Tigress was glad to see that Viper had decided to join in with the ribbon dancers too, so she wasn't the only non-panda there. As soon as she saw Tigress, Viper slithered over and began gushing over her outfit.

"Ooh, it's so unlike you, Tigress, but it's so pretty. And it's purple!"

"Thank you," Tigress said. "Mei Mei's friend made it."

"Cousin," Mei Mei corrected. "She's the best tailor in town."

"It's such a beautiful dress," Viper said. "Are you going to dance in it?"

"I'm going to try," Tigress said, and her tail twitched. She stomped on it ruthlessly. Viper flicked her tongue disapprovingly. Mei Mei frowned but shrugged it off.

"Remember to have fun, Tigress. Your goal isn't to win. It's to perform."

"If you say so," Tigress said.

"And now for the ribbon dances!" Li Shan's voice rang out. "Up first, Mei Mei!"

Mei Mei bounced in place, winked at them, then sauntered onto the stage area. Tigress stood by in the wings, peering out at the crowd. Po was front and center, and he caught her eye and grinned, waving. He gestured to Mei Mei, who was doing some kind of speech, and made twirling motions with his wrists. Tigress figured he was asking if she was going to dance, so she nodded. Po looked ecstatic as he turned back to Mei Mei.

"And to conclude the announcements, we have two of our guests performing with us, Master Viper and Master Tigress!"

There was a cheer from the crowd, and Tigress heard Po laugh. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Po looked directly at her and beamed. Then Mei Mei opened the ceremony, and his attention was diverted to the fabulous panda again. Tigress watched the graceful dance, her tail twitching under her hanfu. How could she, in all her awkwardness, match that? Her eyes were focused on the bright pink ribbons as they spun around and around. She was so tense that she was ready to jump out of her skin. But she would be fine.

And then the ribbons passed a bit too close to her.

Without conscious thought, she swiped at the streaming pink cloth. Her claws snagged the fabric and Mei Mei yelped and jerked forward, tearing the ribbons out of Tigress's claws. The sudden lack of resistance sent Mei Mei flying forward, and she knocked into a decorative carved pole. As she tumbled off the stage into Po's lap, the tall decoration tilted and fell toward the crowd. There were cries of panic, and Tigress moved before she thought. With a flick of her wrists, she sent the purple ribbons flying so that they wrapped around the pole. She sprang up into a backflip over the pole and used her momentum to jerk it away from the crowd. It fell with a crash onto the ground, and there was a moment of stunned silence as the pandas stared from Mei Mei to the pole to Tigress.

"Woohoo!" Po suddenly shouted, his eyes dancing. "Now that was awesome! Is this how all your ribbon dances go?"

"Not usually," Mei Mei grumbled, and Po helped her to right herself.

"What happened?" Li Shan asked, hurrying over.

"I don't know," Mei Mei said tartly. She grabbed her ribbons and stared at the shredded ends. "I think I got caught on something."

Tigress didn't say a single word. She wouldn't be able to face any of them if they realized that she was the one who'd caused the chaos. Nobody seemed to have noticed that she was the cause because they all began to meander over to the stage to check things out. Li Shan spoke loudly.

"Sorry, technical difficulties. We'll have a snack then try again after we check things out."

There was a cheer at the news of a snack, and Tigress relaxed, relieved that she hadn't been caught. She needed to be alone to work through this new humiliation. She turned and went back through the village to the hill with the tree overlooking the mountains, brooding the whole way about how little control she actually possessed. Her instincts caused nothing but trouble. Why couldn't she be docile like Shifu? He was always so calm and collected and never gave into impulses like that.

When she got to the tree, she sat down against it and stared down at the beautiful dress. This wasn't her. Not that she didn't like it, but it wasn't dignified for a person of her status to wear such finery. Silk was rare and for ceremonial purposes only. This dress was an extravagance she didn't need. Shifu would be ashamed of her and what she'd done. And all for the affections of a panda.

"Tigress?"

Tigress turned her head to see Po standing at the crest of the hill, a bowl in his hand. He stared and her and shuffled his feet.

"Are you in the mood for company?"

Tigress shrugged, unwilling to say yes but just as unwilling to turn him away. Po took that as a sign to approach and he dropped down and held out the bowl.

"I brought dumplings. They always make me feel better."

"Why would I need to feel better?" Tigress asked in a low voice.

"Because I always need to feel better when I mess something up."

Tigress glanced at him, her heart sinking. "What are you talking about?"

