Po and the rest of the group were gathered in the training hall. Shifu encouraged them to continue with their training throughout the week, on top of preparing for the evacuation. Though it was taxing, adding more to their already full plates, he wanted their bodies in peak condition for the threat they would soon face.

They were gathered in three pairs as they sparred: Monkey with Crane, Mantis with Viper, and Po with Tigress. Tigress was sloppily dodging Po's attacks, her mind had been elsewhere all morning. Po threw a front kick which she narrowly backstepped out of the way of. He then threw a hook, but she leaned her body just enough to dodge it in time, watching his large black fist fly by her head. With that, Po saw an opening. He pivoted his lead leg and followed through with a forceful open palm to her stomach. Tigress fell back a few feet and landed on her bottom, causing the rest of the group to gasp as they stopped to watch.

Po had bested Tigress in their spars a handful of times before, so it wasn't like they weren't used to it, Rather, they were quite surprised to see Po win with such ease, and Tigress lose in such fashion. Po's eyes widened after he realized what he did and he quickly walked over to help her up.

"Sorry about that, Tigress. I guess I don't know my own strength sometimes," he said, finishing with a nervous laugh as he extended his paw to her. The others held their breath as she looked up at him.

"There's no need to apologize, Po. That was quite an attack." Tigress said with a smile, accepting his hand and standing to her feet. The others breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought she was gonna tear you into shreds, man," Mantis called over to them.

"That should be enough for today," Shifu said as he gathered their attention. "You're all dismissed, but regroup here later before the sun begins to set."

"Yes, Master," they said in unison.

"Uh, Tigress? Can I have my hand back?" Po asked Tigress jokingly. She looked down to discover she was still holding his hand. She immediately let go and apologized. Po could notice her orange cheeks begin to turn a faint red. She was blushing, but why? He decided he would talk to her about it later.

"Well, I'm gonna grab a quick snack before heading back down," Po told the group.

"You're leaving already?" Mantis asked while hopping up to the panda.

"Yeah. With everything going on today, my dad's gonna need a lot of help with the shop before we leave."

"You ever gonna tell us what's been up with you these past few months? Besides helping your dad." Monkey asked. The others turned to Po hoping for an answer as well, also curious about his behavior as of late.

"Uh..." Po began. This wasn't good. He couldn't tell them, not yet at least. "Guys, you know you're my best friends, and you know I don't like keeping things from you, but I really can't say just yet. I'll explain everything soon, I promise," he assured them with a smile.

"Whenever you're comfortable, Po." Viper told him.

"I'll head to the kitchen with you, buddy. I could use a drink anyway." Monkey added as the two began to walk out.

"When can't you?" Crane said mockingly, laughing to himself. He was making his way to the exit when Shifu motioned for him to stop.

"My apologies, Master Crane, but I have a task for you," Shifu spoke, causing Monkey to laugh teasingly at him. Crane groaned at him as they left before turning his attention back to Shifu. "I need you to fly out and check the back roads of the village. Check far along them, we need to ensure they're fit for traveling on for later. I'll send Zeng to check the front road."

"Right away, Master," Crane said, bowing to him before leaving.

Mantis and Viper left soon after, leaving just Shifu and Tigress standing in the training hall.

"Master Tigress, a word, please."

"Yes, Master?" She asked as she stood before him.

"You seem off today. Is something troubling you?" he asked, looking up at her with a hint of concern.

"Unfortunately, there is something, Master," she replied before looking down. "I've..." paused to think of what she should tell him.

"Daughter, I can assure you whatever it is you can talk to me about it." he smiled. It wasn't often he called her that, but she always enjoyed it when he did. She smiled softly back at him.

Now less tense, she began to explain. "I had a dream about Bao Gu earlier, it...it wasn't very good. It's been some time since I last did that, I've been thinking about it all morning." she admitted.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Tigress. I'm aware that your time at Bao Gu wasn't entirely pleasant."

"What do you think my dream meant, Master?"

"Can you explain the dream to me?" he requested.

"I would rather not," she replied, looking away from him.

"I see. Well, when I was a young master, Master Oogway told me that our dreams are visualizations of what we're feeling. How have you been feeling?"

Tigress took a deep breath then exhaled heavily before speaking. "I've been angry, Master. Angry about the threat we're facing, and scared. Scared about my friends, about you, the villagers, and what could happen to the palace and the village. But, I've also been confused." she spoke. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest as she finally vented her thoughts.

"That's all understandable, Tigress. I've been quite worried about everyone as well. May I ask what you've been confused about?" he asked, causing the tiger to look away again, but this time he could notice her blushing. It took a moment, but it finally dawned on the old master. A cheeky grin crept onto his face.

