It was a calm evening in the Valley of Peace. The sun had just begun to set, filling the blue sky with yellow and orange. The air was cool as it traveled through the valley. The chatter of villagers and laughter of playful children who would soon be called inside for the night could be heard.
Up the thousand steps, inside the legendary Jade Palace, sat the valley's esteemed defenders, The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior, Po. The warriors were gathered in the kitchen to share a well-deserved supper after another day of training. They sat at the table with a bowl of noodles in front of each of them. Po had prepared his father's famous noodle soup for the group. A plate of steam buns sat at the center of the table. A savory scent wafted through the room. The laughter of the group filled the room as they dined.
"Wait, wait. So, you thought having Mantis as your wingman would help your chances?" Monkey managed to get out in between his laughter.
"Well, yeah. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I only realized my mistake after he somehow talked me into taking her dancing." Crane replied after swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
"Oh my gods. You? Dancing?" Monkey erupted into more laughter, the rest of the group followed.
"You dance like Scorpion stung you on the butt!" Mantis added.
"Oh, shut it. It's not my fault you're a bad wingman." Crane chuckled. "Besides, she said she really liked my dancing and wants to meet again sometime." He finished smugly.
"Hey! I'm not a bad wingman! I know what ladies want, they can't resist me. How do you think I got Viper?" Mantis said with his head raised confidently. Viper flicked the back of his head with the tip of her tail.
"'Got me?'" She questioned with narrow eyes, flicking her tongue at him playfully. "Sorry, hun." He chucked uncomfortably while rubbing his head. "You're lucky I like you." Viper said and embraced him with her tail.
"He wasn't nearly this confident when he first told me about his feelings for me." She said with a playful grin and poking his chest with her tail.
"Oh? We wanna hear about that." Po inquired amusedly as he reached for a steam bun, Tigress sat closely in a chair next to him.
"No, don't tell them the story!" Mantis squeaked before turning away to hide his blushing face.
"Come on, it's not that bad." She said before taking a sip from her cup of sake.
As Viper began to speak, the rest of the group leaned closer toward her to hear the story. "One day, after we were all finished with training, he asked if I could come back to his room for something. I didn't think much of it at the time, so I followed him. When we got there, he could barely speak. He kept stumbling over his words and wouldn't even look at me. He had that same blush on his face," She pointed at Mantis, drawing chuckles from the group. He groaned as she continued.
"He thought it would be a good idea to show me his needle kit to help break the ice. Then he had the idea to juggle some of the needles as a show of strength or something. It backfired, of course, because after he threw them into the air, they came raining down and one punctured his body just deep enough to hit a nerve and paralyze him. I had to carry him to the infirmary on my back." She finished with a giggle. The group burst into laughter again.
"I remember that," Monkey spoke, "I saw him in the infirmary that day. He said he 'pushed himself too hard in training." he teased. Mantis groaned louder.
Before he could say anything, Viper spoke again. "After the doctor treated him and ordered him to rest in the infirmary, I got on his cot to check on him," She said, giving Mantis a caring glance before continuing, her voice softer than before. "I won't get into all the details, but he said something along the lines of 'I've been crazy about you forever and think you're the most amazing girl in the world." She said, wrapping her tail around him and pulling in for a loving embrace. Crane let out an audible "Aw". "Lucky for him, I may have felt the same way about him for a while and thought it was really sweet. I spent the rest of the night with him there and we spoke the entire time. And, here we are now." She said sweetly then kissed Mantis' cheek.
Mantis' entire face turned red from blushing, a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"That really is nice, guys. I could find a girlfriend anytime I want, but I'm way too busy being a warrior and all." Monkey said before taking a generous swig from a bottle of rice wine.
"Way too busy drinking, you mean." Crane mocked while nudging Monkey with his wing.
"Up yours, bird." Monkey shrugged him away.
"Man, I never get tired of your noodles, Po," Mantis said after finishing his bowl of soup, having recovered from his infatuated state. "You forget how boring food was before you came here." He complimented the bear and pushed his bowl to the side.
"You've got that right." Monkey agreed.
"A lot of things have changed since Po got here." Crane chimed in. "For the better, of course." he added.
"Aw, you guys." Po smiled at his friends. His time at the Jade Palace has been quite eventful. Befriending his idols, saving China, and his greatest achievement of all, finally being with the one he loved.
"The food is way better, we laugh and have fun a lot more," Mantis said, raising his claw in the air.
"Monkey's less of a prude about sharing his almond cookies with us." Viper teased.
"Viper's less nosy and doesn't get in other people's business as much." Monkey jokingly sneered, receiving a hiss from her in return.