Po reached over to take her paw. He pulled a sliver of pink silk off of one claw and held it up. His eyes were soft as he looked at her, which was too much. She looked away and hugged her knees, tears of embarrassment threatening to fall.

"Out of everybody who could have noticed, why did it have to be you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Po asked.

Tigress didn't answer. Po's eyes continued to bore into her.

"Are you really doing all this just to honor panda culture?"

Tigress squirmed.

"I thought not," Po said. "So… who is Mei Mei trying to set you up with?"

Tigress turned to stare at Po with wide eyes. "What?"

"You've been spending so much time with her, and since she's the village matchmaker, Dad thinks she's trying to set you up with somebody. And Dad, uh goose Dad, says of course she is and if I would pay attention I'd figure out who it is."

"Why do you care?" Tigress asked.

Po picked up a dumpling and studied it before he spoke. "Because I might be a bit jealous of him."

It took several moments for that sentence to really get through to Tigress.

"I'm sorry?"

Po hesitated. "Can I say something? And only say yes if you won't interrupt."

"Yes," Tigress said, bemused.

Po ate the dumpling and chewed for longer than necessary. He swallowed. "Okay, well, you're a good friend, and you have been since I defeated Tai Lung. I wouldn't give that up for anything. But I know we had our differences. I was so excited when I thought you were the Dragon Warrior because of course you would be because you were the best, and when I was chosen… it was a lot and I did like it. But I also didn't like it because you were disappointed."

Tigress stared at him. "You were upset you were chosen… because I was disappointed it wasn't me?"

"Yeah. And I know that's why you were so mean to me when I got there. But after Tai Lung, you became the best friend I could ever want. You've been my teacher, my teammate, and my friend. But it's not enough. And I don't want to lose my opportunity to another panda. So please don't rush into a relationship with the panda, whoever he is. I can change if you want me to."

Tigress stared at Po for the longest time. He began to wilt and squirm under her scrutiny, but Tigress finally shook her head.

"She's the village matchmaker, eh?" Tigress asked. "That would explain a few things."

Po glanced at her. "You didn't know?"

"No."

Mortification swept across Po's face and he stuffed another dumpling in his mouth and looked away. "So you didn't go to her to help you catch somebody's attention?"

"Oh, I did do that. But not because I knew she was the matchmaker. It was because you seemed interested in her instead of me."

Po snickered. "Interested in Mei Mei? Please, she's not my type." There was a pause then Po sat up straight. "Wait a second!" He turned to Tigress. "Me? You're doing all this for me?!"

This time Tigress looked away. "I know it's foolish now. You don't have to tell me."

There was a long pause, and Tigress turned to see Po gazing at her with open interest. "I wouldn't say foolish. I'd say romantic."

Tigress couldn't help but laugh. "I don't have a romantic bone in my body, Po."

"You do. But you just show it in different ways."

"You don't mind that it's not… panda?" Tigress shrank in on herself. It was something she'd never be able to truly change about herself, and if he didn't like it, there was no hope for a relationship.

"Tigress," Po said slowly. "I wasn't raised by pandas. I think they're just as confusing as you do. Sleeping till noon sounds nice, but only every once in a while. I need to get stuff done during the day. And I want to go to bed at a decent time. Besides, I like awesome, and pandas… not so awesome."

Tigress smiled a little. "Except for you, Dragon Warrior."

Po puffed up a little and smiled at her. "Thanks." He paused. "So if you're doing all this for me…"

Tigress raised her brows. "Yes?"

"Then does that mean we can try and, you know, date?"

Po looked excited and hopeful and afraid. Tigress gazed at him.

"You would have to speak to Shifu."

"Oh, I can do that."

"Expect a lecture," Tigress said. "Bàba is not to be trifled with in regards to me as his daughter."

A gong sounded, and Po and Tigress turned to look back at the town.

"I'll talk to him later. We need to go," Po said. He hesitated and leaned close. "Can I kiss you? As, like, a promise?"

Tigress could tell Po was blushing furiously, and her own face went hot. She had never been kissed before, had never in fact been interested. They had to get back in time for the dances. Tigress had to perform. Still, the idea was so wonderful, so she nodded. Po looked as if he'd just been given the best present, and he leaned forward eagerly.

