And There were Two Beds
I smiled wide and grand as my hands twist and rubbed together like the villain I was. "No," Demi protested. "No, I won't allow it."
"You can't say no."
"I don't care," Demi remarked. "It's too... cliché."
"Hmmm. What about two instead of one?"
Demi's dark brown eyes glared at me. "Fine." He said, crossing his arms. "But it better be worth it."
"Oh ho ho. It will be. It will be."
*******F******
"What do you mean space is limited!?" Tigress shouted. She rubbed her temple as she spoke with the manager over the phone. "I don't care if there was a mix-up, unmix it. I can't be roomed with some random person."
The manager talked more, explaining the situation. "So it will be someone from my own company. Hmm. I guess that's okay," Tigress grumbled. "But please make sure there are two beds available!" With the manager agreeing, Tigress hung up the phone and flopped into her chair. Just then, someone knocked on her door. "Come in."
A big well-dress panda with a white dress shirt and red tie poked his head in. "Hey, I hope I'm not intruding."
"No, Po," Tigress sighed. "I could use a break."
"What's wrong?"
"The stupid meeting in Orlando."
Po chuckled, "I thought you liked the beach." The tiger glared at him. "Bad joke, I'll shut up," He nervously laughed.
"They said that the room placement was switched around. So I'll be bunking with someone else."
"Why?"
"Apparently, it was a request from the director of the meeting."
Po groaned, "Tai-Lung? Ugh, that cat will do anything to save a buck."
"Which is why the business is still running," Tigress sighed. "I hope they don't pair me up with someone I hate."
"I'm sure they wouldn't. But... then again, I don't know if they would know," Po rubbed the back of his head. "Why don't you call them and ask them to put you with someone you like."
"No," Tigress grunted. "I've had enough with those people. Plus, I have a good standing with most of the women here."
"Most?"
"Some people find me... intimidating," Tigress sighed.
"Whaaaaaatt noooooo," Po struggled to keep a straight face, but the tiger's glare narrowed on his attempt. "Okay, yeah sure, you come off a little hard when you're upset-"
"Because people won't do their work."
"But!" Po interrupted, "Everyone knows you have a good heart. That much is true. We know you care. You're like a... overbearing mother."
Tigress's head snapped and glowered straight at him. "You know what, I should get going. I need to get ready for some marketing tour. See ya!" With that, the ball of black and white fur rushed out of the room. Tigress groaned and relaxed back into her chair.
The company trip to Orlando was short and simple, but Tigress's dread followed her from checkpoint to checkpoint when she finally got into the cab in Orlando International Airport. Past Disney and Oceanworld props and shops, the businesswoman shoveled her things into the cab and punched in her hotel address. "You managed to get a hotel room here?"
"Yeah, it's for a business trip," Tigress stopped moving for a moment and looked at the peacock driver. "Why?"
"It's fairly expensive," The peacock replied. Tigress tilted her head. Tai-Lung usually didn't spend that much on money like this. Why the most expensive hotel in Orlando? Tigress shook her head and told the driver to drive on.
The process flew through Tigress like a river after a flood; heavy, fast, and perpetually draining. But the tiger grumbled more and more as she got closer to her room. It was one thing to suffer through the check-in process, but the hard fact that she wouldn't be able to de-stress ALONE like other times bore on her. The thought of having to share a room with someone irked her more and more as she finally got to her room.
Her eyes immediately saw the two beds which gave her some relief. She dropped her bags and looked out of the balcony window overlooking the pool, beach, and sea on the tenth floor. She gave a short huff of air before working on settling in. The person didn't seem to make it in just yet, which meant she could focus on trying to calm down and organize. But while she was doing that, a knock at the door came. "Ugh, probably the 'roommate'," She muttered as she gripped the doorknob. "Please don't be a guy." Opening the door, her eyes went wide.
It was a guy, but not the guy she thought.
"Po?"
"Tigress? What are you doing here?"
"This is my room. Wait, are you my roommate?"
"Uh... Room 201?"
"Yeah."
"That's me... hehe," Po nervously chuckled. Tigress blinked a couple of times. "I can ask the manager to move us. I just hope that-"
"No, no, please come in," Tigress said. Po tilted his head to the side. "To be honest, I don't trust staying with anyone else."
"But... are you sure? I mean-"
"It'll be fine. Plus, I really don't want to deal with the manager and Tai-Lung and... let's just rest for the night and we'll think of something later," Tigress sighed.
"That's good with me," Po said with a big smile. Tigress smiled back, not as big, but it eased the stress she was dealing with. Po took the other bed and started getting his stuff together. "Soooo what are your plans?"
"Other than work on my vacation?"
"Well, I knew that. No changing you over that," Po chuckled.
"I think I'm just gonna relax by the beach and read a book."
"Uh... Tigress, do you even know how to relax?"
Tigress rolled her eyes. "Po, I'm not a workaholic."