"Crane is less of a chicken about trying things. He still can't dance though." Mantis added with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, ha ha," Crane replied. "Let's not forget Shifu. He's, well..." Crane began, then paused for a moment to think. "Still Shifu." He chuckled. "I heard that!" Shifu called from somewhere in the palace, making the bird gulp. The rest of the group broke into laughter once again.
"Not to mention Tigress," Mantis said through his laughs.
"What about me?" Tigress asked, finally speaking up. The group immediately fell silent.
"If you're gonna say she's as awesome as she can possibly be, I agree." Po declared and wrapped his arm around the tiger's waist.
"Well, you...you know." Mantis gestured with his claws, doing little to elaborate. She glared at him with her amber-red eyes. "Uh..." He said before turning away from her and whistling nonchalantly, causing a small grin to grow on Tigress' face.
"I'm just messing with you, Mantis," Tigress assured him.
"Ya see? We're still not used to you joking around."
"Alright, I'm getting the feeling there's something you all want to say. So, say it." she commanded simply, curious about what her allies had on their minds about her.
They all looked back and forth at each other. Viper was the first to speak.
"Tigress, you've been like a sister to us for years. You know we all love you, but you have been pretty rough around the edges for as long as we've known you." Viper informed as nicely as she could.
"Since you and Po have been together, you've really softened. You're still fierce and push us to be our best, but you've become more gentle. More outgoing." She said with a smile as she looked at the other master.
"What can I say? I guess I just have that effect on people." Po joked and placed a soft kiss behind Tigress' ear, eliciting a small purr from her.
"See that? We've literally never seen her purr before you two started dating." Mantis pointed out.
Tigress cleared her throat before responding, "I will admit, Po has certainly helped open my mind to many things," She said and placed her paw on Po's.
"It is the Dragon Warrior's duty to help after all," Po replied, sharing a smile with her.
"His ways were quite outlandish when we first began dating. Everything felt so foreign since I hadn't been in a relationship before. It took some time for both of us to adjust. While I still rarely let my guard down, I no longer mind doing so around Po." She smiled warmly at the group and rested her head on her mate's shoulder.
"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world every day." Po beamed and held Tigress closer. The rest of the group couldn't help but smile.
"That so sweet, you guys." Viper said.
"We were super surprised when you guys told us. I thought I got hit too hard in training and was hallucinating it." Mantis admitted.
"You two were like complete opposites before." Monkey added.
"You should've seen how she was before you came to the Jade Palace, Po." Crane joined in. "She rarely laughed or smiled."
"Yeah, and whenever she did it would spook all of us." Monkey chuckled.
"One time when she was smiling we thought she got hit with a nerve attack." Mantis laughed.
"Very funny." Tigress said dryly at their remarks, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone.
"She's definitely changed a lot since you two have been together," Monkey said before leaning over to Po, then spoke again "You guys remember how she used to feel about Po when he first got here?" he asked the group with a grin, causing Tigress to raise her brow.
"If I remember correctly, she wasn't too psyched about me becoming the Dragon Warrior, or about me." Po chuckled.
"Oh man, she called you all types of names. 'Lazy, amateur...'" Mantis said.
"'Undisciplined, embarrassment...'" Monkey added, counting on his fingers.
"'Big, fat panda,'" Crane chimed in as they laughed. Tigress' eyes widened in disbelief as they continued.
"'Faux-warrior'" Viper added last.
"I still don't know what that word means. 'Faux'," Po laughed with the group.
Tigress, however, did not. Her mouth was slightly agape.
"It means fake," Viper informed him.
"She must've used every insult under the sun," Crane joked while looking at the couple.
"Not to mention how rough she was with him whenever we trained," Mantis said.
"Dude, there were always craters in the training hall floor because whenever some got fixed, she'd add new ones with Po's body." Monkey snickered.
"And she always threw these wild kicks like she was trying to take your head off," Mantis added.
A horrified expression had grown on Tigress' face, but her allies did not notice.
"It's good you two are on good terms now and are happy together, I mean that," Crane said with a smile, his words sincere.
"Thanks, buddy." Po thanked and smiled back.
Mantis took a sip of sake from a shot glass and hiccupped afterward. "Looking back, we were all pretty crappy to Po," Mantis said, staring into his drink.
"Some more than others. Isn't that right, pencil neck?" Monkey smirked, motioning at Crane.
"Gah! Hey, we were all a little bitter when Po became Dragon Warrior. It's a title we've wanted since we were kids." Crane said defensively, putting his wings up. "But of course, that doesn't make it right." He said in a softened tone.
"I've been nice to Po since the day he got here. You guys were the ones being mean." Viper corrected.
"I'll admit I was on the fence about him when we first met, and maybe less than nice to him, but now he's my best bud in the whole world." Monkey said warmly, placing his hand on Po's shoulder.
"I don't know if it's this sake talking or not, but I'm really sorry for how I treated you, man." Mantis sniffled as he spoke to Po.
