Lips
The noise wasn't normal. She never heard this noise coursing through her head. The wind moved in a silent apartment, and she slowly pulled her head from the pillow. She looked at her clock. 8:20 am. And the sound of rushing cars, honking horns, and busy city life bustled outside, though the most noticeable sound was the sound of happy whistling.
She snapped up from her bed, or what she thought was her bed. A quick analysis of the sheets and corner of the room made her violently aware of her surroundings.
This wasn't her bed.
She clutched the sheets to her pounding heart. But a small layer of fabric between the sheets and her fur reassured her. She was clothed.
But that didn't help her either. She slowly got up, touching her socks to the smooth floor. Her high heels were neatly placed by the door. The white door held a taped piece of paper, reading, "Hello, you're in my apartment. Please don't worry, you're not hurt. You had a hard time getting up the stairs after the apartment party in the plaza last night. I didn't have the keys to your house so I brought you to my house. I hope that's okay?" The note had a small nervous face of a panda on it. "Anyway, I'll be in the kitchen cooking breakfast. There are some headache pills for any hangover pains you're having."
And on cue, her head began to split. On the shelf were the pills in the bottle, though she felt safer without them. She grabbed her high heels, still clutching the sheets around her body as it dragged like a royal cape. She traveled towards the sound of steam, prickling fried food, and cheerful whistling. She turned the corner and saw a large panda with an apron on, cooking food and whistling to himself.
"Hmmm, needs more salt," the panda grumbled. He turned around and nearly dropped the food in his pan. "WAHHH!" The woman shivered. "Ooh! Sorry! Sorry. I didn't see you there."
"Who are you?"
"Hmm?"
"Who... are you?"
The panda tilted his head until he smacked it. "I forgot to put my name on the note. DAH! Sorry, I'm Po. Your neighbor next door?" She blinked several times. "The one whose 'Food's magazine' you keep getting in your mail?"
"Ahhh," she finally realized, lowering her shoulders a bit. The panda placed the food down on a table with a cup of juice, a fork, and a knife. Po took a long breath and finally sat down on the opposite end with nothing at his plate while the woman sat down.
She was a lovely tiger, still clinging to the sheets as a flowing shawl. Her left hand had her high heels as she sat down. Po twiddled his thumbs together while the tiger stared at her pancakes.
"Wha... what happened?" the tiger asked.
"Huh? I could've sworn I-"
"No, how... I don't remember much."
Po sighed, "Well, I was going back upstairs to my apartment because of... well it doesn't matter." The panda's shoulders sagged. "But anyway, you were on the stairs, resting against the wall. I tried to make sure you were up and okay, but you were fast asleep. I knew it wasn't safe for you there so... I... tried to carry you."
"Tried?" The tiger asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I... uhh... don't work out as much," Po nervously smiled. "Anyway, I tried searching your purse for your keys, but I couldn't find them." the tiger's eyes narrowed. "I'm honest! Check the bag yourself." Her purse, by chance, was around the chair she sat on. She dug into the purse and found the panda was on the money. They weren't there.
She didn't worry too much. She had a spare key around the front of her apartment, but the panda didn't know that. So his story, for the moment, seemed to check out. "Soooo I brought you back to my place. I didn't do anything I promise!"
The tiger blinked again and looked at her pancakes. She slowly took one hand, used her fork to cut part of the pancakes, and shoved the piece in her mouth. Finally, she let go of the sheet and ate. "Soooo, are you okay, Tigress?"
"How do you-"
"I looked for your wallet too. Just to make sure I got the address right."
Tigress slowly nodded her head and continued eating. Po pursed his lips together, nervously searching his apartment for some conversation starter. Or some other way to ease the tiger's mind that she wasn't the panda's prisoner. Po pulled at his black shirt splattered with red and gold paint styles and wiggled his toes underneath the table.
This wasn't helping.
This wasn't helping at all.
A girl wakes up at a guy's house she vaguely knows with little memory of last night. Po knew exactly how this looked and it wasn't good. His mind raged on with possible ideas to explain this away.
"Thank you," said the tiger. Po was ripped from his thoughts, shaking his head.
"Huh?"
"I said thank you."
"Oh! You're welcome."
"The last thing I remember was being with my friends. I thought they would've made sure that..." She trailed off. "Thank you for helping me."
