Chapter Text
I don't own Kung Fu Panda
This came from a small part of my heart. Meant to be a lighthearted little thing for my creativity. Hope you like it.
Growing up has a problem: Work for seemingly no pay. Sure, if one has a goal like a family, a relationship, a career, etc, things are worth it. But growing up WITHOUT those goals weighs heavily on the mind. As children, we didn't need to escape because the world is filled with new, strange things. But somewhere in the process, we learned that certain pains and agony were too much to ignore. We had to throw away childish things not because we outgrew them, which would be the more natural growing pain. We threw them away because we needed to survive.
But we start to escape into something else for 'fun'. A type of fun that doesn't work: shows, movies, games, social content, electronics of all kinds, etc. As kids, these were fun because they were a nice dessert after a month's worth of work. Or maybe we just didn't feel as rushed as we do now.
But at the back of our minds, we know that we can't escape life's pain. We could never do that. At some point, we have to step up to the plate, however messily, and take on life, bruises and all.
Our heads make the journey worse. We picture our lives as a never-ending battle with no reprieve. Rest, weekend, holidays, games, shows, movies, they never seem to fully remove the pain of living or the pain of growing up. The thought of living is so much worse than actual life and the thought of escaping it is so much less effective than we hope for. And so we try to find ways to be a kid again, never realizing the issue is much deeper.
Po didn't know how to verbalize any of this at the moment, but he felt it after finishing the last document on some treatise in an unknown region of China that he could've sworn he saw the last three times today. He rubbed his sore eyes, and his knees hurt. That was new. He hadn't been sleeping well after the fight with the Northern Hordes last week. The others helped, but he was seen as the leader for the entire army, so more of the work fell on him. But things weren't better at home. Po mopped his face and reclined back in his chair, taking a moment of silence after finishing. It was literally a second before Tigress burst in. "DAH! Tigress, don't do that!"
"Bandits in the village."
"Ugh, again? Fine. I'm coming, I'm coming," The bear grumbled up to his feet. Rushing down the mountain, the panda ran on autopilot, never missing one of the steps. Once he got to the bottom, he, the Furious Five, and the new Dragon Warrior Zhen all stood against a throng of wolf bandits. "What the... that's a lot of dogs."
"We are the followers of the Late Great Lord Shen, and we have come for revenge against the Dragon Warrior who-" The lead wolf suddenly gasped for breath. The others didn't know how or when, but Po quickly closed the gap and punched the lead wolf's gut with clean precision. The dog bowed over and hit his face on the ground. Po grabbed him by the arms and flung him straight down the road. The other wolves watched in shocked horror as their leader flew over their heads like a bird and landed outside the village's outskirts.
"Anyone else wanna try?" Po grumbled, irritated.
"F-F-F-F-For our leader!" Shouted one of the canines.
"Ugh! I don't have time for this," Po charged in. The others followed him in, bashing through the line of bandits. Po's belly pushed and bumped through the unsuspecting wolves. Grabbing one by the arms, he smashed their bodies into each other, swatting them like gnats with the poor dog in his hands as the swatter. Another grab and roll later, he kicked one crook straight through his shield, felling seven to the floor and sending the poor bandit flying over the crowd. Steely green eyes bore into the rest of the canine crooks, making their legs shiver and retreat.
Pretty soon, the fight was over. "Very good, Po. You... Po?" Tigress looked all around.
"He leaves quickly for a panda," Zhen mentioned. Tigress grimaced with her nod. The two searched for the bear while the others took the vagabonds into custody. Through the lethargic and waking village streets, the scent of Mr. Ping's noodles and tofu filled the air as they approached the shop.
A pair of pigs left the restaurant, whispering among themselves. "Did you see him? It's like he just died and ate like... like... a walking dead person."
"Maybe the work is getting to him. He's not usually that depressed."
Fox and tiger looked at each other. "Po." And with one look into the shop, they saw the panda sadly munching on a bowl of noodles. His eyes listlessly stared into nothing while his chopsticks ran on autopilot. The two carefully walked over and sat on either side of the panda.
