Year of the Tiger
By corset-rebellion-follower
Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda
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Chapter 10- Crush
Tigress smiled and took a deep breath. It had been a while since she had set foot in the training hall, and it felt as if she were coming home. It felt good to smell the sweat and fire of the room. The sounds of swinging chains and air being cut through by dangerous projectiles were familiar and not threatening at all to her. And it was great to pretend that the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion were Clover's head and were being reduced to dust.
She sighed contently as she gracefully flipped off the obstacle course and onto the floor. "Tigress, are you sure you want to be here? Shouldn't you be planning your wedding? You don't even have a date set," Viper noted, having been watching her friend as she trained for the first time in four years.
"Don't worry about it. You're not even the one getting married, and you care more about her wedding than she does," Monkey noted.
"Look, I didn't think she ever would get married, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am not going to let it be ruined."
Tigress glared at Viper. "My wedding will not be ruined, thank you! It will be a beautiful wedding and it will be the best day of my life. So don't take it upon yourself to worry about my wedding, that's my job. Besides, I want Dongwa to help me, it's his wedding too," she scolded.
"You know, most guys don't really relish the idea of planning a wedding. Flowers and dresses and decorations, it's just really in a man's comfort zone," Crane said.
"Oh, he'll help. If I have to tie him down and hold his eyes open with clothespins, then I will," she threatened.
"I'd hate to be that guy," Mantis called from the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors.
"And you know, Master Shifu has it out for Dongwa," Monkey added.
"Of course he does—Tigress is practically his daughter," Crane agreed.
"You know, for guys, you seem to care a lot about my personal life," Tigress said suspiciously. All the males instantly turned away and went back to their training.
"Okay, at least tell me about the bridal party. Like, um… am I the maid of honor or is Clover?" Viper demanded.
Tigress clenched her fists and turned away. "I'm not even sure if I want Clover there."
"Why not?" Viper asked.
"Alright, first of all, she takes me to this bar for a 'girl's night out' and she ends up getting drunk and making out with this guy that she claims she hates. Then after I sneak her back into my parents' house, she screams at me that she hates me and never wants to see me again, pushes me out the door and slams it in my face!" Tigress ranted.
Viper stared at her with wide eyes. "Well… um…"
Tigress groaned. "Please don't tell me you're siding with her! Not only did she do all that, but she tried to come onto Dongwa!" she yelled.
"She sounds like she was really drunk, I mean, alcohol makes you do stupid things. Maybe she feels really bad about it and wants to apologize," Viper reasoned.
"Oh no, she meant every word she said, I know she did. And even if she does want to apologize, I wouldn't accept her apology. She really hurt my feelings, and she's going to have to work her butt off to get my forgiveness and my trust."
Clover's words from the night before rang through Tigress' mind. Do you know how I had to work my ass off to get Mom and Dad to be proud of me too? She shook her head, refusing to feel guilty. Clover was the one at fault, not her… right? Right. She was right and Clover was wrong. That's just the way it was.
"But to not invite her to the wedding? She's your little sister."
"Yes, and she acts like a little child! She seems all mature and ladylike, but trust me, she's the farthest thing from a lady," Tigress yelled.
"Well neither are you," Viper pointed out.
"What do you mean?" she snapped.
"You are the farthest thing from ladylike, Tigress. You're a tomboy. You have been since I met you. I mean, just because you were in the city for four years doesn't make you any more girly than you used to be. Granted, it isn't a rare sight to see you in a dress anymore, but you're still the tough girl you used to be," Viper explained. Tigress opened her mouth, then shut it. "See? Come on, you could at least talk to her. She's your sister; she shares your blood. And you'll really regret it if you keep her out of your wedding. You and she will always fight sometimes, but you're still sisters and you still love her deep down."
Tigress squeezed her eyes shut. Damn it, she's right. "Look, I don't want to see Clover right now. I'll talk to her before the wedding, but not yet. And if she comes to me to apologize, then I'll listen. But I wouldn't hold your breath."
And before the serpent could get a word in edgewise, Tigress leapt back onto the swirling dragons, envisioning her sister's drunken face before smashing her foot through the wood.
