Seeking Solace 03.08.15
Note: This chapter contains mild Skilene.
— § —
“Marlene?” Skipper called from behind Marlene.
Marlene sat in the park, staring at her reflection in the pond. She looked in Skipper’s direction, but couldn’t meet his eye. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Skipper frowned. “Someone told me they saw you leave the zoo. I was worried. What’s wrong?” he asked sitting susunod to her.
Marlene glanced at him, afraid to answer. “It’s nothing. I just came out here to think.”
Skipper studied her. “Marlene, I know you. Something is troubling you. You know you can trust me, right?” he asked gently.
Marlene looked down. “Yes, I know. That’s not—what I’m worried about,” she sinabi hesitantly.
Skipper knit his brows. “Marlene, you can tell me anything.”
She looked at him. Then she bit her lip and away. “Well . . . you know how you just came back from that solo mission?”
Skipper nodded slowly. “Yes, why?” he asked.
“When you returned, I—accidentally heard you listening to your logs while you were filing the mission,” she sinabi quietly, looking at the grass. She felt him remove his flipper from her shoulder, but he didn’t respond. She hesitantly turned to him. “Are you mad?” she asked sheepishly.
Skipper disregarded the question. “How much did you hear?” he asked looking out across the water.
Marlene watched him carefully. “Enough. Like about how you would’ve died if you’d have been a segundo later. I didn’t hear how. It—frightened me.”
Skipper looked at her regretfully. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
Marlene raised her brow. “That’s it?” she asked irritably. “I just told you I know I nearly Nawawala you, and all you have to say is ‘I’m sorry’?”
Skipper shook his head. “And you also just told me that you heard intel on a classified solo mission. What do you want me to say? Sorry you were snooping around?”
Marlene got to her feet. “Who’s snooping? It was an accident!”
Skipper stood up with her. “Look, I’m sorry you heard that, but I’m not sorry that I did what I had to to complete my mission. I don’t know what else to say.”
Marlene scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You can be really insensitive sometimes.”
Skipper spread his flippers. “Insensitive? There aren’t many ways I can mantikilya up ‘I almost died’! If that bothers you, you should listen to some of my other logs! I’ve been in a hell of a lot worse situations than that.”
Marlene turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “Don’t say that,” she said, tears stinging her eyes.
“So you get mad when I say things are classified, but then you get even madami upset when you hear the truth. I’m not seeing a winning side here,” Skipper sinabi folding his flippers over his chest. “Marlene, you know what I do. I put myself in life-threatening situations all the time to protect people like you. You should be grateful.”
Marlene turned back to him. “It’s hard to be grateful when I’m sitting around praying you won’t come tahanan in a body bag,” she sinabi in a shaky voice.
Skipper sighed and looked away. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to stop doing my duty,” he said.
“I’m not trying to ask you to stop doing your duty, Skipper,” Marlene choked. “I’m asking you not to leave me.”
Skipper watched as a tear trailed down her cheek. He exhaled. “Marlene,” he sinabi softly, “I could tell you that I never would, but that would be a lie. I can’t deny that one day, the mission I go on will be my last. I wish I could bring you that kind of comfort, but I can’t promise that I’ll always come back in one piece. I can promise that I’ll keep you ligtas until I don’t.”
Marlene shook her head and turned away. Skipper stepped behind her and put a flipper on her shoulder and she turned back and smacked it away, but Skipper stepped pasulong and tried to balutin his flippers around her to comfort her. She resisted at first, but finally relaxed into Skipper’s embrace. He gently stroked her back.
“Marlene, you never had this much of a problem with it before. What’s so different about now?” he asked over her shoulder.
Marlene gripped his feathers and buried her face into his chest. “Because hearing the words made it madami real. I don’t want to lose you.”
Skipper looked down at her. “I never knew you cared so much,” he sinabi quietly.
“Of course I care, you clueless idiot,” Marlene sinabi in a muffled voice.
Skipper smiled slightly. Then he tilted Marlene’s chin. “I’ll always protect you, Marlene,” he said. “Whether you hate me for it or not doesn’t matter at this point. I just care that you’re safe.”
Marlene grunted and pushed him away, turning her back on him. “Dang it, Skipper! Why do you have to be so selfless?”
“I prefer ‘heroic,’ but selfless works too,” Skipper said. Marlene rolled her eyes with a frustrated sigh. “What? I’m kidding!” he protested with a laugh. Marlene didn’t respond and Skipper sighed as he wrapped his flippers around her from behind. “It’s your fault, you know” he said.
“What?” Marlene asked defensively.
Skipper smiled. “You’re one of the few that give me a reason to fight.”
Marlene arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
Skipper looked down and fiddled with Marlene’s paws, which she’d rested over his flippers without realizing it. “You remind me that there is good in the world if you look in the right places. That’s what I fight for. If no one fought off the evil, those like you would just . . . disappear.”
Marlene looked down for a moment, and then looked at Skipper. Then she turned into his embrace and kissed him on the cheek. “The world needs madami people like you.”
Skipper shook his head. “No, Marlene. The world needs madami people like you.”