"Hey buddy. What's wrong?" Zhen asked.
"Nothing," the panda grumbled.
"Po, something is wrong. You look very... depressed."
"I don't want to talk about it. I have a lot of work to do, and I'm... I'm tired," Po sighed, rubbing his eyes. Tigress's frown widened, catching sight of the panda's drooping eyelids.
"Does resting help?" Zhen asked.
"Not really. I just feel so... out of it. I need something else," Po groaned with a haggard body. "I need a vacation."
"Maybe you need some time alone. Rest and meditate," Tigress suggested.
Zhen's face and head tilted to the side. "Are you sure about that? Po doesn't seem like the kind of person to... sit still."
"It can happen. Especially when I spar with him," Tigress smirked.
"Ha, ha, guys," Po muttered, though the edge in his voice was new. Like he really, really didn't appreciate the joke. He noticed his bowl was done and sighed. He gave the bowl back to his worried fathers, who asked for the fifth time if he was okay. "I said I'm fine!"
He didn't exactly shout it, but it was loud enough to make the bear and goose widen their eyes. Po marched out of the shop and started to walk to the steps of the Jade Palace. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. An exhausted huff left his mouth, "What is it Tigress?"
"Po, something is-"
"Wait, how come you knew it was her?" Zhen asked.
"You're too short to even reach my shoulder without scurrying up my back like a thieving rodent."
"Po!" Tigress snapped. The bear looked back at Zhen's ears, lowered with hurt. Taking a deep breath, Po sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Alright, alright, that was uncalled for. I'm sorry, Zhen. I don't mean to be this edgy. I just..." Po's back found a wall and slid down it to the ground, letting a heavy sigh leave his lungs like the last of his soul fled him. "I'm just exhausted. I feel like... like... like I hate Kung Fu."
"WHAT?!" Tigress and Zhen exclaimed.
"Come on, big guy. You're exaggerating. You love Kung Fu. Why would you hate it?"
"Because I barely do it, and I have to do everything else because of the stupid title! I'm just... really sick and tired of having all these responsibilities with almost no help! I just-"
"We could help you, Po," Tigress said. "We've done it before."
"But a lot of people expect ME to do it. To-"
"Po, didn't you teach me not to worry about what others think?" Zhen smirked.
The panda rolled his eyes. "This is different."
"No, it's not. And... with all due respect, you're starting to sound like Master Shifu," Zhen said seriously. She glanced at Tigress, worried she had overstepped her boundary, but the tiger simply nodded in agreement.
"And you're not usually the one to worry about expectations," Tigress added.
Po scoffed, "You remember how I was when I first became Dragon Warrior? I was a mess. It's just... I don't want people to think I only ever mess up."
"You mean like right now?" Zhen stated.
"What?" Tigress and Po said simultaneously.
"Po the panda, fan of everything that is Kung Fu, is sick and tired of Kung Fu?" Zhen said with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't that sound like a red flag to you?"
"I have other interests, you know," Po whined.
"You do?" Tigress and Zhen asked.
Po rolled his eyes as he stood up. "I do other things, guys. I like cooking. I just don't like doing it as much as my dad does."
"Okay, what else?" Zhen asked.
Po thought for a moment, chuckling, "Honestly, I did like working with the action figures. I like making stuff. Especially when I'm bad at it."
"Why?" Tigress asked.
"Because when I know I'm bad at it, people don't care. They don't have the same expectations when I'm actually good at something."
Tigress sighed and put both hands on the shoulders of her friend. "Po, you're overworked. You need rest. I don't want you to stress yourself to the point where you start hurting the people around you. You know what that does."
Those words cut deeper than a diamond dagger. Of all the people who knew about overworking, about expectations, about feeling what he felt and hurting others because of it, it was Tigress.
Po let loose a long, heavy sigh.
"Growing up sucks! Like really really sucks! And no one ever gave me tips about how to deal with it. Like it's sucking out all the joy I ever had."
