Title: "A Nightmare of Lunacorns"
Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: G
Summary: Private awakes to find Skipper acting very strange indeed.
Warnings: Slash, Established Relationship
Word Count: 486
Date Written: 15 August, 2011
Challenge: For my Penguins of Madagascar table at the 10iloveyou LJ comm
Disclaimer: Rico, Kowalski, Private, Skipper, all other recognizable characters mentioned within, 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. The female lemurs and 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.

"Private! Private, wake up!"

"Huh? Wuzzit? Skipper?" Private mumbled as he slowly rose toward consciousness at the sound of his love's voice. "What's wrong?" he questioned, looking up at his beloved commander through bleary, blinking eyes.

"Wake up!" Skipper continued to command. "This is no time for sleeping, man!"

"Skipper, what's wrong?" Private asked, coming awake with urgency at the frantic fear widening Skipper's eyes. He sat up and immediately banged his head on the higher bunk. "Ow!" he complained, rubbing his head.

"Forget the pains, Private," Skipper demanded, grabbing his feathered shoulders in his flippers. "I need you to answer a question for me, and I need your answer now!"

Private blinked up at him. "O-Of course, Skipper. What is it?"

"Would you choose me, soldier, or would you choose . . . " Skipper paused as he shot a glare at the glowing plushie in Private's arms. " . . . a Lunacorn?"

Private jerked his head back in surprise. "What kind of a question is that, Skipper?" he asked.

"Never you mind, soldier! Just answer the question, man!"

"Why . . . " Private blinked innocently. "Why, you, of course, Skipper! I'd choose you over anything!"

"Good," Skipper announced, nodding his approval. "That's all I needed to know, Private. You passed the test. You can go back to sleep now."

"Okaaaaaaay . . . " Private slowly replied, looking at his love as though Skipper had suddenly sprouted another head.

"I said go back to sleep."

Something was strange, Private thought warily though he was still sleepy. Something was very strange - and wrong.

"That's an order, soldier."

"Okay, but . . . " He smiled sweetly up at him, his eyes pleading with him. "Will you hold me?"

"I . . . " Skipper scratched his head, and the quietness around them was punctuated by Rico's and Kowalski's loud snores. Longing filled him as Skipper gazed at his secret love's begging face, and at long last, he relented. "Okay," he said and jumped in the bunk that he far too rarely shared with his mate. He pulled him close against him.

He stared out into the darkness lit only by the glowing, green horn of Private's Lunacorn. Private snuggling against him warmed his valiant heart, but still Skipper remained at unease until Private fell asleep and he was able to wrangle the accursed Lunacorn from his lover's flippers.

He threw it onto the cold, stone floor and took pleasure from the way it squeaked when it was struck. He'd never had a nightmare about Private's Lunacorn before, and he vowed, underneath his breath, that he never would again. After all, it was him his beloved Private truly loved, not any mangy, mystical beast! Smiling in his triumph, Skipper held Private close against him and drifted off to sleep and dream of more pleasant things left to come with the penguin he loved.

The End