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Skipper stood next to the side of the car. He tried not to smirk at Private, Rico, and the girl doll crammed in the front seat. He didn’t care to dwell on why neither of them would let the other in the back seat alone with her. He waved them away. “Good work today, men. Twelve hour leave.”
Private let out a whoop. Rico let out a joyful grunt and threw the car into gear. They peeled out, leaving scorch marks and the scent of burning rubber in their wake.
Skipper turned to Kowalski, who was at his side as usual. “That goes for you too, Kowalski. Go ahead and have some fun. That’s an order.”
Kowalski smiled but didn’t move. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good.”
“May I ask what you’re planning to do with your twelve hours?”
Skipper planned on something cold to drink and going through the latest dispatches from Comm Fleet. Okay, he could admit it. His idea of fun wasn’t the norm. He noted that Kowalski was still staring at him and that smile was a bit unnerving. He shooed Kowalski away. “Nothing earth shattering. Well, don’t just stand there. Go try your luck with Doris.”
Instead of the hopeful look that usually appeared on Kowalski’s face at the mention of Doris the dolphin, Kowalski hunched down and stared at his webbed feet. “I’m afraid not. Doris made herself perfectly clear the last time I went to see her. You were right. She only likes me, not likes me likes me.”
Skipper patted Kowalski’s back. “Buck up, man. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.”
Kowalski straightened up and nodded. “Of course, you’re right.”
This time, Kowalski’s smile was shy and Skipper didn’t quite know how to interpret it. He cleared his throat. He opened his beak but words failed him.
“Skipper, I…” Kowalski tried but his voice trailed off.
Skipper’s stomach rolled and he didn’t think it was from the two day old sardines. “Why don’t you work on one of your gadgets,” he suggested. “That always seems to put you in a chipper mood.”
“Yeah,” Kowalski agreed, subdued. “Good idea, Sir. I have to get some of my tools back from the monkeys.”
Skipper watched Kowalski waddle away and sighed. He was missing something. He was sure of it but he couldn’t begin to fathom what.
“Well, that was painful,” a voice said wryly.
Skipper glared at Marlene. “What do you mean by that?”
Marlene stood next to Skipper and elbowed him. “Don’t you get it?”
“Get what?” Skipper asked, puzzled.
“Kowalski,” Marlene answered as if that solved everything.
Skipper put his flippers on his hips. “Just what are you driving at?”
Marlene rolled her eyes. “What are you? Blind?”
Skipper’s eyes narrowed and he his voice dropped to a low rumble. “I’m a highly tuned fighting force. My instincts are razor sharp. I don’t miss anything.”
Marlene snorted in amusement. “You just missed something big and it was right in front of you.”
“Don’t talk in riddles, Marlene.”
Marlene took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Kowalski’s sweet on you.”
“What?”
Marlene hit her forehead. “Skipper--”
“Look,” Skipper interrupted. “If this is about that time with that crazy ringtail and the honey--”
“Listen!” Marlene enunciated each world slowly and carefully. “Kowalski. Is. In. Love. With. You.”
Skipper stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. “That’s absurd. Kowalski can’t be in love with his commanding officer.”
Marlene let go of him and turned away. She emitted a frustrated growl and pulled at the fur on the sides of her head. She took a couple deep breathes and let them out slowly. “Keep cool, Marlene,” she muttered.
“Did Alice spike your food?” Skipper demanded. “I swear that woman’s a menace.”
“No.” Marlene growled again and turned back to him. “Let’s just think about this for a minute,” she began reasonably. “Who do you think Kowalski’s trying to impress with all of his inventions?”
“He’s a model soldier,” Skipper said proudly. “He does his best for the team.”
“Kowalski is a good soldier, yes. The guys on the team are his family but his primary loyalty is to you.”
Skipper nodded. “As his commanding officer.”
Marlene ran her fingers through the fur at the sides of her head again. It stuck out at odd angles. “You don’t notice how eager he is to offer you options. He wants you to know how smart he is. He shows off for you,” she almost yelled.
Skipper was in no mood for a hysterical otter. “All right, Marlene,” he said smoothly. “You’ve convinced me.”
Marlene’s jaw dropped. “Huh?”
Skipper started inching towards the penguin habitat. “You’re right. I see it now…about Kowalski.”
“Hey! You can’t fool me that easily!”
“I have no more time for your ravings,” Skipper replied and flipped over the fence. He landed in the water and went through the underwater hatch into the lair. He stood still when he saw Kowalski hunched over the table, pretending to look at his blueprints.
Kowalski shook his head. “I should’ve listened to my gut today.” He scribbled on his dry erase board. “Then again, it could have conceivably blown up in my face.” Then he got out his abacus. “What are the odds? Is he more likely to return my inappropriate feelings or have me transferred to another zoo?”
“Kowalski.”
Kowalski jumped and the abacus sailed through the air. “Skipper!”
Skipper easily jumped up and caught it. He brought it back to Kowalski. “At ease.”
“I…uh…” Kowalski stammered.
Skipper looked Kowalski up and down. “My God,” he said quietly. “The otter was right.”
Kowalski waved his flippers. “I…you see…” He brought them up to his head. “Sorry, Skipper.”
Skipper lightly jabbed his flipper at Kowalski’s chest. “Stop rambling. I have one question for you, Mister.”
Kowalski gulped. “What’s that?”
“What did your gut tell you to do earlier?” Skipper asked placidly.
Kowalski’s eyes got wide. All that escaped him were incoherent noises of panic. He started shaking.
Skipper slapped Kowalski’s face and then held Kowalski’s shoulders. “A straight answer,” he said sternly.
The white feathers all along Kowalski’s front, from his face down to his feet, turned red. “Are you sure you want to know?” he choked out.
At that moment, Skipper truly realized that Marlene was right. Now, he knew what was off earlier. “Spill your guts. That’s an order.”
Kowalski was like a deer trapped in headlights. “I understand if you choose to court martial me, Sir.” He shook his head sadly and leaned in close to whisper in Skipper’s ear.
Skipper listened for a moment before his mouth dropped. “Wow.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Has Rico been fiddling with the thermostat again? It’s hot in here.”
Kowalski pulled back but the panicked look disappeared when he noticed that Skipper’s white feathers were as red as his. He grinned. “Very hot, Sir. Permission to do something about it?”
Skipper grinned back. “Permission granted.”