"That's because you think you HAVE to do things a certain way," Tigress said. "Po, you showed us that not everything has to be done a certain way. That we don't have to meet everyone's expectations. That it's okay to be ourselves. That's why we're so worried about you. If the person who inspired me, inspired us, is falling into the trap we all were in, then we have to do something to help." Tigress smiled warmly, "Please let us help you."
"I don't even know what I need help with."
"It sounds like," Zhen chimed in, "you're fed up with the bureaucracy part. The paper responsibilities. Maybe you need to start streamlining. Figure out what you can give to the other masters."
"It... would be nice to have something to do other than training and fighting," Tigress mentioned.
"Who was doing the work before Shifu retired?" Zhen asked.
"The servants," Tigress replied. "I don't understand why you thought you had to do it all by yourself, Po."
"Pride?" Zhen and Tigress looked at him with their eyelids lowered and their frowns long. They even crossed their arms in the same unbelieving way. "Okay, okay. I just... I didn't want to rely on people all the time, especially if something goes wrong. I don't know, Shifu just makes this look so easy."
"Shifu has years of experience that you don't. He knows how to delegate, even when he's not emotionally available," Tigress replied.
"She's right."
"DAHH!" Zhen, Tigress, and Po jumped at the sound of a new voice. Their old master smiled patiently as he walked up to Po.
"How long have you been standing behind me?" Zhen asked.
"That's unimportant," Shifu said, "The important thing is that you understand that I'm just like you, Po. One person who can get overwhelmed."
The large panda gave a large sigh, "You make it look so easy."
"But it's not. I used the work as a way to escape my pain from Tai Lung," Shifu smiled warmly. "You can rest, Po. In fact, I would say you should rest more than you work."
"That's... not what you taught me," Tigress argued gently. Shifu sighed, knowing exactly what she meant.
"I was... Mistaken. You are right, Master Tigress. But I realized after Po that... it's not ideal. I forgot how my master taught me."
"Actually, that's been something I really wanted to ask you," Po said, bending down to the red panda. "How exactly did Master Oogway train you? Because I don't think he would've trained you the same way you trained any of us. Was it hard? Or weird or did it have-"
"Po?"
"Huh?" Po snapped back to reality, noticing the three smiling. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just... it's good to hear you sound like yourself again," the fox smiled.
The panda sighed, "Zhen, I'm really sorry about what I said. I-"
"Need rest," Shifu said sternly, "You don't want to become like me, do you?"
"Please don't," Tigress and Zhen both pleaded. The red panda side-glared the two but said nothing.
Po sighed, "Alright, rest more than you work. But won't that waste time?"
"It'll waste more time if you try rushing through something only to mess up all the time," Tigress replied. "Measure twice, cut once. You should at least reduce your responsibilities. I think you're tiring yourself out. Please, Po. Let us help you."
"You're right," Po sighed in defeat. "Thanks, guys."
"Now, who gets Po's job of the Jade Palace finances?" Zhen said excitedly.
"I... don't do that."
"Dang it!"
"Nice try," Tigress smirked.
Po's health and behavior grew a little lighter after the talk. The others began helping him with some of the responsibilities around the Jade Palace, though there was something definitely strange about it.
"You work too much," Mantis and Monkey murmured.
"And this isn't the type of work you should be doing," Tigress noticed quietly.
Two weeks later, though, she noticed something else.
"Po, have you eaten? You look... skinny."
If anyone else had said this, people probably would've looked at them like they grew nine heads. For the pandas, it would make sense. Po did work out much more than the other pandas. And it would make sense for Mr. Ping. Being the son of a chef as well as a panda kind of ensures weight gain.
Viper would say it. But Po would probably think she was being nice. The others would've probably said it as a nice lie or something like that.
But the fact that Tigress said it at the barracks' kitchen made everyone at the table stop what they were doing and look at her. Even Po was staring at her like she had stripped naked. "I'm... sorry?" He asked slowly.
"Have you eaten?" She asked again.