"Any time. And please don't try repaying me. It's enough to know you're safe," Po smiled. The tiger nodded her head. Since the sheet was off, her dazzling red dress came in full view, showing a beautiful V-shaped strap style. Tigress looked at her dress and asked a question.
"Is my lipstick still on?"
"Hm? Oh! Uhhh, I didn't know you were wearing lipstick," Po replied.
"It's black lipstick," Tigress dismissed the question.
Another moment of silence went by.
"I have to ask," Po finally said, "When the Plaza party was going on, you were with your friends, but... it didn't seem like you were enjoying yourself. I mean, with how much you were drinking, I just thought that-"
"I broke up with my boyfriend recently."
"Oh." Tigress's shoulders rose, trying to hide from the shame "I'm sorry," Po said. "I know the feeling."
"You know what it's like being cheated on?"
"Ah! Well... yes. I totally know what it means to be cheated on, played with, strung along, and rejected," Po sighed.
"I'm... sorry," Tigress replied sympathetically, though she couldn't help tilting her head to the side. "You... don't seem like the type of person to go through that though."
"Why?" Po asked, greatly surprised.
"You're very... attractive and everyone in the building tells me how kind you are. And I've seen it for myself," Tigress said with a slight smile.
"O-Oh," Po's eyes widened.
"I'm... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just-"
"No, no! That's fine. That's fine. It's just...uhhh... thank you," Po stuttered.
The two stared at each other before gazing back at the table. With no food to distract them.
"Do you... do you know what happened last night? I mean... after you saw me drinking?" Tigress asked.
"Oh, your friends saw you getting tipsy and started moving you up the stairs. I thought they were taking you to your room, but then I saw you by the staircase."
Suddenly, Tigress's head squirmed and squelched in pain. "ARGH! Ahhh."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Tigress growled and sighed. "I'm fine. I think I just figured out why you found me on the stairs."
"Why?"
"It's... complicated," Tigress replied. Po nodded and got up, taking her plate with him. "Are you not going to eat?"
"I already ate," Po smiled. "I uh... I like your dress. It's very nice on you."
"Thank you," Tigress said. She got up and folded the sheets. "I'm sorry for the sheets."
"It's okay. I completely understand. I'd be freaking out too if I woke up in someone else's house without knowing how. Hehe, if... people invited me to their houses."
The sadness was thicker than the panda's gut. "You don't go to many parties?" Tigress asked.
"It's... not the parties that are the problem. It's..." Po shook his head and put the plates into the sink. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just being lovesick and pitiful."
Tigress walked over to the sink. "How come?"
"I... I didn't go to the party for socializing. I went to... get better at talking to girls," Po laughed nervously. "It's silly, I know."
"It's actually the smart thing to do," Tigress answered practically. "It's much better than being a fool with confidence trying to talk with women."
"Hehe, yeah."
"Question," Tigress said, crossing her arms. "Why were you so focused on me?"
"Wha? Uhhh what do you mean?"
"You said you saw me drinking. How could you see me? You were all the way on the other side of the plaza where the bar was."
"The bar was in the middle of the plaza," Po protested, "It was in a sea of dancing animals."
"And yet you noticed me from your little spot at the edge of the party?"
"Hey, I'm not a wallflower," Po replied. Tigress rose her eyebrow with an unimpressed face. "I just... noticed."
"Hm."
"Hey!" The panda perked up, looking straight into her eyes. "How did you know I was looking so much?"
"It's not hard to tell."
"There was a bunch of people there. How did you know I was the one watching you?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does!" Po exclaimed. The tiger glared back at him. The panda pouted his lips, mustering what remnants of a serious face he could make. "Why were you looking at me?"
"You were... acting odd."
"I always act odd."
"I know," Tigress smirked. "Coming up with different reasons why you have to open up your mail along with me?"
"That's... That's just a coincidence!" Po huffed. The tiger held her lips in a smirk. The panda's lifted shoulders collapsed at the sight. Her lips. Though mostly medium in size and blackish, they still held a hidden exotic allure to them.
"Po?"
"Huh?"
"Is something on my face?"
"No! No, no just your face."
"What about it?"
"Uh... nothing, nothing," Po shook his head awake. "Anyway, I'm sorry if I come off as creepy. I'll get my mail some other time if it bothers you."