"I'm sorry too, Po. You never deserved that." Crane said then looked down, embarrassed by his previous behavior.
"Me too, buddy. That wasn't cool of me." Monkey said, his voice low.
"And I'm sorry for not speaking up and stepping in to help when things were rough for you." Viper added, a small frown visible on her scaled face.
"Aw, you guys. It's alright now. I could never hold a grudge against the people I've looked up to since I was a kid." Po replied and rubbed Tigress' shoulder. "It did hurt a little, but I know you guys never truly meant it. We're all friends now. We're...family." Po declared the last part with a big, warm smile.
They beamed back at their friend, relieved and grateful for his forgiveness.
"And besides, training with Tigress wasn't all bad. Yeah, all the trips to the infirmary weren't fun, but she really toughened me up and helped me become the awesome warrior I am today. Right, Ti?" Po asked, looking down at his mate with a smile, which quickly fade once he saw her face.
She had sat there in silence the entire time, lost in thought. The words she once spoke to her mate echoing in her mind, her harsh actions towards him replaying themselves as well.
The others had stopped smiling as well when they noticed Tigress' demeanor, a silence falling over them soon after.
"Did I really..." She questioned, looking up at the group, a somber frown displayed on her face.
Seconds went by, but no one answered her.
"Well...I think we're gonna call it a night." Mantis announced, finally breaking the silence before hopping out of the kitchen. Viper slithered closely behind him.
"Uh, yeah. I'm just gonna..." Crane said while getting out of his seat, motioning towards the doorway with his wings while awkwardly shuffling his feet towards it.
"Right behind you." Monkey said and began to follow, before being stopped by Crane putting his wing up in front of him.
"Oh, no you don't. You're on dish duty tonight. Later." Crane informed him with a laugh before leaving the kitchen, causing Monkey to groan.
"Maybe we should talk in our room, Ti." Po said and got out of his seat, taking Tigress by her paw and leading her out of the kitchen.
"You've got this buddy!" Monkey called out to him, before turning and began to clean up the kitchen. "Dang it." he groaned to himself.
Once they got to their room, Po and Tigress sat on their bed. Tigress would not look at him, she had her head down as she gazed.
"Is everything alright, Tigress? Did something happen?" He asked with concern, taking her paw into his.
She did not answer immediately. A few moments passed before she mustered up the will to speak.
"Po?" She said, her voice low.
"Yeah, Ti?"
"I've been awful to you, haven't I?" She asked, finally looking at him, their eyes meeting.
Po could see the sadness in her eyes. The sight of Tigress, one of the most hardened people he knew, in such a state caused his heart to ache. The last time he had ever seen her like this was when they were in Gongmen City.
Shortly after saving the city from the madman, Shen, and beginning their journey back to the Valley of Peace, Tigress recounted her reaction when she believed he was dead. The hurt in her voice was heavy, her voice wavered. Po had never seen Tigress cry before, but that was the closest he had ever come to. He never wanted to see her in that way again.
"What? What makes you think that?" Po asked and wrapped his arm around her, his other paw still over hers. "You've been nothing but great to me." He said comfortingly, giving her a small grin. She looked away from him.
"No, I haven't. Did you not hear the others back in the kitchen?" She questioned.
"Oh, that stuff," Po replied and rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "You don't have to worry about that stuff anymore, Ti. It's okay now. I know you-" Po said in assurance in an attempt to comfort her but was interrupted by the tiger.
"It is not okay. The very day you got here I dismissed you. I insulted you, and almost attacked you. The days after that were no better." She spoke, her voice wavering slightly.
Her face contorted in disgust remembering that time. She was deeply disappointed with herself and her past behavior as a warrior, a friend, and most importantly as a lover. Po rubbed her shoulder with his free paw.
"I forgive you Ti, really. It's okay now." He said again, but she was not having it.
"Stop saying that!" She growled through clenched teeth, letting go of his paw and clenching her fists.
Po was taken aback by this, his eyes widened. He wanted to comfort her, but was unsure how to while she was in that state. He appeared hurt by her response. She looked back at him, noticing the look on his face, causing her expression to soften. Her eyes widened as she realized what she did.
"Oh no. Po, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Tigress apologized, her voice breaking.
She sighed heavily at herself and turned away once more, looking down at the ground. Po noticed a single tear run down her cheek. He gasped quietly, the ache in his heart growing. The two sat in silence as Po thought to himself, he was trying to choose the best method of approach to resolve the situation. He could not afford to say the wrong thing at that moment, not when the one he loved need him more than ever. He took a moment more before turning to her and placing his paw on her leg.
"Do you really wanna know how I feel about our past?" He asked quietly. She looked at him once again as he leaned closer to her.