Zhen used the back of her hand to whisper to Master Shifu. "Does she usually lie like that?"
"No, she doesn't. Which is why this is strange."
Tigress finally noticed that she was being watched by everyone at the table. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just... why do you think Po's skinny?" Monkey finally asked. "I mean, he's lost some weight, but-"
"Don't try and butter me up, Monkey," Po dismissed. "But seriously, Tigress, why do you think I'm skinny?"
The tiger sighed, slightly annoyed, "Obviously you're still big, but you're not as... big as... what I mean is... maybe I've been around the pandas for too long."
It made sense. A month ago, Tigress had been commissioned by the pandas to go to their village to teach them more Kung Fu. Why the pandas wanted her and not someone like Po or even Master Shifu, they couldn't say. Po secretly felt like it was an effort to try and 'put more meat on her bones' as some of the female pandas often complained of Tigress not eating nearly as much as a normal person. Whatever that looked like. In return, she also helped Li Shan and the other pandas regain some of their lost panda history, all within the span of a month. That's a different story entirely, but it would explain why she thought Po was a little on the skinny side.
Because he was.
The others noticed it too after Kai was defeated, but didn't mention anything about it. Po is somehow slimmer than the other pandas. At least, he felt slimmer than the others. While it could've been the exercise or the fact that he ate with chopsticks instead of his hands like the other pandas, they couldn't say.
But it was certainly surprising to have Tigress mention it so firmly. Po finally cleared his throat. "Well, I've been eating regular. I guess the Kung Fu and exercise have helped slim me down some. Plus the stress," He murmured.
"Just... don't forget to eat."
"Tigress, I'm not gonna become a stick. That's physically impossible unless I was hibernating or something."
"Do pandas hibernate?" Zhen asked.
Po shook his head. "We just travel less and stuff like that," The bear replied.
"I didn't mean to be rude, Po. I just-"
"Don't worry, Tigress," Po smiled, "It's nice to hear. Especially from you."
"Why from her?" Mantis asked.
"Because I always think the rest of you are just saying it to make me feel better. With Tigress, I don't have to worry about that," Po smiled, returning to stirring the pot.
"We don't lie, Po," Viper corrected, "We just... want to be careful about how we present the truth."
"Yeah, but I don't have to worry about that with Tigress," Po smirked over his shoulder.
"Why?" the feline asked.
"Because you're incredibly blunt," Crane said plainly, though there was a slight edge to his voice.
Tigress crossed her arms at the bird. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no of course not. Only if you're a 'wimp'."
"Hehe, knew that was coming," Monkey chuckled with Mantis.
Tigress rolled her eyes. "We had a job to do and Po wasn't in the mental space to do it."
"Oh, and I am?"
"You have more experience."
"Hmph," The bird huffed.
"Am... I missing something here?" Zhen asked.
"Tigress called Crane a wimp when we fought against Shen," Po rattled off. Shifu raised his bushy eyebrow at the striped feline.
"He was," Tigress argued. Crane rolled his eyes and continued eating his food.
"Regardless, while I do appreciate your honesty, I'd appreciate it if you could find a way to deliver the truth in... gentler tones, Master Tigress," Shifu replied.
"No," Po firmly said, cracking like a whip to the tiger and red panda that sat next to each other. "Don't do that. Never ever do that."
"He's right," Mantis chimed in as well while the others simply nodded. "With all the pretense and polite stuff that we have to deal with from each other AND the villagers, we need someone we KNOW for certain isn't gonna lie to save our feelings."
"You're just as blunt as me," Tigress replied.
"No, I'm just loud, not blunt. There's a difference," the bug argued.
Po set a bowl of noodles before the two masters. "In any case, we're glad that you are the way you are, and you don't need to change that," He smiled. Shifu sighed with a small smile of his own.
Tigress simply stared at the panda and grinned. "Thank you, Po."
The panda nodded and went back to the pot, letting a quiet moment pass.
Until.
GRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!
Everyone looked at Po who rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh. "Hehe, maybe I haven't been eating as much."
