And now, it is my pleasure to present to you our next writer. Really, this writer deserves our thanks. One of their stories laid the framework for this very collection. And so, if you like blurry lines between friendship and romance, if you like nice, wholesome stories, or, if you just like smiling, then this writer is about to deliver. Without further ado, I present to you…

The one…

The only…

JustAnotherWriter140! (love how the pen name is the opposite of being accurate)

AN: I don't own Kung Fu Panda or any of the characters associated, this work is written for entertainment purposes (a fancy term for "smiles") only and I do not financially profit from it in any way (be cool if we could, though).

Hey everyone! This is just a quick message from JustAnotherWriter140, the writer of the following one-shot. I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to read this collection, I've had a great time being a part of it. Anyway, please enjoy the (somewhat cliché) story! (do I really even need to say that you will?) Love you all! (We do too)

POST-KFP3

We Proudly Present to You...

JustAnotherWriter140's "Thank You!"

"I haven't been up here in years," Tigress commented as she followed the panda up the stone-tiled pathway that led to the hilltop's meditation pagoda.

As the steepness of the hill subsided, the tiger scanned her surroundings, almost gasping at the sight; the night sky was a deep shade of ebony with no stars in sight, and the air was completely void of any clouds or mist, providing a clear view of the valley below. The buildings and homes of the village almost seemed to glitter with oranges and yellows.

Tigress noted the slightly chilled breeze that whistled past the pagoda; autumn was approaching. "It's beautiful," She whispered, her eyes struggling to take in the wonderful sight.

"Isn't it?" Po chuckled lightly, leaning his forearms onto the pagoda's railing, gazing fondly at the place in which he'd taken an oath to protect with pride. It was still standing; not only that, it was thriving. With a content smile resting on his face, he said, "It feels good, you know? Being able to stand here and look at the valley like this? It kinda feels like...I don't know," A thoughtful pause ensued as Tigress joined Po at the pagoda's banister, resting her forearms no more than a few inches away from his. As reddish phosphorescent eyes gave him their attention, Po continued, "...it just feels like you did something right. You get what I mean?" He turned to his best friend, his emerald eyes glowing with pure happiness, moonlight reflecting off of the whites of his eyes.

"I do," Tigress answered with a light nod, a hint of partialness to her tone. "I suppose you don't get much time to feel that way with your schedule." Another moment passed before she added in a firmer tone, "You should, you know. You deserve it."

"I hear that a lot," Po commented, leaning a little more of his weight onto the railing and looking back into the blackened night sky. "You must too, huh?"

"I know it must feel like that phrase kind of loses its meaning after a while," Tigress sympathized, ignoring Po's question in the process. It didn't go unnoticed by the panda, but he thought it best to let it go for the time being. "It doesn't mean it's any less true, though, no matter how many times you may hear it. Some people may mean it more than others, but believe me when I tell you that I mean it."

"I know you do." Po smiled, turning his head to look at his best friend, whose gaze was set on the peaceful village below, watching as the golden lights from inside the houses went out, leaving the windows darkened and bare. Watching her with an affectionate gleam in his eyes, he said, "I love that you do."

"Excuse me?"

"I love that you're always honest, you know? At first, I kinda thought it was harsh, but now I really appreciate it." The panda told Tigress, whose eyes widened somewhat; she looked slightly confused. "I don't know, I just feel like now that I'm the Dragon Warrior, people don't tell me their honest thoughts anymore. Aside from Shifu, you, and the five, of course. I kinda feel like everyone sugarcoats things or is just plain dishonest; you know, telling me what I want to hear."

"That's part of our job, unfortunately," Tigress gave a nod of acknowledgement. "It's something you'll get used-"

Tigress was suddenly interrupted by huge bursts of emerald and orange sparks exploding outward in a circular formation into the night sky, promptly followed by an ear-splitting popping sound. After the powerful noise, the glow gradually faded into nothingness. Then, hardly a second later, new colors appeared. Both Po and Tigress looked up to see the sky coated in fireworks; it was hardly like anything they'd ever seen before. Golds, yellows, reds, and oranges moved across the black background of the night, resembling a fire in the way it ignited the sky. The loudness of the show went completely unnoticed by the two masters as they were completely and utterly immersed in the beauty of the scene.

