They didn't just cause pain and suffering. You don't want to know what it's like to not feel anything Po." Tigress started to choke. "I felt so alone." A small tear fell from Tigress's cheek disappearing into the darkness below.
"Tigress..." Po wrapped his arms around the tiger holding her tightly against him. Tigress froze up, she didn't know how to react. All her life the only emotions she knew were pain and anger. Slowly wrapping her arms around him she melted into the hug, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.
Po inwardly yelled at himself for causing this. How could I be so stupid? He tried to focus on the steady rise and fall of her chest as they stood there.
...
"Po?" Tigress lifted her head up.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks...I um, needed that."
The corners of his mouth slid upwards. "Yeah, no problem."
Po looked into her eyes watching them flicker in the dark. Mesmerized, he didn't notice when Tigress leaned in close. Her breath brushed up against his fur as they were mere centimeters apart.
She closed the gap. Their lips seemed to fit together perfectly, moving together in a dancelike fashion. Po wrapped one arm around her, waist pulling them closer, while holding her face with the other earning him a moan from the feline. Tigress started to run her fingers through his fur in response. Breaking for air Po gazed into her sparkling eyes.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Why don't we go back to my room and I'll show you."
In case it wasn't obvious, this story takes place not long after the second movie. It always bothered me how Tigress never finished what she was going to say on the boat scene so I decided to write a fic about it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are appreciated.