"It wouldn't happen to be about...Po, would it?" he asked amusedly with a raised brow.

Tigress' eyes widened at the question, her blush growing more prominent. "Yes, it's about Po. I've been feeling very different about him lately."

Tigress never displayed much interest in boys during her youth. Most of her time was occupied by training with Shifu. Whenever she did have free time she usually spent it training alone or meditating in her room. During her trips down into the village with Shifu or Oogway the local boys would always try to gain her attention with their toys and tricks but never succeeded.

When she was a teenager a handful of different wealthy families came to the palace offering their sons as suitors for Tigress. With her being the only known tiger in all of China, she was considered quite special. Shifu always turned them away, however. They both knew all too well she would only be used to boost their social statuses. Tigress never much cared for any of them anyway. As far as Shifu could tell, she had never shown any interest in being in a relationship.

"Master, I have feelings for the Dragon Warrior. That's the first time I've ever said that aloud. I've never felt like this about anyone before, it all feels so new and strange." Tigress told Shifu as she thought about it.

"I suppose that's my fault, I've never really sat you down to explain what those feelings mean. I will say I'm not too surprised, you've grown quite close to Po since you've known him."

This was true for Tigress. From the very day she met him, she thought of him as nothing more than a loud, messy panda. But, as time went on, she grew fond of him. It felt like she had known him forever. When he hugged her after the defeat of Lord Shen she knew things would be different for them both from that point on, she could feel it.

"Should I tell him? What would I say? What if he doesn't even feel the same way?" Tigress asked her master as her mind began to race, dozens of thoughts swirling within.

"It's alright to be nervous, Tigress. I have no doubt in my mind that the feeling is mutual. Po has thought the world of you since you were both children. He looks up to you and considers you to be a very good friend." he assured her, his words comforting and sincere.

"Whatever choice you make, you have my full blessings."

"Thank you so much, Master," Tigress said before the two bowed to each other. With that being said, she ran off to find Po. She checked the kitchen first. Monkey was sitting at the table alone holding a cup of mijiu.

"Where's Po?" she asked.

"He just left. You might still be able to catch him." Monkey answered before taking a sip from his cup.

She left the kitchen and began heading to the palace entrance. On her way there a memory entered her mind.

The children of Bao Gu were gathered in the courtyard to play. They laughed and screamed in excitement as they ran around and chased each other. Tigress stood and watched them from her window. She rarely left her room to join them outside, on the off chance she did the others would bar her from playing with them or avoid her all together.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard stood a young black panther boy. Many of the children stood by joking and laughing with him, while some of the girls complimented him. He was quite popular at the orphanage. He was very kind and respectful, all of the children admired him, even the caregivers.

Tigress couldn't help but watch him, a light blush present on her face. Though most of the children did their best to avoid her, the boy was different. He always spoke to Tigress when the others weren't around. She was skeptical of his intentions at first but grew to befriend and even trust him. One day he gifted her a potted white lotus flower so she had something to look after in her free time. She looked at the flower, then back to him before picking the flower from its stem and leaving her room.

She shook the memory from her mind. "Why am I thinking about that? Why now?" she thought to herself before reaching the palace doors. When she opened them she saw Po about to descend the steps and quickly stopped him.

"Oh, hey, Tigress. You need something?" he asked and turned to her.

She took a deep breath before trying to speak. but no words came out. Po never knew Tigress for being speechless. In fact, she looked a bit nervous, another uncommon sight for him.

"You alright, Ti?" he asked, raising his brow as he watched her.

"Um...just be careful, Po. Alright?" she said, finally speaking up. She took his paw and held it with both of hers, practically caressing it.

Po was slightly taken aback by this. He figured she was just worried about him because of today and didn't think much of it. Or at least, he didn't until he noticed she wouldn't meet his gaze and she was blushing fiercely. She was doing it again, but why?

She quickly let go and went back inside, swiftly closing the doors behind her and leaving the panda completely bewildered. He definitely had to speak to her about that later. Wasting no more time he began descending the steps on his way to his father's shop.

Tigress rested against the door and sighed heavily at herself. That didn't go quite as she was hoping. She felt somewhat embarrassed. What had come over her as of late? Why today? She sighed again.

"Another time."

A few hours of helping pack things and serving customers later, Po stood with Fung in the back alley of the noodle shop.

"Come on, Fung, one more," Po instructed as he held his paws up in front of himself.

Fung threw a punch, striking Po's paw, before placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Great work! That should be good for today." Po said and place his paw on Fung's shoulder.

Shortly after Fung began living at the shop, Po had the idea to start teaching him proper Kung Fu. Fung was unsure about the idea at first as he felt he managed just fine in the past with his regular, albeit unrefined, fighting style. Po insisted, however, saying it could help them grow closer and learn more about each other. He also added knowing how to fight properly could prove useful in the future. Not wanting to disappoint his mate, Fung finally agreed.