"That's it! You're going to your father's shop," Tigress announced. "Zhen, grab his other hand, Viper, make sure he doesn't back out."
"Tigress, guys! I'm fine! Hey!" Without another word, the three ladies started shoving and pushing Po out of the kitchen, down the mountain, and towards his father's shop.
Mr. Ping couldn't stop laughing at the sight. "This has been the most women Po has ever brought home! Hahahha!"
Needless to say, the stress of his job was still a factor in Po's weight fluctuations. And the others quite suddenly figured out how much that was the case.
Tigress was helping Po with some of his paper responsibilities when she started looking through some of the scrolls a little closer. She sat in her room, combing over the scroll in-depth. Her eyebrows furrowed. "This isn't right."
She glanced through the next scroll again and again, finding more problems that only confirmed her initial thought. She stroked her chin. Maybe she was being too narrow-minded. She needed another pair of eyes on this, but who?
Suddenly, a knock at her silk door panel called her. "Come in."
"Hey, Po was wondering if you finished up the Gau Lin article. It's due next week," Zhen asked.
"I... am," She said slowly.
With a quizzical eyebrow lifted, the Corsac fox quietly approached the woman. "Any reason why you're on the ground, Master Tigress? You have a desk."
"Zhen. How good are you at finding patterns?"
"Very good. A trait of a good thief is to find patterns and exploit them," Zhen said proudly with her hands on her hips. "Why?"
"Read this and tell me if you're noticing what I am." She gave her the scroll. The smaller mammal skimmed through it.
Zhen sighed, "This is the Gau Lin article, right?" Tigress nodded. "Yeah, Po said that they usually want reports on the area: their farmland, their increase, some of the losses due to-"
"We're Kung Fu masters," Tigress interrupted. "Does that help you with the pattern?"
Zhen paused for a moment, looked down at the scroll, and then widened her eyes.
"Why are we doing a tax collector's job?!"
"Exactly!" Tigress stood up and grabbed the handful of scrolls. "Get Viper and Crane, and anyone else that's been helping Po. We're talking to Master Shifu."
Soon, at the Hall of Heroes, Shifu was glancing over the exact wording of the tasks recommended for the article, and sure enough, they matched almost identically to what Zhen realized. Po paced around while the red panda scanned scrolls. "That's just one responsibility out of the many that we have to deal with, Tigress. I don't see why-"
"Master Shifu, the real question is why we don't have people doing this for us," Po said. "Like the Master's Banquet. Shouldn't that be done by a manager or something? Not someone whose main job is for the 'spiritual health of the village'?"
Shifu grumbled, but he could understand. "I guess I didn't realize how much work I put on myself."
Zhen glanced at Tigress as if to ask for some permission to speak. The feline silently nodded. "Master Shifu, maybe it's time for the Kung Fu masters to just... focus on Kung Fu, rather than the politics of China."
Shifu sighed, "I wish we could, but sometimes helping people means being involved in politics. We still have to have a pulse on what is happening around us."
"But not to this extent, right?" Zhen asked.
Shifu slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think so."
"But what's the balance then?" Po asked, exasperated. "Obviously, we get a tax collector for Gau Lin, but what about other stuff like the master's dinner, or the festivals?"
Shifu smirked, "Well, your little incident with the Masters' dinner simplified that. Now the masters want to eat with the villagers."
"But the other things we can have other people do," Tigress said. "And if there's a problem, we'll take a yearly assessment. We can't completely isolate ourselves to Kung Fu, but we... Po's stretched too thin with these responsibilities."
"Yeah," Po groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I'd rather have just one day to stare at all of this stuff than have to do it every single day."
"It's not every single day, Po," Shifu corrected, "But I understand what you're talking about. Besides," Shifu muttered as he rolled up the scroll. "We're getting too old for this."
A light chuckle left everyone's mouth as the red panda dismissed them. Po gave a long sigh, cracking his back from the stiffness. "I'm free. I'm finally free. Now I can just focus on what I want to do!"
