This one-shot is somewhat a sequel to Options Guy and a follow up to The Foundation. Don't need to read that to understand this. It's another fic centered around Skipper and Kowalski :) Its like a series of Private finding out more about the team.
I had this plot bunny for a long time, but I never really knew how to write it till late one recent mid night. (Also I had to write this quickly because after the PoM movie is released this will become very AU) I apologize if these one-shots don't fit into the timeline of canon PoM episodes.
Inspiration: (Not the trailers) I was wondering how two penguins like Kowalski & Skipper learnt to work together despite their many differences.
Disclaimer: I don't own Penguins of Madagascar.
Former Frenemies
It was another hot summers day, the perfect time to go grab some snowcones. Very few visitors were streaming by the zoo close to noon as it was too hot for them. The penguins had made plans to sneak out into Central Park for a snow cone run.
After distracting the snowcone vendor, leaving some payment and tips before 'buying' snow cones of their favourite flavours, the penguins walked back home, enjoying the succulent taste of the icy treat melting on their burning tongue.
"Mmm yummy…" The youngest penguin muttered as he licked off the top of his snowcones, "thanks for the treat Skipper!"
Rico added his own thanks before divulging himself in his snowcone.
Skipper just nodded in acknowledgement and smiled, walking along with his team.
Private, sensing his leader's good mood, plucked up his courage to ask a question he kept to himself for the past few week.s.
"Skipper?"
"Yes Private?" Skipper replied, slowing down to walk beside him.
"Several weeks ago, you and Rico told us somethings that happened when you first put this team together, remember?"
"Yes…" Skipper replied offhandedly, 'Of course I wouldn't forget, it was a superhero movie night!'
"You said you trained with Kowalski after you couldn't find a team… but Kowalski mentioned before that both of you knew each other well before you two became penguin 'agents'"
"So…?" Skipper raised an eyebrow.
"So I was wondering how you two met?" Private asked before looking back at his melting treat, unsure if Skipper would be mad at his question.
To his surprise Skipper didn't reply with a classified, but then again, he didn't reply at all.
"Kowalski, if you may?" Skipper passed that question to him.
"Three words Private," the analyst answered, "in no order - very, rivals, bitter."
"You and Skipper were rivals… very bitter rivals?"
"Yup." Kowalski nodded.
Rico slowed down too, finishing the last of his snow cones to walk alongside the rest, "How?"
"Childhood rivalry."
"We didn't get along that well. Training changed us."
"I thought you two were always best friends!"
"The world doesn't work that way Private, not everyone becomes friends at first sight! I already told you to stop watching the stupid child's show on the TV!"
"Sorry Skipper," Private muttered, as Rico brought up a flipper to smack Private upside the head. Skipper stopped him in time though.
As they walked in silence back to their habitat, making sure not to run in to their rude neighbours, Private thought that Skipper wouldn't tell him much more of his past.
All he wanted to know was how Kowalski and Skipper had met. He barely knew anything about his leader's past, especially his childhood.
As soon as they reached HQ, they hopped down their fishbowl hatch, and Kowalski made sure he locked it.
"So… Skipper?" Rico prompted.
"Yeah rivals… Kowalski, explain." Skipper told him.
Kowalski rolled his eyes. "Skipper used to be very immature, he always picked a fight with me whenever he lost to me in science trivia class, back in Antarctica."
"Me immature? You are the one who always showed off every little nerdy thing you had learnt!"
"And you couldn't accept defeat whenever it came to science quizzes." Kowalski pointed out.
"You always were a sore loser when it came to chess and accused me of cheating." Skipper retorted.
"Admit it Skipper, you were really full of yourself too, you always showed off your combat skills just to impress everyone else."
"You were egotistical too, you always challenged everyone else to stupid useless trivias which only you knew about." Skipper rolled his eyes at the memories.
"They were not stupid! Look at where science has brought us now!" Kowalski defended.
"Sure is stupid. Look at where I am even without learning science. And you…" Skipper smirked.
Private and Rico looked at the bickering couple. "Oh that's what they meant by rivalry…." Private whispered, keeping his eyes on the other two. They weren't sure if they were bantering playfully like what they had seemingly done in their childhood or really bickering this time.
"Eeyup…" Rico let out an exasperated sigh. Rico led him to the concrete table and stools, where they watched them, making sure they did not break into a fight.
It was quite amusing to see Kowalski and Skipper fight like immature children though...
(Never tell those two that!)
-Minutes after-
"Realistic re-enactment Kowalski, now you boys know what we meant 'childhood rivalry'," Skipper let out a laugh.
Kowalski chuckled at the reminder of their younger days when they used to fight childishly.
"You weren't arguing for real?" Private asked in his innocent-like tone.
"No Private, we weren't. Hmm... I miss the old days back in Antarctica." Skipper replied as he stirred his newly made fish coffee and reflected back on his childhood. With all the missions coming up in his own zoo, he rarely had times to think about fun these days.
"Sadly the humans came and separated our flock apart…" Kowalski added sullenly, looking down at the floor.
Skipper put a flipper on Kowalski's shoulder, "At least nothing bad happened to us, we met, made up, found a team. You know what, one day we should go back to Antarctica when its not the winter season. You remember the snowball fights we used to have?"
"Definitely, you threw a snowball so hard you nearly pushed me off the snowy cliff the last time we played." Kowalski recalled, speaking in a playfully accusatory tone.
"It wasn't my fault you were small!" Skipper joked.
"You were smaller than the snowball and the catapult you made!" Kowalski stated.
"Antarctica sounds like fun, can we go there one day?" Private asked curiously. Since he rarely left the zoo except for missions, he was not as experienced as the others. He wasn't hatched in Antarctica too, which seemed like a downer for him.
"You have no idea how fun…" Rico added from beside him.
"Minus the leopard seals of course." Kowalski unhelpfully provided.
Skipper slapped the back of his head. "Kowalski! You don't want to scare the boy before he even gets there!"
"We grew up there so we can protect you from our natural predators when we visit that frozen tundra…" Kowalski corrected.
"Mmhmmm…" Rico nodded his head enthusiastically.
"That would be a trip that requires loads of planning." Skipper noted as he walked to the table and sat on a stool.
"But right now, anyone up for fish poker?" Skipper took a pack of cards and looked up at the team, who nodded in reply.
A few seasons later
It was the hottest day of summer. The penguins, logically, planned for another snowcone run. After they got their icy treats and devoured them, they made their way back to the zoo. They filled the return journey with casual talk.
"Skipper, you never told who exactly Manfredi and Johnson were, care to share?" Private blinked his adorable eyes at him.
The rest of the team faltered in their tracks for a few moments, before all turned to Private.
Skipper started in his assuring tone, "There's nothing to know,"
"They are just two penguins like us, but one 'up' and one 'down' there" Kowalski recited.
And to end the vague explanation off, Rico made an elaborate motion of an explosion and a chainsaw.
Private stood there disappointed. 'I thought I could finally get it from them this time!'
And that's why they decided to escape the zoo and visit Antarctica in the movie Madagascar. Hope this was the least bit entertaining :)
-thewriterstory
24 Nov 14