"It doesn't," Tigress simply mused. "I just wanted to know why you do it."
"Uhhh, I... I... have perfect timing?" Po nervously grinned. Tigress shook her head with a small smile.
They talked some more; it was the weekend anyway. She was a licensed real estate agent/landowner with several tenets doing well for herself. He was an art designer for a video game company, though he had been meaning to try his skills elsewhere. He had moved here because of a bet with a friend that went wrong; he didn't know how to explain it any better. She had made the decision to come because of her late grandmother's condition at the time and simply stayed. He liked roses, she liked the smell of lavender and honey.
She talked about her boyfriend, the cheating dirtbag who made her lose so much time and money. She had been working almost non-stop to make up for lost hours.
Po shook his head as he held his cup of hot chocolate; it was cold outside. He looked straight at her, both unimpressed and unbelieving. "That's not why you were working so hard."
"What?"
"You're telling me you worked harder to make up for lost time for money? No. You were trying to forget the pain," Po said bluntly. Tigress stared and then looked over to the window by the table. She looked back when Po placed his hand over hers. "It's okay, I know the feeling."
She offered a small smile. "This is nice," Po smiled. "I uhh... haven't had someone over at my house for a while. Especially not uh-"
"A woman?" Tigress smirked, glancing over the hastily folded clothes on the couch behind the panda. Po chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you again for helping me. I'm... a bit surprised that my friends would leave me there."
"YEeaaaah, about that. Do you have any idea why they would do that? I mean, doesn't seem to be-" Just then the tiger's phone started to ring.
"It's one of my friends. Is it okay if I-"
"Of course!" Po said. Tigress got up and went back to the room she awoke in. After closing the door, she took a deep breath.
Po was outside putting the dishes away when- "I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
"That... doesn't sound good," Po whimpered. He wrestled with himself a bit and carefully crept over to the door.
"I know exactly why you did what you did, Viper!" Tigress hissed loudly, "I can't believe Song went along with this."
"We were just looking out for you," Came the reply. "Don't worry, we made sure that you weren't kidnapped. We were on the next flight of stairs."
"And you just left me!"
"We knew he was coming. We didn't leave until he came," Viper replied.
"Do you know how scary it-"
"Calm down, Tigress. You and I both know that you weren't in any trouble. Even drunk you could decapitate a man. We've seen it." Po gulped though he could feel a little excitement bubble up in his gut. "After what Mei-Mei told us about the panda, it was a simple fix," Viper said.
Po's heart sank the moment he heard the name. He stumbled away from the room and went to the living room where he spent the rest of the time sadly folding the laundry.
After a couple of minutes, Tigress came out, still barefoot. She grumbled to herself but stopped when she saw Po grimly folding. "Po? Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh! Nothing, I... I just... overheard your conversation."
Tigress's eyes went wide. Her ears drooped as she rubbed her arm. "You did? What did you hear?"
"Well, I definitely could hear you yelling," Po chuckled sadly. "But uh... I didn't know you were friends with one of my exes."
"Oh! Mei-Mei," Tigress averted her eyes. She slowly walked over to the panda, gently touching his arm. "I... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You didn't know. Or... maybe you did?" Po said awkwardly. "I'm confused, though. Why did your friends-"
"It's... umm... a little embarrassing," Tigress said.
"I'd like to know. Hey, these 'friends' of yours sound like real jerks if they leave someone like you alone and blacked out."
Tigress crossed her arms and rose her eyebrow just a bit. "I can fend for myself."
"Not in that state."
"Even in that state."
"I'm just saying. What gives?"
Tigress stopped. She looked away from the panda's gaze until she finally sighed, "They... wanted me to... have the chance to... talk with you."
"Drunk and sleeping?"
"They're not the best planners."
Po tilted his head. "What did they want you to talk about?"
"I... uh... they thought that... well," Her cheeks started to redden. "Since I broke up with my boyfriend..."
Then it clicked. Po's face lit up. "They were trying to get you with me?"
Tigress shrugged into her shoulders but slowly nodded her head.
"Uuuhhh wow! Ummm," Po coughed, "Sorry, I just... didn't think um... And you said Mei... uh..."
"It's okay, I know that-"
"No, no, no. I just... I didn't think Mei-Mei would be over things... that quickly," Po grimaced.
