Title: "Kiss To Kiss"
Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG
Summary: They were living in secret, longing for those rare moments spent existing kiss to kiss and never thinking any one would discover the truth until some one did.
Warnings: Slash, Established Pairing
Word Count: 728
Date Written: 28 September, 2011
Challenge: For A DiteysBlessings LJ comm challenge
Disclaimer: Rico, Kowalski, Private, Skipper, and the Penguins of Madagascar are ᄅ & TM Dreamworks and any other respective owners, none of which are the author, and are used without permission. Everything else is ᄅ & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

They had been sneaking away from the lair every night in the wee hours just before the first pink rays of dawn showed over the horizon to live, for at least a brief time each night, kiss to kiss when they came home one early morning to a scene they'd not expected to find. They'd been racing each other when Rico slid to an abrupt stop, a piercing squawk of fear escaping his beak. "What? What is it?" Kowalski asked urgently and then shook all over as he peered around his love's ebony shoulder to see at what he was staring.

"No!" Rico cried and brought himself up to his full height to shield his life mate.

"Boys," Skipper remarked, stirring his morning cup of joe with a fish, "good morning to you too."

"We can explain, Skipper," Kowalski offered.

"I'm sure you can," Skipper answered, idly sipping his coffee, "but I'm also sure that whatever excuse you give me will be a bold faced lie."

Kowalski's and Rico's jaws dropped wide open. Their eyes bugged, and then Kowalski's beady, black eyes grew even larger as Rico boldly took a step forward. "My fault," he squawked and braced for the punishment they both expected to come.

Skipper's steely eyes eyeballed both of his disobedient men. "Your beds are cold. You haven't slept in them a single night for the last month."

"We have," Kowalski piped in, "slept in them - "

"Not the whole night," Skipper answered with an eyebrow raised in challenge. "Not a single night all month." He took another sip of his coffee, stirred it with his fish, and then lifted his fish. His eyes met Rico's. Rico swallowed hard.

"No!" Kowalski cried. Throwing himself between them, he hung his head. "It was my fault, Skipper." Rico squawked and looked at him sadly. "And I don't regret it," Kowalski added.

"Well, in that case . . . " Skipper hit them both with his fish. "That's for being idiots and thinking Private and I would disown you." He downed the rest of his coffee and then glowered at his men who appeared uncertain rather they should pout or smile.

"Skipper, I - I'm afraid," Kowalski started bashfully, drawing his right talon across the cement, "I don't understand. If you don't care what we've been doing, why are you angry with us?"

"Because you're being dunces thinking we'd have a problem with you two being together!" Skipper exclaimed, hitting Kowalski again with the fish. He hit Rico a second time, too, for good measure. "We're a team," he told them sternly, "and a real soldier never turns his back on his team mates no matter what they do or who they love. Now go to bed and catch you some quick z's before Private wakes up. He'd really be hurt if he knew you guys didn't trust him."

Skipper turned from them, but before he could walk away, he found himself surrounded with hugging flippers and smiling beaks. "Aw, thanks, Skipper!" Rico crooned.

"Yeah, yeah!" Skipper snapped, swatting them off before the tightest hugs he'd ever experienced in all his life could cut off his air flow. He waddled swiftly away, deftly avoiding Rico's attempts to grab him again. "Go to bed," he snapped, "before I change my mind and make you stay up, and don't you ever think you're going to keep a secret from me again!"

He twirled, throwing his fish once more. It struck Kowalski straight in the face, but when it went for Rico, he swallowed it whole, patted his white stomach, licked his beak, and said, "Thank yoo."

"That was supposed to be my breakfast, soldier!" Skipper complained.

"Sowwy." Rico promptly vomited up a huge and whole swordfish.

"Ooo!" Skipper rubbed his flippers together in delight. "I haven't had swordfish in ages!" Maybe there was something to that compassionate leader crap he'd been reading, after all.

"Enjoy," Rico squawked as Skipper dove for the swordfish. Taking Kowalski's flipper in his, he kissed him openly for the first time and then headed to bed with his love. They'd always live kiss to kiss form here on out, and never again would they hide the fabulous love with which they'd been blessed! "I wuv yoo!" he squawked.

"And I love you!" Kowalski returned and kissed him with more passion, love, and joy than ever before!

The End