Chapter 25: Sweets and Sweetness
"Do you think he'll be back?" asked Dai as she sipped some tea. She had an ice pack tied to her head and she was sore but okay.
"If he didn't get the message, I don't know what it'll take," Po replied.
They were quiet a moment, each thinking about all the craziness they'd been through lately. Dai spoke first. "You know, we never did get to those sticky buns."
Po chuckled. "What are you, some kind of sticky bun addict?" he asked.
"Well, I don't dislike them," she replied, looking sheepish.
"All right, I'll go make more then," said Po, getting up.
"What, you ate all the ones from earlier?" Dai asked, smiling.
Po scratched his cheek as he replied, "I... I eat when I'm upset... I'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
"Okay," Dai replied. Something about how Po spoke made her concerned for him. She didn't feel much like moving, but she wanted to comfort him. It only took a moment for her to come to the decision to get up and follow him to the kitchen.
Before Dai made it to the kitchen, her ears picked up the sound of quiet crying. She quietly stepped into the doorway and, though Po's back was to her, she knew he was the one crying. Dai went up to him and hugged him from behind. He gasped and stiffened before relaxing when he realized who it was.
"I'm sorry I worried you, Po," said Dai.
"It's not your fault, Dai... I just got so scared. You were out for a few hours and... I just don't want to lose you," said Po, putting his arms over hers.
"You won't. Knowing us, we'll either die in a blaze of glory or we'll die old," said Dai. "Either way, we'll be together."
Po turned and Dai let go only to be seized in a big panda hug. She hugged him back. They stood there a few moments before Dai's nose began twitching. "Sticky buns are ready to be flipped," she said.
Po switched his hold on her so that one of his hands could flip the buns while his other arm rested on Dai's shoulders. She leaned her head closer to him and nuzzled him affectionately. They both felt happy to have this moment together.
"Why did you take off your ice pack?" asked Po.
"I took it off because I'm fine. You're more important," Dai replied.
"You sure?"
"Yes. The only thing I want right now is sticky buns."
Po chuckled and said, "Well, they're almost done."
Dai hummed in contentment. Part of her wanted to let Po have both of his hands back, but the other part of her didn't want to get out of his hold. He seemed content to keep holding onto her too.
Po pulled away briefly to set the sticky buns on a plate and get chopsticks. When he tried to hold Dai again, he found her sitting in his usual chair. "Hey, that's my spot," he said, smiling.
"You wanna share?" Dai asked. This was a boundary test.
"Like, you wanna sit in my lap?"
"Yeah, but only if you're okay with it."
"Sure, we can try it." At this, Po set the plate down at that end of the table. Dai rose, Po sat down, and Dai sat on his lap. She sat with her legs over his, her tail brushing the floor. Dai put an arm around Po's shoulders to get better balance for reaching the sticky buns with her other hand. Po, meanwhile, switched his chopsticks to his left hand. It felt very intimate, but neither of them were uncomfortable.
"These are really good, Po," said Dai.
"I'm glad you like them," Po replied.
"I love sweet things." The two sat, quietly enjoying the small batch of sweets until they were all gone. Dai's tail wagged gently in enjoyment.
When the sticky buns were gone, Dai licked her paws clean. She smoothed out her fur and looked to Po. "You have a little something," she said, indicating her cheeks. When he went to wipe it off, it only spread further. She snickered and said, "I got it." She licked the syrup from his cheeks and gently nibbled at the bits that were more tangled in his fur. She had finished cleaning his face before she realized the line she had crossed.
Dai jumped off of Po. They were both blushing like mad at this point. Po spoke first, "If you wanted more, you could've just asked."
"I know. I'm sorry. It was just instinctual," said Dai bashfully.
"It's okay, Dai, really. It was just unexpected."
"I promise I won't do it again unless you ask me."
"I didn't mind it."
"What?" Dai's ears went straight up in surprise.
"I mean, if it's just us, I don't mind it."
"Po, I won't get mad if you ask that I don't do it or tell me that it makes you uncomfortable."
Po sighed. "If you like it and it's what's normal for you, then I like it too. Besides, it felt... nice."
"Neither of us really know what we're doing, huh?"
Po scratched the back of his neck and they were both blushing. "To be honest, I think I'd be more nervous if one of us did know what we were doing. I'm glad we can find out together."
"Me too." Dai came close to Po again. "Wanna kiss?"
"Sure." Po pulled her closer and they had a short, tender kiss.
"Wow, that was hard to watch," came a voice. Po and Dai quickly pulled away from each other and got into offensive stances. They slowly relaxed when they saw it was only Mantis. Said insect chuckled and said, "I wanted to see if Dai was awake, but it looks like you got this under control. I'll be going. Let me know if you need me again."
Mantis left and Po and Dai sighed in relief. "How about we add getting comfortable with being lovey in front of others to the list of things to do together?" Dai proposed.
"What were the other things on the list?" asked Po.
"If I am to be close to the Dragon Warrior, I need to get better at fighting. So! Who better to teach me than you?"
"Okay. Tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it, we'll see what you got."
Dai smiled in reply. She didn't like being helpless in comparison. It felt bad to be so vulnerable. If she was truly to be Po's partner, she'd have to stop getting hurt so much. She didn't want to make him worry about her anymore. As much as Dai could work to better herself or Po could protect her, it seemed there would always be someone or something to prove they needed to do more.
I think they could both use some training at this point. If there's anything you guys would like to see, let me know. That's all for this week. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)