Note: This chapter contains mild Skilene.
— § —
“Marlene?” Skipper called from behind Marlene.
Marlene sat in the park, staring at her reflection in the pond. She looked in Skipper’s direction, but couldn’t meet his eye. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Skipper frowned. “Someone told me they saw you leave the zoo. I was worried. What’s wrong?” he asked sitting susunod to her.
Marlene glanced at him, afraid to answer. “It’s nothing. I just came out here to think.”
Skipper studied her. “Marlene, I know you. Something is troubling you. You know you can trust me, right?” he asked gently.
Marlene looked down. “Yes, I know. That’s not—what I’m worried about,” she sinabi hesitantly.
Skipper knit his brows. “Marlene, you can tell me anything.”
She looked at him. Then she bit her lip and away. “Well . . . you know how you just came back from that solo mission?”
Skipper nodded slowly. “Yes, why?” he asked.
“When you returned, I—accidentally heard you listening to your logs while you were filing the mission,” she sinabi quietly, looking at the grass. She felt him remove his flipper from her shoulder, but he didn’t respond. She hesitantly turned to him. “Are you mad?” she asked sheepishly.
Skipper disregarded the question. “How much did you hear?” he asked looking out across the water.
Marlene watched him carefully. “Enough. Like about how you would’ve died if you’d have been a segundo later. I didn’t hear how. It—frightened me.”
Skipper looked at her regretfully. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
Marlene raised her brow. “That’s it?” she asked irritably. “I just told you I know I nearly Nawawala you, and all you have to say is ‘I’m sorry’?”
Skipper shook his head. “And you also just told me that you heard intel on a classified solo mission. What do you want me to say? Sorry you were snooping around?”
Marlene got to her feet. “Who’s snooping? It was an accident!”
Skipper stood up with her. “Look, I’m sorry you heard that, but I’m not sorry that I did what I had to to complete my mission. I don’t know what else to say.”
Marlene scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You can be really insensitive sometimes.”
Skipper spread his flippers. “Insensitive? There aren’t many ways I can mantikilya up ‘I almost died’! If that bothers you, you should listen to some of my other logs! I’ve been in a hell of a lot worse situations than that.”
Marlene turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “Don’t say that,” she said, tears stinging her eyes.
“So you get mad when I say things are classified, but then you get even madami upset when you hear the truth. I’m not seeing a winning side here,” Skipper sinabi folding his flippers over his chest. “Marlene, you know what I do. I put myself in life-threatening situations all the time to protect people like you. You should be grateful.”
Marlene turned back to him. “It’s hard to be grateful when I’m sitting around praying you won’t come tahanan in a body bag,” she sinabi in a shaky voice.
Skipper sighed and looked away. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to stop doing my duty,” he said.
“I’m not trying to ask you to stop doing your duty, Skipper,” Marlene choked. “I’m asking you not to leave me.”
Skipper watched as a tear trailed down her cheek. He exhaled. “Marlene,” he sinabi softly, “I could tell you that I never would, but that would be a lie. I can’t deny that one day, the mission I go on will be my last. I wish I could bring you that kind of comfort, but I can’t promise that I’ll always come back in one piece. I can promise that I’ll keep you ligtas until I don’t.”
Marlene shook her head and turned away. Skipper stepped behind her and put a flipper on her shoulder and she turned back and smacked it away, but Skipper stepped pasulong and tried to balutin his flippers around her to comfort her. She resisted at first, but finally relaxed into Skipper’s embrace. He gently stroked her back.
“Marlene, you never had this much of a problem with it before. What’s so different about now?” he asked over her shoulder.
Marlene gripped his feathers and buried her face into his chest. “Because hearing the words made it madami real. I don’t want to lose you.”
Skipper looked down at her. “I never knew you cared so much,” he sinabi quietly.
“Of course I care, you clueless idiot,” Marlene sinabi in a muffled voice.
Skipper smiled slightly. Then he tilted Marlene’s chin. “I’ll always protect you, Marlene,” he said. “Whether you hate me for it or not doesn’t matter at this point. I just care that you’re safe.”
Marlene grunted and pushed him away, turning her back on him. “Dang it, Skipper! Why do you have to be so selfless?”
“I prefer ‘heroic,’ but selfless works too,” Skipper said. Marlene rolled her eyes with a frustrated sigh. “What? I’m kidding!” he protested with a laugh. Marlene didn’t respond and Skipper sighed as he wrapped his flippers around her from behind. “It’s your fault, you know” he said.
“What?” Marlene asked defensively.
Skipper smiled. “You’re one of the few that give me a reason to fight.”
Marlene arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
Skipper looked down and fiddled with Marlene’s paws, which she’d rested over his flippers without realizing it. “You remind me that there is good in the world if you look in the right places. That’s what I fight for. If no one fought off the evil, those like you would just . . . disappear.”
Marlene looked down for a moment, and then looked at Skipper. Then she turned into his embrace and kissed him on the cheek. “The world needs madami people like you.”
Skipper shook his head. “No, Marlene. The world needs madami people like you.”