"Oh."
"And uhhh wow."
They shared a small silence. Tigress stared at the floor, bowing her head. The most embarrassing moment in her life and these 'friends' of hers might have ruined her chances at just making a new friend. Now she was the creep. "It's fine," Tigress finally spoke. "I understand if it's too much for-"
"No, no, it's not that. I just... why me?"
Tigress pursed her lips hard. She darted her eyes away.
But then she turned them back on Po. She noticed he wasn't looking into her eyes. "Uuuhhh Po?"
"Hm? Ohh sorry, what were you saying?"
"I... I wasn't saying anything. What were you looking at?"
"Ummmm," Po nervously stuttered. "You see uhhhh it's just um... you... ooooohhhh this is gonna sound so awkward. Okay, ummmm you have... very nice lips. It's... kinda my thing."
"Oh!" Tigress's eyes widened. "Um... thank you."
"I'm sorry if that's weird."
"No, no, it's okay. I... I like the compliment. No one who hasn't kissed me has told me that. Even fewer have told me after they kiss me."
Tigress's eyes continued to widen. Did she really just put that whole thing out there? Why would she say that? She didn't want to give an invitation. "That's not a-"
"It's okay," Po chuckled nervously. "Wow, this whole thing got really awkward."
"Yeah," Tigress swallowed hard. "If... you don't mind me asking. Why did you and Mei-Mei date?"
Po's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why do you ask that?"
"It's just... Mei-Mei isn't the kind of person that strikes me as...your type."
Po folded his arms. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough for her?"
"No! No! Gosh no! I'm just saying that... well... you don't look... good with her... if that makes sense," Tigress struggled to say. "You look like you'd like someone... not a panda."
"Like a feline?"
"Huh?" Tigress's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets. The panda smiled.
"Hehe, gotcha," Po chuckled. "But I get what you mean. My friends have said the same thing." Po scratched the back of his head. "I... kinda got in a relationship with her for her looks, which is bad of me. But after a while, I grew to like her for her... uniqueness?"
"I know exactly what you mean," Tigress sighed with a deep understanding. "But... why did you-"
"We had different ideas of... where the relationship was heading."
"Ooooohh," Tigress nodded. "I see."
Another moment of silence passed before them. Po finally sighed. Tigress didn't like the sound of the sigh. It sounded like-
"Well, I think I should get back to work. There's some... stuff I need to do before work tomorrow."
"Right! I've overstayed my welcome."
"Oh! I didn't mean that I wanted you gone, I just-"
"No, no, it's okay." The two laughed at their awkwardness. Picking up her high heels, Tigress headed to the front door, thanked Po for everything, and stopped her hand from touching the doorknob. "You said that you got into a relationship with Mei-Mei because of her looks. What about her looks made you ask her out?"
"Her lips."
"Ah," Tigress smirked. "Your fascinating private fancy."
"Hehe, yeah," Po shyly smiled.
Tigress turned to the door.
She stopped again.
Taking a loud deep breath, she turned back to Po who had his hands shoved into his pockets. "Po?"
"Yeah?"
"I...lied. I... my friends did all of this because... they... know I... like you."
"Oh!" Po's eyes and heart fluttered. "Um... cool, cool."
"That's all you can say?" Tigress asked.
"No, no, it's just... I didn't expect you to like me back."
"Back?"
"I... like you too."
Another moment of awkward silence, though they smiled at each other. The room was tense yet easier. Finally, the brave panda walked towards the tiger. "Would you... like to go out sometime?"
"I would love that," Tigress smiled greatly. Then she smirked. "But first."
"What are you-" Po stopped short when the tiger's mouth was on his. He didn't need another moment to think about it. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, slightly lifting her up while his own spirit flew off the ground. What were two minutes lasted only a short four hours to them as they part, grinning from ear to ear. "Ummm, okay. But... uhhh... why?"
"I thought that it would be best to satisfy your little... fantasy now. At least give you a kind of peek."
"Hehe," Po chuckled, nervous and embarrassed but also glad. And it wasn't long before Tigress kissed him again, leaving him dumbfounded. "Hehe, lips are good."
Tigress could only smile.
THE END
A/N: Would you believe me if I said I actually got this idea from that Veggietales song about lips? XD