"I'm proud of you. You've improved so much these past few months," he said to the croc, smiling warmly.

Fung still wasn't quite used to people being proud of him, he hadn't received many compliments in his life, but he always appreciated it when Po gave them.

"Thanks, Po. It's not that hard when your boyfriend's the Dragon Warrior." Fung replied, smiling back after catching his breath. As he raised his arms to stretch, Po swiftly wrapped his arms around his waist. Fung followed by wrapping his arms around Po's neck then kissing his cheek.

"So, you think your plan will work?"

"It has to, there's no time to think of something different," Po replied.

Shortly after warning the others at the palace, Po returned to the shop to speak with Fung about what he was told. He asked Fung to confirm everything that transpired at Lidong's hideout. Fung recounted everything that happened as accurately as he could. Unbeknownst to Po, he was purposely leaving out some details.

With Fung unwilling to reveal to Shifu and the others that he had been living in the Valley undetected, Po had begun thinking. He planned to have Fung remain at the shop as the village was evacuated and have him hide until Po and the others returned to face, and hopefully defeat the invaders. Fung had some concerns about the plan but kept them to himself.

"I know it's not perfect, but you don't want the others knowing about us yet. I wanted to keep you in mind when I came up with the plan." Po said.

As sweet as it was to hear him say that, Fung noticed a small frown on Po's face.

"What's wrong, Po?"

"Fung..." Po began, looking at the croc. "You know we can't keep this up forever. You hiding and me keeping it from my friends. They're starting to worry, I don't like keeping things from them."

"Po..."

"I know you're worried about telling them, but you don't have to be. Trust me. They're my friends, I know them better than anyone else, they'll understand." Po assured him.

"Po, it's not that I'm worried about telling people I'm gay," Fung began then thought for a moment. "Okay, I'm a little worried, but it's not that." he corrected himself. "It's just, what if they don't believe that I've actually gone clean? What if they think I'm just putting on an act to trick you so I can do something bad?"

"I wouldn't let them think that."

"What if you don't have any control over that? I've tricked you, I've lied to you, and I've almost got you and your friends killed too many times. They have every right to not believe me." Fung said, wincing as he recalled his past errors.

"Not everyone is as kind and forgiving as you are," he added

Po held him tighter in an attempt to comfort him. "Fung, you shouldn't beat yourself up over your mistakes like that. Everyone makes them. Admitting you messed up is the first step to making up for them." he spoke softly, smiling at the croc.

"If we work together we can show them how much you've changed. It might take some time, but they'll warm up to you. Don't you think so?" Po asked, squeezing him lightly.

"Yeah, I guess so." Fung agreed and rested his head on the panda's shoulder.

"So, we're gonna tell them?

They stood in silence for a moment as Fung thought about everything Po said. He knew there was truth to what he was saying. Keeping a low profile had become more difficult as time went on. He felt that he was slowly becoming a burden to Po and Mr. Ping, it wasn't a feeling he enjoyed. Worried or not, he wanted to live happily with his panda.

"When you kick those guys' butts and come home, we...we can try." Fung finally answered, causing Po to smile greatly.

"This is awesome, Fung. Thank you." the panda said as he lifted the croc off of the ground, holding him in a bear hug.

The two shared a quick laugh before Po pulled him into a tender kiss. The moment was soon interrupted when Po heard a familiar voice calling.

"Po, Po! Are you here? There might be something wrong!"

It was Crane. His voice was filled with urgency. Po and Fung quickly ran back into the restaurant, the latter hiding behind a curtain in the kitchen. Po greeted the bird in the seating area.

"Crane, you alright, buddy? What's going on?" he asked

"We need to get back to the palace, I'll explain on the way!" Crane replied before running out of the shop and taking flight.

"Dad, you should gather your things in case something's really wrong and we need to leave quickly," Po told Mr. Ping who was standing at the counter. He then turned to the few customers still there, "You guys might wanna head back to your homes. It might not be safe." he warned them before running after Crane. Fung could hear their conversation and became worried.

"You wanna fill me in? Po called up to the bird as he ran behind him.

"There are blockages far down both of the back roads. They weren't like that when I checked yesterday, it had to be done overnight. I don't know what it means, but it's definitely not good." Crane informed him.

The masters increased their pace on their way back to their friends, they had to warn them immediately. Something wasn't right.

A/N: Apologies if this chapter is a bit dialogue-heavy. This was supposed to go up a day or two ago, but the file got corrupted and I lost all my progress, so I had to start from scratch. I didn't want to spend extra time on it.