The show was somewhat far from over, but Tigress was able to snap herself out of her mesmerized trance in order to ask, "What's the occasion?"

"You." Was Po's simple, painfully vague, and downright confusing answer. When Tigress turned her head towards him at a speed that could've given her whiplash, Po suppressed a nervous laugh and said, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Well, partially."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Just wanted to show my appreciation," Po answered, "figured you could use a break or something fun. Also, it was pretty convenient because the next village over had some leftover fireworks from a festival they had last week."

"Interesting." Tigress remarked. "I appreciate the thought, Dragon Warrior, but this is a pretty grand gesture."

"And?"

"I'm wondering what provoked you to arrange something this complicated."

"Complicated? It wasn't complicated at all, actually, I just sent a message to the-"

"Okay, I apologize, that wasn't the word I was looking for," Tigress corrected herself, sighing lightly. She thought about how to phrase the following sentence as diplomatically as possible, as to not offend Po. "What I meant to ask, I suppose, is why? Why did you feel the need to do all of this when you could've just told me that you enjoy my company? It was very thoughtful, and for that I thank you, but this was a little over the top; even for you."

Po took in a deep breath, staring up at the colorful fireworks. "I'm not good with words, Tigress, you know that better than most." A thoughtful pause ensued before he continued, "Saying that I enjoy your company is a huge understatement, and I am so thankful to have you as my best friend. A firework show isn't enough to show you how much your friendship means to me, but it's a start." When Tigress still looked confused, Po sighed lightly. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Thank me?" Tigress repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What would you ever have to thank me for?"

"For everything. I don't know, for being my friend, for being there when I need you." Po said, his gaze fixated on the glittering and exploding balls of light in the sky. "It's something that deserves a thank you, I think, I know I'm pretty hard to deal with sometimes."

"You make it sound like it's a chore," the tiger replied.

"With all the stuff I pull, it must be." Po spoke, a forced chuckle following his words. "I mean, I run into situations without thinking, even when the odds are against me. I have a bit of a lazy streak. I do reckless things, both in my everyday life and in battle; I literally killed myself to keep Kai from hurting anyone else in the mortal realm! I mean, it worked, but it was really stupid. I didn't even know if I could come back-" The panda rambled, twiddling his thumbs, as he usually did whenever he was nervous or unsure of something.

"Po, stop." Tigress interrupted, and Po turned his head to look at his friend. "Being your friend is something that I choose to do; it's something I like to be, and something I'd like to remain as for the foreseeable future." Po smiled, and Tigress said, "Your recklessness, while it's likely not the best battle tactic, has saved China more than once. And I shouldn't be saying this, but I've come to appreciate it."

"Appreciate it?" Po repeated in genuine surprise, his eyes widening slightly.

"Before you, everything around the palace was always rigid. Everything was in black and white, there was right and wrong and nothing else. Well, with the exception of Oogway." Tigress recounted. "You changed a lot of our perspectives on things. Mine and Master Shifu's especially. While I may not like your reckless nature in the moment, I usually find myself realizing how things could've turned out had you not acted as you did. After Kai, for example." Tigress paused for a moment before saying, "Apologies, I went off topic. My point was you don't have to do things like this. You know, like the fireworks."

"So you're saying?"

"A thanks isn't necessary, Po. In this context, it never will be."

AN: Hey readers! I hope you enjoyed the one-shot! (I did) I tried my best to write their conversation in a way that could be perceived as either friendship or romantic ("wink"), so I hope I did alright with that. If you have any thoughts (any thoughts at all) on this work, feel free to leave them in the reviews!

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you all have an amazing rest of your day/night!