"Like?" Zhen asked.
"Teaching you!"
"UHhhh, maybe we shouldn't take away all that work," Zhen grimaced, but the panda quickly snatched her up and carried her. "Hey!"
"Come on, student. It's time for your training," Po smiled widely. The fox grumbled uselessly while Tigress made a wide smile as she followed from behind.
Later on that night, when the moon's full glow bathed the village in a calm bluish light, Tigress walked out of her bedroom and saw the panda's room empty. She glanced at the kitchen. No sign or sound of him eating either. She walked along floorboards that were well acquainted with her weight and grace as she made her way out of the barracks and towards the steps leading into the village. Had he gone into the village? Why now?
"Looking for me?" Came a voice from her right side. On the far end past the barracks, there was a little flat place directly in the moon's light. A tree grew on the edge of the cliff, and Po sat there, waving for Tigress. She walked over and sat with him, silently gazing at the moon. "Sorry if I scared you."
"You didn't. I was wondering where you went. And now... I'm wondering why you're here. You of all people should be getting some rest."
"I know," Po smiled gently as his stare returned to the moon. The silence between them calmed them down. Tigress gave a slight yawn, hoping that Po wouldn't tease her about it. "It's hard, you know."
"What's hard?"
"Convincing myself that I'm enough. That I don't have to do it all. It's hard," Po frowned. "And that's why I'm afraid of growing up. I keep thinking that I'll be stuck in a place forever if I'm too late or if I wait too long."
"You won't. That's something that you decide for yourself. It's often a mindset more than circumstantial," Tigress smiled, lightly placing her hand on his shoulder. "Master Shifu gained inner peace at his age. You found it at yours. Even if you figure out everything by the next minute, there will always be more to learn."
Po arched his eyebrow. "How is that supposed to make me feel better?" He asked.
"Because it means you can take your time. You don't have to rush. Life isn't enjoyed at the fastest pace, but the slowest contentment. Life is about savoring, not figuring out. Most people who are 'too late' never wanted to change in the first place. They had clear opportunities and didn't take them. You're worried about opportunities that haven't come yet or won't even exist. It's not about how much you can do with your life; it's about the quality of your life," She smiled, though Po could see some shimmer of sadness behind it. "Look at me. I could have a spouse by now, but... I chose to dedicate my entire life to Kung Fu."
"You did?" Po asked. Tigress glared. "It was an honest question. I mean... you kinda looked sad about it. And... are you sure you aren't just... taking yourself off the market out of fear of pain?"
"The market isn't that friendly to people like me, Po," Tigress sighed. "I don't want to be hurt like that." She looked at her hand and clenched it, possibly to rid herself of any of the pain. A black paw delicately grabbed it.
"Tigress, you're always gonna get hurt. That just comes with life. But you taught me that you don't enjoy life by fearing pain. You enjoy life by accepting it."
The feline felt her heart split in two, but not for the reason she thought. "I don't think I, of all people, taught you that."
"It's just something I learned from watching and hearing about your life and-"
"I didn't think you were listening that closely," Tigress smirked.
"I listen! It's just... You can't be afraid of trying. Even if it hurts you. No pain is avoided. Good pain as well as bad pain happens to everyone. Sometimes you decide the kind of pain you must endure, but most times, you decide your response."
Tigress blinked in silence before a laughing smile came to her lips. "Spoken like a wise spiritual master."
"Hehe, I learned something from bumbling through life," Po smiled, resting his back against the tree. Tigress's smile widened. She shocked Po by resting her head onto his chest, still holding that calm, peaceful smile. The panda was trapped. He couldn't move even if he wanted to.
"I guess," Tigress said after a long pause. "That's the only way to get through life. Trial and error. You just bumble less with a little of the right help."
"Yeah," Po stuttered a bit. But he relaxed and sighed contentedly. "Yeah... I don't think I'm scared of growing up anymore."
Tigress hummed, and the two remained there, watching the moon bathe the night world in its calming light.
The End