Taigress Mix

Not a dance to be performed at weddings or bar mitzvahs! Just a series of drabbles based on PointyEdgesofaSign's original idea. Features Tigress/Tai Lung, just because…

So I realized that while there were tons of eventual Tigress/Tai Lung fics out there, yet none of them have gotten to fluffy romance yet, or even to how they'd be as a couple, I decided to take a short respite from "That's Why They Call It the Present" and write this. Why? Because I'm nowhere near finishing "Present" and I can't do a shuffle based off of my OCs yet, as much as I want to. Damn. Oh well, that's coming soon!

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin

And there he was, looking so damn smug with that grin of his. Fine, he'd beaten her before, but that wasn't happening again. He was smirking at her again. Damn that panda for letting the snow leopard stay!

"Don't think I'm going to let you get away with anything," Tigress growled.

"Not at all, princess," he purred.

"Really?" She smirked back, turning her back to him and walking away, "I thought that was Vachir's nickname for you."

His jaw dropped; Oh no she didn't…!

Oh yes I did, she smirked to herself, an extra spring in her step.

"Silver Bamboo" Dean Evenson/Li Xiangting

She was beautiful. There was no way he could deny it. Sure, she was graceful, calm and peaceful on the outside, but a raging storm beneath…he could see it in her eyes, those fierce ruby eyes.

Tai Lung had never seen any woman like her; before his imprisonment, he regarded women as a waste of his time, as silly little things who cared only for makeup, clothes and…girly things like that. If he ever saw a need for one it was, well…well, he wasn't going to say it out loud. Tigress would probably kill him.

He watched her from his concealed perch in the tallest tree in the courtyard, as she performed tai chi stretches. The morning sun glinted off her umber fur, her eyes glowing in the half-light of the early morning. She was like a dancer, he thought, a dancer that could break my legs.

She almost had.

What a woman! So beautiful, yet so strong. Brave and resourceful, sharp-minded with an even sharper tongue…he knew she was off limits. That's why these thoughts were dangerous.

"Where do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston

She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, tears quietly falling down her cheeks. Of all the times to have a breakdown, why did it have to happen in front of him?!

"Tigress?"

Damn. Not now…don't answer, maybe he'll leave…

No such luck, as Tai Lung stood over her shoulder. "Go away," she snarled.

"Relax, Princess, I just want to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid…"

"Screw off, tomcat," she sniffed, turning her face away and standing. He put his hand on her shoulder; gently, he wasn't looking for a fight. "Tigress," he said more firmly.

"I told you to leave me alone."

"Look, I'm no expert in these matters, but I know that he hurt you…"

"Oh you know, do you?!" she snapped. She gasped when his hand gently caressed her cheek. His voice sounded in her ear, his hot breath against her neck as he whispered, "You think you're the first person to have their heart broken?"

"You don't have a heart," she said bitterly, regretting how harsh it sounded.

He sighed, turning her around to look at him. "Not anymore," he confessed. "I used to, but not anymore."

So, now the playing field was leveled.

"Tell Me Baby" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Tai Lung fell flat on his face on the courtyard floor. Okay, that hurt…and he was beginning to regret letting Tigress use him as a punching bag to get out her frustrations. Hell certainly had no fury like…

"ARG!" he roared as she delivered a terrifyingly hard blow to his back. "I'm not as young as I used to be!"

"Then forfeit, Grandpa," she smirked.

Oh. Oh that little…

"I'll show you 'Grandpa'!"

He struck out and she dodged, jumping straight up into the air and striking her foot out, nailing him in the chin. Damn her and her nimbleness! But he saw something that both amazed him and made his cold stone heart melt: She was smiling.

Smiling like a kid holding a magnifying glass over an anthill, but at least she was smiling!

Wait, she was smiling at his misfortune. And they said he was deranged.

But he wasn't complaining. She was smiling; kicking the crap out of him was cheering her up, and that's what mattered.

"Rappunzel" by Megaherz

Their first battle together, side by side. Their first battle together and he was scared stiff. She didn't look nervous at all, and he shouldn't be either. But there they were, facing off with the Dragon Warrior and the Five against the 1000 Demons of the WuShon Mountain.

He didn't care what happened to him; hell, most people would be perfectly content with him dying in battle. What bothered him was the possibility of losing the one standing beside him.

She was his equal, in more ways than one. It had taken him too long to figure that out. He'd been blinded by his arrogance, not to mention her beauty…and the multiple times he was blinded by her fist after he'd said something stupid.

And yet…no, he wasn't going into this without her knowing.

"Tigress, before we do this, there's something you need to know."

She looked up at him expectantly. She smiled, gently squeezing his hand, and he found to his shock that her hand was shaking. She was as scared as he was.

He looked back into her eyes, and he saw the answer he sought.

