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Tai Lung knew what it was like to be stuck in one's body. To be unable to move his limbs, his head, his tail. His body rigid even when his mind was sharp. To watch the world move around him and be completely at its mercy. The last time he had been in this position, he had ended up spending 20 years in prison, in the same state, heavy weights pushing into his back, into all his pressure points, completely immobilizing him.
He hated it. It destroyed him.
And now? After his frankly embarrassing defeat by the hands of the panda, the dragon warrior, the one that took his destiny, he was in that very same position again.
In a prison, immobilized, left alone with his mind.
Only this time, his prison wasn’t a jail cell, but his old room in the Jade Palace. His immobilization wasn’t caused by chains and weights, but by open wounds and broken bones. Yet, the worst of it all?
Shifu, his former master, his father, the man who denied him his destiny, was the one to care for him. Soft touches changing his bandages, cool rags placed upon his forehead, soothing balms massaged into his aching muscles.
Shifu never spoke, neither did Tai Lung, the silence crushing.
Eventually, the pain subsided enough for Tai Lung to move his body again, albeit slowly.
He thought about leaving, running off, no destination in mind, going as far as his injured muscles would take him.
He didn’t.
He wasn’t sure why.
Instead, he made his slow, agonizing way up onto the roof.
Sometimes, when he was still young, barely a teenager, he’d sneak up here at night or after an argument with Shifu. It was always quiet here, quiet and alone.
Quiet and alone, except for today, it seemed.
“Why did I know you’d be up here?” Came Shifu's soft voice as he walked up to Tai Lung, the snow leopard not sparing him a single glare.
Tai Lung stayed silent. What was he supposed to say? ‘I’m too weak to run away’? ‘I feel like a small child again’? ‘I’m terrified of myself’?
No, he wouldn’t ever admit to such failure.
Not saying anything it was then.
Shifu, silent himself, sat down next to Tai Lung. The master had brought a tea set, pouring both him and Tai Lung a cup of tea.
What was this supposed to be? Reconciliation? Bribery? Was he trying to poison Tai Lung?
Then again, Shifu drank from the same tea pot, so it shouldn’t be poisonous.
He didn’t touch the cup.
The silence between them was pure agony. Shifu was supposed to hate him. Tai Lung had caused so much death and destruction, he had nearly killed Shifu, nearly killed that panda, nearly killed everyone Shifu held dear. He had destroyed Oogways staff. Why wasn’t Shifu furious? Why wasn’t he yelling? Screaming, kicking Tai Lung out, locking him in another prison for the rest of his miserable existence? This time, Tai Lung wouldn’t even try to escape, he had no reason to anymore. Everything he had believed, everything he had worked for, his entire existence was a lie. Nothing but a stupid lie that an immature, insecure orphan had so desperately believed.
Why was Shifu taking care of him? Why? Why why why-
“Your tea is growing cold.” Shifu's voice interrupted Tai Lung’s spiraling mind and for the first time in weeks, Tai Lung looked at his former master. Panicked eyes staring into calm ones, darting down towards the tea cup, the liquid no longer steaming.
Tai Lung could feel his tail collecting dirt, twitching around, something which tended to happen when he grew nervous.
Why was he suddenly so nervous? Restless and jittery, as if ants crawled underneath his skin, the fur on his back spiking up ever so slightly, his tail just a tiny bit more fluffy than usually.
His heart was racing.
What was happening?
Shifu's eyes were so calm, collected, and yet, deep inside them, there was a tiny speck of something Tai Lung couldn’t identify.
“Tai Lung? Perhaps you got up too early, let us get you back to your room.” Shifu stood up, soft paws laying on Tai Lungs upper arm, which kickstarted his fight or flight reflex.
He slammed Shifu away, scooting across the roof, his heart suddenly beating out of his chest, his muscles burning, his mind flashing, foggy, and by the lords his lungs constricted, barely allowing him to breathe. What was going on?
Was he dying? Had his broken body finally taken enough? Was this what a heart attack felt like? Judging by his heartbeat in his ears, perhaps.
Shifu looked… worried. Terrified? Scared?
Tears stung in Tai Lungs eyes. His tail swooshed around and he grabbed it, holding it tightly, for some unexplainable reason sucking on its tip, something he hadn’t done since he was a cub.
“Tai Lung?” Shifu’s voice was soft, laced with that fatherly tone which always made Tai Lungs ears perk up. It was as if he didn’t even care that the snow leopard nearly threw him off the roof, simply standing up and limping his way over to Tai Lung.
Limping?
Why was Shifu limping? He’d never had a limp, right?
Had Tai Lung hurt him that bad?
Oh.
Shifu reached out a paw, it all in slow motion for Tai Lung. His mind was telling him to run away, to lash out, to attack Shifu, to do something and yet his muscles wouldn’t move. Why? Why couldn’t he move? Why couldn’t he do anything? Why was he such a fucking disappointment?
The paw laid itself on his upper arm, stroking his fur in a soothing manner.
His heartbeat slowed, the pounding in his ears dying down.
Tai Lung closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. With everything going on in his mind, he didn’t catch what Shifu was saying, but it sounded nice. It sounded familiar. For a moment, as his eyes were shut, he could simply pretend that this all wasn’t real. That the last 20 years hadn’t happened. That he was still Shifu's student, his son, just a young cub being soothed by his father after his first broken bone.
He leaned into the touch, into Shifu, leaning his head on his former master's shoulder. As Shifu's arms wrapped around him, for just a moment, he was at peace.
Tai Lung wasn’t sure how long they had been on the roof for. Once he opened his eyes again, still nestled into Shifu's loving embrace, the sun had gone down. Neither spoke a word for a long while, that was until Tai Lung let his tail, the tip soaking wet, drop from his mouth, taking a deep breath, his lungs burning as they expanded, his body aching.
“I’m sorry about Oogway.” He didn’t know why he said it. He didn’t even know if he was telling the truth or not. He had always respected Oogway as a master, a powerful one, perhaps the most powerful one, and he knew Shifu cared about him greatly. So when Tai Lung saw the shrine put up for Oogway at the Jade Palace, he knew the turtle master was no longer among them. He could only imagine how hard it must’ve been for Shifu.
Shifu tensed up as Tai Lung spoke, silence settling between them again before Shifu's arms wrapped tighter around Tai Lung.
“Thank you.” Were the only words spoken between them afterwards.
They stayed up here, up on the roof, looking out at the valley until the last lanterns had been blown out, the entire valley laying in a comfortable darkness. Only then did Shifu gently pry Tai Lung upright, walking him back to his old room, back onto his futon.
Having to be tugged in by your father? Tai Lung surely didn’t act like the mighty warrior he was supposed to be.
And yet, he was too tired to think about that right now. Right now, he wasn’t a warrior. He wasn’t the powerful Tai Lung, the first to master the 100 scrolls of Kung Fu, the man able to take down entire armies on his own, the walking weapon, the monster.
Right now, he was nothing but a terrified cub in desperate need of his fathers presence.
Shifu put the blanket over him, turning to leave the room, barely leaving time for Tai Lung to force a few simple words out.
“Stay, please.” A broken, childish voice, filled with terror, filled with years of abuse and trauma bubbling to the surface, were enough to make Shifu stop in his tracks and turn to look at his son.
His son, who, no matter how much time had passed, no matter the horrors he had caused, would forever be the newborn cub left on Shifu's doorstep.
Shifu didn’t need to speak, instead simply laying down with Tai Lung, his arms tightly wrapped around the snow leopard.
For the first time in decades, Tai Lung slept peacefully.