The two stood there, staring at each other blankly in the dim-lit HQ. Private looked down to the mess he had made and instantly felt guilty. He shouldn't have freaked out like that, Kowalski was only worried about him. He was about to bend over and begin cleaning when he heard Kowalski speak.
"Private...I'm..I'm really worried about you. I'm worried about all of us." Private stared into the strategist's eyes as he began to pace back and forth. "I can't even begin to think of a team without Skipper, and I'm surprised, to say the least, that we've managed to get this far." He seemed to be trailing off, deep in thought about something, but then he looked at the small penguin and moved closer to him.
"But you, Private... If you continue to feel like this, I just... I don't know what would happen to you.." Private looked down. He didn't want to make Kowalski worry about him. He didn't want anyone to worry. But how could he just stop feeling like this? Everyday was a living hell for the penguin without Skipper by his side, edging him on during the missions or curled up next to him during the night. His thoughts were immediately cut off by two long flippers wrapping around him.
Kowalski hugged him tightly, small tears forming in his eyes. "I..I can't lose you, Private... Please..." The young Private stayed silent, but mainly out of confusion. It wasn't like he was dead already, he was still here! It was like Kowalski was giving up on him. He shook the thought away. It couldn't have been that. There was something about the way Kowalski said everything that told Private he just cared deeply for him.
Kowalski let go and parted the hug, Private now noticing the hint of red irradiating off of his cheeks. They both nervously looked at the ground and noticed the pile of snacks left on the floor.
"Oh! Um..Sorry, K'walski. I'll get that.." The young penguin offered, feeling a bit more himself thanks to Kowalski. He bent over slightly, but was stopped by the scientist's flipper on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Kowalski smiling at him.
"Don't worry about that, Private. I'll get it." He said, his smile never leaving his face and his flipper never moving from Private's shoulder. "You get some rest."
The little soldier looked at the clock and realized it was already 4:00 in the morning. He yawned and walked over to his bed, slowly lifting the sheets. He managed to mutter a groggy "Thanks, K'walski" Before falling into a deep sleep.
He didn't dream that night. He didn't even think he had enough time to dream; it had only been 3 hours since Private fell asleep. But he didn't mind, his dreams were usually the worst nightmares of his life creeping back into his mind to haunt him. His eyes were still closed, but he could hear everything going on. It sounded like Kowalski and Rico were already up.
"...I know, Rico, but he's so unstable at this time. Maybe it isn't right. Maybe we should wait-" Kowalski's familiar voice was cut off by wicked squawking, most definitely from Rico. He had no idea what Rico was getting at, but to Kowalski, it seemed to be making the most sense of all.
"I... I suppose you're right. It would be best for all of us. I just.. what if something happens?"
Private heard the metallic door to Kowalski's lab, which was already half open, creak open even more, and he opened his eyes carefully to see the two others walking out. Rico turned to Kowalski and gave him a confused shrug.
"Well, we can't risk anything! I..I can't do that to him." Were they talking about him? Private tried to listen more carefully for any signs on who the two were talking about, but all he heard was more grunts and squawks from Rico. It was silent for a moment, then Kowalski sighed, giving in to whatever plan Rico had in mind.
"Alright, we'll try it your way... Just try to take it slow, though, okay?" He heard Kowalski whisper. The young penguin squinted his eyes open to see the two leaving the HQ, closing the fishbowl entrance with a soft thud. He got himself out of bed and moved to the refrigerator, even though, like last night, he wasn't hungry at all. But he had made a promise to Kowalski; as much as it hurt to admit it, Private had to try his best and move on. He opened the small door to find everything organized once again, most likely Kowalski's doing. That brought a small smile to the young soldiers face.
He grabbed the first thing he saw and immediately began eating it, ignoring the non-existent hunger inside him. Slowly moving over to the couch, Private began to smell something. It smelled wonderful, almost like a heavenly scent, and he began to wonder what it was and where it was coming from. He wandered around the room, trying to get just the littlest idea of what it was. It seemed so familiar, so calming to him; Where was it coming from?