"I know," she said simply.

"Excuse Me Miss" by Jay-Z

"Where's the Dragon Warrior?" he asked, leaning precariously on the rope bridge; you are such a fake, his mind was screaming at him. You can barely keep it together with this woman in front of you. Like you haven't seen a woman in…

Twenty years?

Oh. Right. Damn.

But his curiosity was piqued: who was this vision in front of him?

"How do you know you're not looking at her?"

Well! Beautiful and feisty! Not a bad mix. Damn you, stop staring and say something!

He laughed, "You think I'm a fool? I know you're not the Dragon Warrior, none of you are!"

He continued on his little rant, watching her the whole time. The fire in her eyes was stoked until they were a raging inferno. Amazing, truly a vision she was…and he was in love.

But…what in the hell was her name?

"Tigress! We got this, help her!" the Monkey cried out.

So that was her name…Tigress. Perfect.

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper

"Okay, seriously, you need to be honest!" Viper squealed.

"I'm not playing this game," Tai Lung scowled.

"You've never played Truth or Dare before, have you?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm not playing."

"Too bad. It's my turn and I pick…Tigress!"

"Crap," the striped feline cursed.

"Truth or Dare?"

Tigress rolled her eyes and chose the safest path: "Truth."

"What's the craziest, zaniest thing you've ever done?"

Tigress sent her friend a glare. Viper knew. She just wanted the other Five, Po, Master Shifu, and Tai Lung to know…

"No."

"Come on!"

"Just get it over with, Princess," Tai Lung grumbled.

"Alright, fine…" Tigress got up and strode right across the room to where he was sitting and leaned down, firmly pressing her lips to his.

When she pulled away, he had a dazed look on his face. She smirked at Viper. "The craziest, zaniest thing I've ever done…is that. That takes care of the 'dare' too."

Viper cursed, and would have snapped her fingers if she'd had any. "Damn."

"Heaven Forbid" by The Fray

This felt amazing, he decided. Odd, yes, but still amazing. Incredible, even, how much better he slept at night holding her in his arms. Tigress's body molded perfectly around his, he'd discovered on that first night how much he loved her.

He thought it was adorable she'd crawled over to him during the storm, frightened—at her age!—of the thunder and lightning, and how he'd let her curl up next to him. She shivered like a kitten for a moment, then settled down into a calm sleep a few minutes later, he gently stroking her back.

She looked so peaceful, so young in her sleep. So innocent and carefree. He knew he could watch her like this forever. As he watched her sleep, he came to a dangerous conclusion.

He loved her.

The catch was, he could never tell her any of this…ever.

"Girl All the Bad Guys Want" by Bowling for Soup

Tigress was initially surprised to find how much of a workout she was getting just by sparring with Tai Lung. He kept her on her toes, more so than the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion. She expected their movements; he was unpredictable.

And okay, there was something slightly and yet inherently sexy about that.

…Did she just think that?

She blocked a punch, dodging and back-flipping as he advanced. She swung her leg out into a kick that he caught. He yanked on her ankle, and she fell forward into his arms.

Crap, now she was trapped! Think of a way out…aha! Surprise him!

He was way ahead of her. They kissed each other before they even realized that was their individual goal.

Then they jumped away, both of them spitting, "What the hell was that?!" but at the same time bothered by how much they had enjoyed it.

"Layla" by Eric Clapton

Tigress tried not to look uncomfortable in the dress—it wasn't working too well. She hated dresses, had only ever owned one, and was amazed it still fit. But, she wanted to make an impression tonight.

And so there he was, sitting across from her in the dimly lit restaurant, back in a little corner where no one would even notice them. They were both quietly glad for that, especially after Tai Lung had dragged a large houseplant in front of their table to further shield them.

"You look beautiful," he said, implying it was a gross understatement.

"You look good too," she smiled genuinely. And he did. Cleaned up, in clean clothes—and wearing an actual tailored shirt—he looked very nice. Quite nice.

Either it was the low light, the wine they shared, or the music from across the room, but something about this evening told her that something was changing—had changed.

He took her hands in his, she didn't pull away.

"You're going to laugh."

"Try me."

"Would you consider…maybe?" he looked hopeful, almost like a teenage boy asking to go steady than an adult male.

She knew what he meant, and she began chuckling, saying with a wink, "What do you think I've been 'considering' this whole time?"

Okay, personally? Doesn't that last song practically scream this ship? I was surprised I didn't get more Black Sabbath or Alanis Morissette in this shuffle. That's pretty much my entire library: metal and angry chicks. With a smattering of bubblegum pop from my teens. Sweet baby Jesus, I can't believe I actually listened to some of these artists…

Oh well, hopefully this was fruitful. Your thoughts? Please review! I want to know whether or not these truly suck.