"Ti, I've thought the world of you ever since I was a kid. Once word started spreading that Shifu was training a new young warrior who was fierce and had a spirit like nothing you've ever seen, something came over me. I was completely awestruck. Whenever you two would come down into the village, I'd always watch from far away because I was too shy to walk up to you," Po reminisced, pausing for a moment to recollect his memories from years ago. He had Tigress' full attention.
"You have no idea how much you inspired me back then, Tigress. I thought if I trained hard enough I could be just like you. Every day after my dad closed his shop, I'd sneak out and train in the back alley for hours into the night. Even when my body was screaming at me to stop and my paws bled, I never gave up." He informed and rubbed his knuckles.
His scars had since faded, and his fur grew in around it just enough to cover the pale pink marks. Tigress knew that feeling all too well, the majority of her childhood at the Jade Palace was vastly similar to his.
"I had a lot of dreams about meeting you for years. I wished for the day we'd finally meet face to face and I could tell you how much you influenced me, and maybe show you what I was capable of." Po said, then looked down at the floor.
Tigress smiled softly hearing his words, but it quickly faded when she noticed he was not smiling as well.
Po sighed before continuing, his voice low and tinged with hurt, "When my dad said we'd be going to the Jade Palace for the Dragon Warrior ceremony, I could barely contain myself. I couldn't believe I would actually be getting the chance to meet my idol, my inspiration. But..." Po's voice trailed off, then he closed his eyes trying to collect his composure.
Tigress placed her paw on his shoulder comfortingly, her expression had not changed. She braced herself for what Po was going to say next.
Po put his paw on hers and sighed heavily before continuing, his gaze not leaving the floor, "After I landed in front of you all that day, the first person I noticed was you. If I weren't so confused about what was going on while I was being carried away, I would've turned into a complete fanboy and bombarded you with questions and praise. When you visited me and Mantis, after all the confusion and hype died down, I was gonna do all of that when I saw you. Then the first thing you told me was I didn't belong here." He said, looking up at her, a large frown visible on his face.
Tigress' heart skipped a beat at the sight as tears began to well in her eyes. She attempted to speak, but Po continued his speech.
"After that, you and Shifu tried your hardest to get me to quit and leave, and, to be honest, it almost worked. The people I've looked up to my whole life thought of me as nothing more than street trash, unfit to be a warrior. It hurt, Tigress, It really did." his voice cracked as he finished.
His eyes were now glossy with freshly forming tears. His words stung Tigress deeply. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes for she could hold them no longer. She felt the urge to sob but garnered as much strength as she could to refrain from doing so. She turned away from him as her tears fell. Po placed his paw on her cheek and turned her so that she was facing him, surprising her.
"Hey, let me finish." Po sniffled, smiling weakly. He wiped some of her tears away.
"How can you not hate me? After everything I've put you through?" She heaved through her tears.
He flashed her a larger smile. The one that always melted her heart, the one that she loved seeing every day. He caressed her cheek softly before answering.
"Because I know that's not who you are anymore. As time went on, you could be around me more. You started to care about me like I was one of the others. Soon you started treating me with kindness. Laughing at my bad jokes, helping me prank Monkey, and helping down at my dad's shop. We became friends. And you're right, it wasn't okay, but you and I are now. I could never, ever hate my friend, or the one I love more than anything in the whole world." He finished smiling brightly, wiping away more of her tears.
Tigress' heart fluttered hearing his words. She smiled at him weakly as her tears came to a steady halt. She place her paw over his on her face and closed her eyes, enjoying his touch as it calmed her. When she opened them again, they looked at each other, her deep amber-red eyes meeting his emerald green orbs.
"I truly am sorry for how I've treated you, Po, truly. It wasn't okay, it never was. That's not how a warrior treats their allies, how friends treat friends. I promise you, that will never happen again." She swore, moving her face closer to his.
"I know it won't, Tigress. I forgive you." Po accepted and moved his free paw down to her waist.
The two shared a warm smile before closing their eyes as their lips met for a loving kiss. Tigress purred during their embrace, making both of their bodies vibrate. The kiss lasted a moment more before they broke apart, gazing at each other once again. Tigress rested her head on Po's shoulder as she continued purring. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close as they sat there.
"Are we okay now, my tiger lily?" Po spoke in her ear softly.
"Yes. We are, and we always will be." She replied warmly, her heart full of love as she sat with her mate. "Though, you know I hate that nickname." She said, flicking her ear at him.
"Sorry, I just think it's cute. I wanted something that fit what you are." He chuckled, causing her to blush slightly.
"Well, I have been warming up to it lately," Tigress said while nuzzling his shoulder.
"That's awesome! Maybe I could give you some more nicknames?" Po suggested with a goofy grin.
"Don't even think about it, Panda." She giggled at him.
"I love you, Tigress." He said sweetly and kissed her head.
"I love you too, Po."