"That is as false as the night is bright," Po said in a deadpanned manner. Tigress glared, but the panda didn't seem phased by it. "How about this? Why don't you go for a massage?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't trust people... touching me," Tigress grumbled partly under her breath. Po thought for a moment.
"I can go with you. That way you don't feel bad."
"I'm pretty sure they don't allow men and women together at spas," Tigress smiled smugly.
"Hehe, which is why I have a... very very weird idea," Po nervously chuckled. He told Tigress.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"The others wouldn't even know and we can do it in private. Plus, it's only for your comfort level." Tigress's growling face didn't seem convinced. "Or I can just ask them who's doing the massage?" Po chuckled nervously.
"Let's try that first," Tigress hissed. Po pulled up the phone and dialed in. As he talked, Tigress looked over his stuff. A small picture in his wallet flopped out. It was a female snow leopard hugging Po. Tigress tilted her head.
"Alright, bye," Po said, hanging up the phone. "Alright. They said it was Mr. Felix. He's a panda like me, so you might like him."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, you're okay with me... right?" Po couldn't be reassured from the tiger's smirk.
"Hmmm. I'll try it since you're so invested," Tigress smirked.
The next day, Tigress walked down to the hotel's spa room. To her surprise, Po was already at the front desk. "Po?"
"OH! Uh... Ti-Tigress, what's uh... what's shaken?"
Tigress rose her eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"
"Uhhh just... making sure your spa is going to plan." Just then, the front desk receptionist came back.
"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Ping, your appointment is ready." Tigress's eyes jumped out of their sockets and narrowed hard onto the panda.
"Po," She growled lowly, "I told you we're not doing your stupid plan. Why would you-"
"Mr. Felix," Po said in a hushed voice. "is only available to couples. He works with his partner, Jacky."
"And I guess she's a panda too?"
"Uhh... no actually... she's a... it doesn't matter what she is," Po exclaimed. "Look, we take this to the grave, alright?" Tigress huffed for a moment but agreed. No sense in wasting a good massage. "We're ready." He said to the receptionist.
The bunny showed them to their room where they were told to wait until Mr. Felix and Jacky came in. Tigress stood a little shocked to see a tall young panda man and a smaller female puma cat. She glanced at Po, who wouldn't meet her gaze. "Ahh," Said Mr. Felix in a booming voice. "So you're the couple. It's nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Felix and this is my partner and wife, Jacky."
"Wife?" Po echoed. Tigress saw the panda's shoulders sag a bit, but his smile never left him. "It's nice to meet you. Sooo... how does this work?"
"We'll leave the room for a moment and then give you a minute to strip down to your comfort level and lay face down on the table," Jacky said.
"Meaning?"
"Whatever level that is," Mr. Felix answered Tigress. As the two left, Po sighed and turned his back to Tigress and started stripping.
"Are you okay, Po?" Tigress asked as she faced away from Po.
"Well, I kinda pissed you off," Po sighed as he grabbed his towel, wrapping it around him. "So I'm just bummed about that."
"Not that. You sound disappointed," Tigress said, slowly grabbing her towel. "Is it because of Jacky?"
Po's eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't turn around. "How did you know?"
"You looked disappointed that she was married."
"Yeah... kinda."
"Why?"
"It's not important," Po sighed as he got onto the table. "Let's just get through this so you can be relaxed and I can go to the all-you-can-eat buffet later on." Though he sounded like he was returning to his normal self, Tigress's quizzical face never left her.
The massage was nice. Mr. Felix and Jacky kept asking questions about Po and Tigress that the two had to make up on the fly. But when it came to the personal questions, Tigress was genuinely surprised about Po's. He wanted to be a songwriter, but his side job as a music teacher prevents that. He goes to the soup kitchen on Sundays, and teaches kids Tak won do on Saturdays. He used to be an artist, but settled for his job as part of marketing, because of his charisma, in the company Tigress and he worked at.
The surprising thing was how much Po knew about Tigress. Her desires, her dreams, her thoughts about men in jeans. The tiger didn't expect him to listen that much to her rants. After the massage, the two left and went back to their rooms where they were careful to use the shower; massage oil really does get everywhere.
Po was the last to use the shower and walked out, drying his head. Tigress sat down facing the window, still and silent. "Is everything okay?"
"Po? How do you know so much about me?"
"OH! Uh... sorry about that. I didn't mean to put your business out there. And I'm not a stalker! I just... I listen to you... when it's not work-related."
"Hmm," Tigress hummed. Po shrugged and sat down on his bed. "Who's the snow leopard in your wallet?"
Po froze and turned to Tigress. "Wh-Wh-What do you mean?"
"I... I saw her photo."
"Oh," Po's shoulders sagged as he frowned. "She was my... friend. I was gonna try and date her when... someone else got there first."
"Did you ever tell her about your feelings?"