Tigress didn't know what to expect, but the overwhelming sweetness of Po nearly became too much as he handled her carefully, as if she were very precious. He touched her shoulder and put his other paw on her waist then pulled her close. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, as kind and loving as ever. It was only now that she understood there was more to that love than she'd ever thought. Then he kissed her, and thinking became impossible.

Tigress was caught up in Po as he gave her the first kiss of her life. He was so tender, so gentle, yet so eager. The paw on her shoulder slipped around her neck and pulled her close, the pads of his fingers rubbing gentle circles. His other hand tightened on her waits and tugged her flush against him. He was warm and strong, and Tigress melted into him, her heart fluttering as she swam in a heady mix of joy and love. For a few moments, she didn't care about anything but Po kissing her.

Po pulled back, his eyes warm. "Whoa," he murmured. He leaned his forehead against hers. "What do you think?" he asked.

"That was pretty awesome," Tigress murmured. She sighed. "But we need to get back."

Po hopped to his feet and helped her up. She brushed off her dress then glanced at Po.

"Do you want to see me dance?"

"Do you want to?"

"I'm not so good at it," Tigress admitted.

"How? Ribbon dancing is just like Kung Fu. Except you don't have a partner. Just think like you're practicing solo and you'll be fine."

Tigress's ears perked. "Really?"

The gong sounded again.

"Better hurry," Po said.

They turned and hurried back to the stage. Tigress went in the back to take her place backstage as Po hurried to take his seat. This time, Mei Mei's dance went off perfectly, and several pandas talked about loose nails. Tigress was far less anxious as she waited for her turn. Po already liked her, so she didn't have to impress him anymore. Still, she wanted her dance to be special, so she decided to treat it like Kung Fu instead of an awkward social ritual.

When Tigress stepped out for her turn, she kept her eyes on Po. Her closest friends knew how she despised performing, but she didn't mind this time. Taking a deep breath, Tigress turned the awkward, basic dance she'd struggled with for days into a breathtaking combination of Kung Fu and ribbon dancing. As she twirled and danced, she saw Po grinning, his eyes locked on her alone. She knew then that he had never looked at Mei Mei like that. For the first time since the Jade Palace had been destroyed, she had hope that things would eventually be okay again.

With a final flourish, she landed on the stage, and the pandas burst into enthusiastic applause. Tigress bowed then slipped backstage into Mei Mei's effusive hug.

"Girl, where were you hiding all that talent?" she exclaimed.

"I suppose a change in mindset was needed," Tigress replied. "Dancing is like Kung Fu, after all."

Viper grinned at her then slithered onstage for her turn. There were ooh's and ah's, but Tigress was tired to watch. She slipped away and out the back door then headed for Ting Ting's shop to get her regular clothes. As she walked, somebody joined her, and she glanced over to see Shifu strolling beside her.

"Quite the performance, Tigress," he said.

Tigress nodded and glanced away. "I wanted to honor the pandas, master. They taught me much."

"Of course," Shifu said. After a few more steps, he added casually, "Though I think you had one in particular you were trying to honor?"

Tigress stopped walking, mortified. "Master, I…" she hunched over as she realized she was still in the hanfu Ting Ting had made for her.

Shifu stared up at her solemnly. "You know, Yue, I was always afraid that you would go seeking after another of your own kind to settled down with. But you've stayed home with me."

"Bàba?" Tigress asked in a small voice.

"We'll see how long it takes him to approach me. I dare say it won't be very long."

Tigress stared at the red panda who had adopted her when nobody else would, hope welling in her eyes. "You approve?"

"Many won't, but I see no issue. Po will take care of you, and that's all I care about. He's better than the tigers who've sought your hand."

"Sought my hand?" Tigress asked.

"Tigers have been seeking to marry you for years. Every time you've run them off. It's been amusing to watch."

"You never told me," Tigress accused.

"Would you have been comfortable knowing that every male tiger that came by the Jade Palace since you were twenty wanted to marry you?"

Tigress thought about it. "No."

"I followed my judgement and let them try to win your affections without telling you. If you showed interest, then I would have spoken with you. But you never have. Until now."

Tigress gathered her skirts in her paws and started toward the shop. She slipped inside, and Shifu followed. After gathering her clothes, she ducked behind the changing screen and slipped out of the dress and into her usual clothes. Shifu waited patiently for her to come out. Tigress folded the dress over her arm and stepped out.

"I know it's an extravagance," Tigress said.

"It suits you," Shifu said. "And Po couldn't take his eyes off you."

Tigress smiled and glanced away. Shifu's ear twitched, and he smiled back.