Po happily whistled a tune as he chopped up a carrot. It feels good to be back in the kitchen. The Jade Palace is great, but sometimes you just have to get back to basics. And besides, you're doing this for your best friend.
He and his dad had made a secret deal. Po would work at the restaurant for a while and Mr. Ping would put the wages he earned into Dongwa's paycheck so that the tiger could get his house built faster.
"Hey Po, toss me a daikon!" Dongwa yelled. Po launched the white-fleshed vegetable into the air, and Dongwa caught it perfectly.
"Yes!"
"Alright!"
The two high-fived each other. "We still got it, buddy," Dongwa chuckled.
"You know it!" Po cheered. The giant panda was in his element. I'm in the groove. Goin' with the flow. In the zone, I am unstoppable!
"Hey, Po." Po jumped and screamed, letting his knife fly up in the air. It embedded itself in the low ceiling. Clover looked up at the knife. "Nice shot. You should consider going into knife throwing."
"H-Hey, Clover. How's it going?" he asked.
"My life sucks, what else is new?" she asked, resting her cheek on the counter.
"Aw, come on, it's probably not that bad. You have your health, your family, a roof over your head and food to eat. What's so bad about that?"
"My life just sucks, alright? Can I have a bowl of noodles or what?" she snapped.
"Of course."
"And get me the biggest bowl you have. It's not like I'm going on a date anytime soon," she moped.
"Okay." He got out a particularly large bowl of noodles and broth, and gathered some vegetables to add in. "Are carrots and peppers okay?" he asked.
"How about chocolate?" Clover proposed.
"Carrots and peppers it is." He ripped the knife out of the ceiling and started running it through the carrots. "So, what's going on with your life? Other than the sucking part."
"Without the sucking part? Nothing. Sorry to disappoint you."
It was silent until Po pushed the noodles toward her. "Here you go. On the house."
"Thanks." She lifted the bowl up and drank down a large portion of the broth in one gulp, then laid her head back down. She caught Dongwa watching her. "What're you lookin' at?" she asked quietly.
"One very sad girl. Did you talk to Tigress?" he asked.
"No. The Queen has been in her Palace all day. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll stay up there!"
Dongwa ruffled the fur on the top of her head. "Hang tight, kid. You'll be okay. And you know what? You shouldn't be drowning your sorrows in soup. So I'll take that." He lifted the bowl out of her reach.
"Hey, that's mine!" she cried.
"Don't be a crybaby, it's not like you paid for it. Come on, you're just not the kind of girl to whine about her problems. Any guy would be lucky to go out with you, and I bet that they're just lining up on your doorstep," Dongwa insisted.
"If they are, why am I alone and sad?" Clover asked.
"Just bide your time, someone nice will come your way. Be patient," he explained.
She sighed and stood up. "Thank you, Po, for the noodles. But I gotta go, my mom and I are doing chores and I can't be gone too long. See you guys later." She walked out of the noodle shop. Po watched her leaved and sighed wistfully.
"What's up with you?" Dongwa asked.
"Nothing. I don't know what you're talking about."
Dongwa rolled his eyes. "This time you were the one who was acting like a lovesick teenager."
"I was not!" Po yelled. There was a very uncomfortable silence.
"Look, buddy, you know that she's six years younger than you, right?" Dongwa asked.
"I know! It's not like I like her or anything," he muttered.
"You were just staring at Tigress' little sister like she wasn't wearing any clothes and was blowing kisses at you."
Another awkward pause. "I think she's pretty, so what?" Po asked.
"Okay, first of all, gross. That's going to be my sister-in-law. Second, I wouldn't hold your breath. When she and Tigress were out last night, apparently she had a nice, long make-out session with some guy. Don't know who he is though, so don't ask. Tigress didn't tell me," Dongwa said.
Po's grip on the knife handle increased. "I don't like Clover. I don't. She's just Tigress' little sister. I mean, how weird would that be if I asked her out?" Po asked.
"Very. So get any thoughts of it out of your mind," Dongwa agreed.
"There weren't any thoughts of it to begin with. So don't worry about it," Po insisted.
"Alright, whatever you say." But Dongwa didn't truly sound 100% convinced.