"Yeah, but... she just wanted to stay friends," Po replied, shrugging unhappily. "It's okay. I just thought-"
"That doesn't explain why you were hurt by Jacky being Mr. Felix's wife," Tigress interjected.
"OH! Uh... that." Po started to sweat. "It's just... I have this thing... for... felines."
Now Po thought that when most women heard that, they would either tease, laugh, or be disgusted with him. And if they were the nice kind, they would just awkwardly laugh, reestablish their friendship, or something else to soothe the feelings. Po sighed. He understood why. It's like figuring out someone you viewed as a brother/sister suddenly wanted to date people that look like you. It just felt... wrong? Po didn't know how to explain it.
What he didn't expect was Tigress's answer.
"Why haven't you made a pass at me?" Po's eyes shot open and he looked back at Tigress. Her arms were crossed and her eyes softly glared at him. Why was she mad at him?
"Uh... you're my... boss?"
"And?"
"It's inappropriate to make a pass... at all?"
"You know what I mean Po," Tigress grumbled. "Why didn't you ask me out?"
"We... work together?" Po shook his head. "Wait, why are you so upset about it?"
"I'm just wondering. All the felines you like seem to be smaller than me."
"What?! No, no I'm not... height doesn't matter."
"So why haven't you asked me out? I'm single."
"Uh..." Po couldn't find any words to match his circumstance right now. "I'm very very confused. You don't like me like that."
"You don't know that."
"Wait! Do you?"
"That's not the point right now," Tigress smirked. Po's dropped jaw recovered as he shook his head. "The question is why you haven't asked me."
Po threw up his hands. "Because I thought I'd never get a chance. Tigress I've seen you turn down men who are sooo much better looking, better money, and better... than me! I figured I wasn't gonna meet any kind of expectation you had. That and I really didn't think you would be interested in me. Aaaaannnnddd if the relationship went south, I didn't want to lose my job."
"You seem to have other avenues of employment," Tigress pointed out.
"Yeah, but this is the breadwinner." The tapping of his fingers against the bedsheet unnerved him. He didn't expect the silence to be this thick.
"Hmmm," was the response. "Well, goodnight." With that, Po couldn't even figure out what to do. He just went to bed like her.
The next two days, Po and Tigress rarely saw each other except for the nighttime. On the last day, as Po was getting his things ready for his flight, Tigress sat on the other bed with her arms crossed. "You know I'm upset with you."
"I figured that out," Po said, "But I just don't know what for."
"Do you really think I would be so cruel as to fire you if we had a bad relationship?"
"I... I didn't mean it like that... I just... it's... kinda... Tigress what do you want from me?! Huh?" Po slightly shouted. "You're asking me all these questions like I know the answer, but I don't. Just say what you want. This isn't like you to dance around the bush."
"Why don't you want to date me?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes!" Po fell silent. "Why do you think I was okay with a male panda doing the massage for me? Why do you think you're working so close to me? Other than your talents, I... have a thing for pandas."
"Oh," Po blushed.
"But I thought you... didn't have a thing for... single... tall... tigers."
"Hehe," Po nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I... I don't mind... height... or... tigers. Besides, you're around the same height as me."
"Still, some guys don't-"
"You already know I'm not like most guys. I still have my action figures from grade school," Po chuckled. Tigress chuckled along with him. The two awkwardly faced each other, standing in a cloud of silence. Po scratched his head, feeling his nerves prickling up his spine. "So... what now?"
"That's for you to decide."
"Aw come on, Tigress. Don't make me be the one who has to do this," Po groaned.
"So? Do you want to risk it and potentially get fired."
"Hehe, knowing you, you'd quit before seeing me leave. You couldn't survive Tai-Lung without me," Po joked. Tigress smiled. That was true. The panda did help her temper. "I... uh... I mean... sure?"
"You don't sound confident," Tigress noted.
"When have I ever?"
"Good point."
"Yes," Po said a little firmer. "I want to... date you. Uh... if that's okay... with you."
Tigress gave a charming smile. "Yes, I'll allow it."
"You'll allow it?" Po chuckled, "What is this 1896? Where's your handkerchief so I can pick it up for you?"
Tigress rolled her eyes, pushing him a bit. "Would you have even pick it up? How long have we known each other?"
"It's only been two years. I'm not that clueless."
Tigress blinked a couple of times. "Yes, you are."
"Okay, but you don't have to make fun of me for it," Po grumbled. Tigress smiled as she stood next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.
The two came back from Orlando and went back to work, though a little different this time. Tigress's temper dropped drastically; Po was much more productive with his marketing; and of all the workers, they were promoted and worked the hardest. Of course, they did have to leave the company after they got married, but they enjoy their new jobs now and their time together even more.
"And all because we were roommates," Po would laugh, and Tigress would just smile.
The End
A/N: corny, cliche, trope, and predictable, I know. Shut up. It's cute.