"Come along, Yue. Your suitor is probably desperate to talk to me."

"You don't usually exaggerate," Tigress said. She pulled a charm out of her pocket along with a note and set it on the vanity. "A gift," she added when Shifu raised his eyebrows.

"Ah. Good. And I'm not exaggerating. Po's had his eye on you since the moment he got to the Jade Palace."

Tigress was secretly pleased. "I suppose I didn't notice."

"Perhaps for the best. I don't think you would have reacted well if you'd known."

"True."

Shifu nodded at her. "Come now. Let's get back to the festivities. One thing I must admit I like about these pandas, they cook very well."

Tigress agreed, and they stepped outside. They heard music and saw pandas dancing, but Tigress had eyes only for Po. As soon as he noticed them, Po made a beeline to stand in front of them.

"Hey, Master Shifu, I need to talk with you. Now, please."

"Tigress, go and eat something. Po, let's walk."

Tigress watched the two very different pandas walk down the path, and she could tell it was a serious conversation. She smiled, unable to help it. Po really was interested in her.

"Hey, Tigress," Mei Mei said. "You took off your dress."

"I can't perform Kung Fu as well with skirts. I hope a sparring match between the Five is a good choice for entertainment. Dancing might be fabulous, but Po likes awesome. You were right, matchmaker."

Mei Mei laughed. "You found out?"

"You're devious, you know that right?"

"Naturally," Mei Mei replied. "And you're not just awesome, my dear. After that dance, you're fabulous, too."

"I think I can handle being both," Tigress said. She looked over to where Po and Shifu were talking with Mr. Ping and a shellshocked Li Shan. Po looked so animated and gleeful, and Tigress sighed. What had she done to deserve the affections of the Dragon Warrior? At this rate, even their love would be legendary. Po would like that.

They feasted for the rest of the day and well into the night, but Tigress padded away at sunset with her friends. Po joined them with Shifu, his eyes dancing with pleasure as he gazed at Tigress.

"What's got you so happy?" Mantis asked.

"Shifu said Tigress and I can begin courting," Po said, grinning.

There was silence before Monkey laughed. "No way! You and Tigress?"

"Why not?" Po asked.

There was a thoughtful pause before Viper rose up and flicked her tongue. "That's a good question. And I don't think there's a good answer unless Tigress doesn't approve."

"Do you have any objections, Yue?" Shifu asked.

"I would be honored, Bàba," Tigress replied, as composed as ever.

"Excellent. Then we'll sort out the details when we get things organized at the Jade Palace." A sad expression crossed his face and his ears lay back against his head. "So much lost."

"And yet we're all still here," Tigress said. "Not all is lost. And what was can be put back together."

"True," Shifu said, smiling a little. "And there have been other gains, as well."

After talking for awhile away from the feast, the masters split up to go sleep. Shifu stayed behind until it was only himself and Tigress and Po.

"Be responsible," he said.

"Yes, Bàba," Tigress said.

"Sure thing, Dad," Po said, his eyes sparkling. "Once I marry Tigress, I'll have three!"

Shifu sighed and palmed his forehead. "Right. That's about to become my reality." He waved his hand and headed for his room, leaving Tigress and Po standing together. Po squirmed a little.

"Walk?" he suggested.

Tigress inclined her head and they made their way back to the tree on the hill. They settled down, staring across the star-strewn sky. Po shifted closer and wrapped his arm across Tigress's shoulders. Tigress nuzzled him, letting out a pleased chuff. Po chuckled.

"Never heard that one before," he said. Before Tigress had time to be embarrassed, he turned his gaze on her. "But I like it."

A warm ball of pleasure filled Tigress's stomach as she gazed at Po. "You don't think my instincts are too much?"

"I think it's cute," Po said, and he reached up to smooth his palm over her twitching tail.

"I'm not cute," Tigress said.

"Really?" Po asked. He tilted her chin up and smiled. "I think I can change your mind."

And then he was kissing her again and everything melted away besides Po. Her heart fluttered and her stomach tightened as Po gave her a kiss that left her breathless. He pulled back, his eyes shining.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I'm still not cute," Tigress murmured.

Po only laughed then kissed her again. All thoughts of the work they'd have to do when they got home were swept away. For the moment, there was nothing but the two of them, and that, Tigress realized, was fabulously awesome.

And that's it for this idea. Let me know what you thought. Thanks once again to Bernie1273blue on Ao3 for the request. God bless.