He followed the scent to the corner of the room and looked around for the source of the intoxicating aroma, his eyes moving across the wall, when his eyes caught something. He moved to the little table hugging the wall and saw the source of what had caught his nose. There, on the table, sat Skipper's coffee machine, plugged in and brewing fresh coffee. Private stood there, taking in the scent and letting his memories fade into his mind.
He stared deeply into it, watching every single drop of coffee that fell into the cup, remembering every morning with Skipper as if each one had flew past his mind. He could feel tears swelling up his eyes, but he continued to watch, like something was going to happen. He slowly began leaning forward, letting his eyelids slowly close, letting the memories re-enact themselves in his mind. For the first time in the longest time, the young penguin smiled as he reminisced his past...
It was 4:29 pm when Kowalski and Rico returned from wherever they were and found a sleeping Private, huddled up close to his pillow, a mug of coffee by his feet. The strategist smiled and moved closer to him, slowly stroking his feathers to comfort him into a deeper sleep. He turned back to Rico with a worried look.
"I can't do this." He said bluntly. Rico shook his head and moved closer to the taller penguin, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. Kowalski, who was still being thrown back and forth, said, "This isn't going to change my mind, you know!" The two were too busy arguing to notice the young penguin awaken from his sleep. He tiredly rubbed his eyes as he watched the two yell at each other. He didn't want to see anymore trouble between the two so he cleared his throat loud enough so they could hear. They both quickly looked back at Private, who had now sat up in his bunk, stretching away his sleepiness.
"What are you two going on about?" He asked, angry that they had woke him up during his first good night's rest in a while. Kowalski, who had finally given in to Rico's commands, moved closer to the young Private.
"We need to take you somewhere, Private.." He said with a heavy sigh. Private was confused, but he nodded and followed the two silently out of the HQ.
After about 10 minutes of walking, Private finally realized where he was. They were in a small forested area in the park, one that Private remembered he went to with Skipper so they could be alone. He gave Kowalski a confused glance, in which the strategist returned with a reassuring pat on the back.
"We're almost there." He said with a slight smile. Private smiled back, but he didn't feel like smiling. The only thing this was doing was bringing back more memories; more sadness in his life.
They finally reached their destination, or that's what Private thought, as Rico and Kowalski stopped walking and sat down on the soft dirt. The young penguin took in his surroundings.
Trees encircled the small enclosure, their soft leaves slowly dieing and falling limply to the mid-Autumn grass. Flowers that once bloomed with gorgeousness now drooped low to the dirt. Wind whistled through the trees, bringing a small shiver from the penguin. And that was when his eyes caught something he hadn't noticed before.
There, in the back of the trees, where the path ended, covered in dead leaves and twigs, sat a medium-sized gray headstone. Private could only barely make out what everything said:
R.I.P. Skipper
–
A Beloved Friend,
Leader,
And Lover.
–
"You will greatly be missed by all,
And even though it was not your time,
You sacrificed yourself for the one you loved,
You are truly the most heroic man of them all."
Private stood there, staring at the headstone, his eyes empty and soulless, yet speaking thousands of words at once. His heart beat faster and his flippers became shaky. He glanced at Kowalski, who had seemed to already regret taking him here, and moved closer to the stone.
The young penguin knelt down and brushed the dead foliage away, reading the quote over and over. It was exactly what he had said when he had returned to the zoo and everyone had began to mourn their loss. He felt his flipper over the name, clenching his eyes shut and trying to hold back tears; but soon they flowed down like waterfalls. He turned to the other two, who were now beside him, looking sullenly at the headstone. He began to sob, letting his shoulders fall and his head drop down.
How could this have happened? The question still rang through Private's head, but he refused to relive that night; the worst, most hellish night of his life And now, even though it seemed like he had finally accepted the fact that Skipper was gone, he was crying his eyes out, still crushed by the fact that he was laying at his headstone.
The weather took a turn for the worse, and soon Kowalski and Rico left. They insisted Private came with, but he continued to stay at the exact same spot. He sat there for what seemed like days, weeks, months even, but even the longest amount of time couldn't stop the young penguin's tears as he wept softly in the night...
I know it's a bad place to end, but I haven't updated in a while, so I hope you like it, please review!