~A/N~ Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter! Recently it's just been hard to get some inspiration for this story (or anything really). I do promise to work hard on getting up new chapters though cause I already feel the ideas coming back to me. Life has just been kinda getting in the way and well, yeah...Anyway, here is chapter seven! I hope you enjoy and please leave your thoughts in a review! :) Thank you!

~Cecelia xx

Private sat, alone, on an isolated patch of outcropping rocks looking out over a vast expanse of nothing but trees, trees, and more trees.

He sighed, his breath billowing out in front of him as a thankless display of the minimal warmth which shrouded that weary night. There he was, alone and away from his friends, away from home, and expected to...to…

He gulped.

Repopulate.

He shivered as an icy breeze brushed his feathers the wrong way, and winced at his own thoughts. He just couldn't wrap his head around the concept. Repopulate? He asked himself. Why me? Why-why anything? Why this? I mean, I'm not even ready for that yet...how can they just expect me to show up and get it on with total complete strangers?! His thoughts flared up with the indignation of the words he was too afraid to voice out loud. Besides...I don't even know if I...like girls in that...that way…

The soft crunching of snow and shuffling of flippers alerted him of another presence nearby. He kept staring forward, silent and unnaturally stoic as the female penguin from earlier came up and sat beside him.

"Hi…." she whispered. "Uhm...how...how are you doing?"

Silence was reply. She placed a soft flipper gently on his shoulder, but he tensed up before shrugging her off. When he glanced in her direction her eyes looked hurt and he felt immediately guilty.

"Not good," he finally answered, tears already stinging in the corners of his baby blue eyes. "I miss my friends, well...my family really...I miss my home, I'm scared, I don't wanna do this! I-I-" He choked up and started crying, hot wet drops dripping down his face.

There he was, a stranger named Ruby holding him as he cried, sitting in what seemed to be an impossible situation.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "But...we really really need your help. And who knows, maybe you'll get used to life here. You can have new friends, a new family...and maybe you aren't ready for it, but maybe you just have to- well, think about it more, let it process. You'll come around."

He shrugged her off once again, wiping the tears hurriedly from his eyes. "You don't understand," he hissed, his expression suddenly cross. "You don't even know me!"

He scrambled upright and stared off into the distance. "I don't even..." he drifted off and shook his head.

"What is it?" Ruby climbed quickly to her flippers and grabbed his shoulders. "Tell me." Her eyes pleaded sincerely with him and he couldn't help it.

"Promise you won't tell anybody?" He whispered meekly, his voice weak and helpless. His eyes developed a vacant stare as soon as she nodded in response. "I..." he sighed, and tried to start again. "I don't….I don't like girls the way I'm supposed to...Atleast, not that I know of….I mean, the only penguins I've ever had feelings for have been….well, guys.." He sniffled, rubbing his nose before pulling away and instantly regretting what he had done.

She was just staring at him, gaping, her eyes wide. He turned away, waiting for her response while inwardly scolding himself. She's a bloody stranger! And you just told her your….ugh… He sighed and shivered in the cold. You're so naive.Skipper's right.

"Oh," she finally responded. This penguin was beginning to get more and more on Private's nerves.

"That's all you have to say, oh!?" He asked, spinning around to glare at her furiously.

"What do you want me to say!" She squawked. "I-we-it's…." She sighed and looked away. "Look, keep your voice down," she hissed, looking from side to side. "You never know who might hear us."

"What do I care?" He asked, aggravated. "I already told one penguin, a complete stranger, mind you. You're probably going to go off and blab it all over to everybody else anyway." Seeing the negative in everyone….you've been hanging out with Skipper too much. He wanted to laugh at his own inner voice but even he could see that now wasn't the time.

She grabbed his flippers, and gulped. "We- I mean, well they….well, you see, the other penguins here...they're all completely against what you just told me you are." Private's eyes widened. "If anybody finds out...they'll..." She paused, looking down.

"They'll what?!" Private snapped. But he was more scared than anything.

"Kill you!" She hissed. "Torture you! I...I'm not entirely sure...I've only heard stories...really..."

Private squeaked. "You-you won't t-tell anyone, will you?" He asked her, his eyes gleaming desperately. "I-I...I-"

She cut him off. "Of course not! I mean, I don't really see the big deal in it all. I think everybody should be able to love who they want. Sadly, I'm the only one here who thinks that...and trust me, I've looked. Noone."

More tears fell down Private's cheeks as Ruby continued. "You'll have to keep it on the down-low. Which means...you'll need a way to mask it. Especially around Shift...he's entirely homophobic."

The two of them stood there in silence for a few minutes before she finally piped up. "I've got it!" She exclaimed excitedly. "We can pretend that we're a couple!"

Private stared at her warily. "But...won't they expect us to….you know..."

She rolled her eyes. "There is such a thing as lying, you know," she snapped. "It's not like they're gonna wanna watch us doing the naughty business." When she noticed his raised brow she added immediately, "Of course, not-not that we'll actually be doing the naughty business. You know, I-I mean, o-of course not." She stopped, and added timidly, "Right?"

Private's eyes widened and he blushed under his feathers. "Of course not!" He scoffed. He saw she appeared mildly hurt but tried to brush it off.

"Well," she sighed, "I guess we better head back."

Private nodded silently and tensed slightly when she slipped her flipper into his.

"Let's go, boyfriend."

Next Time*

Kowalski couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's kind of hard when you have a crush on somebody who won't even look at you twice."

This was it: Private needed to come home-now.

"Skipper...he's..he's in..."

*I saw another story that implemented this and decided to try it out ;) Tell me what you think!*