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 あなた doing here?” she asked.
Skipper frowned. “Someone told me they saw あなた leave the zoo. I was worried. What’s wrong?” he asked sitting 次 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. あなた know あなた can trust me, right?” he asked gently.
Marlene looked down. “Yes, I know. That’s not—what I’m worried about,” she 発言しました hesitantly.
Skipper knit his brows. “Marlene, あなた can tell me anything.”
She looked at him. Then she bit her lip and away. “Well . . . あなた know how あなた just came back from that solo mission?”
Skipper nodded slowly. “Yes, why?” he asked.
“When あなた returned, I—accidentally heard あなた listening to your logs while あなた were filing the mission,” she 発言しました 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 あなた mad?” she asked sheepishly.
Skipper disregarded the question. “How much did あなた hear?” he asked looking out across the water.
Marlene watched him carefully. “Enough. Like about how あなた would’ve died if you’d have been a 秒 later. I didn’t hear how. It—frightened me.”
Skipper looked at her regretfully. “I’m sorry あなた had to hear that.”
Marlene raised her brow. “That’s it?” she asked irritably. “I just told あなた I know I nearly ロスト you, and all あなた have to say is ‘I’m sorry’?”
Skipper shook his head. “And あなた also just told me that あなた heard intel on a classified solo mission. What do あなた want me to say? Sorry あなた were snooping around?”
Marlene got to her feet. “Who’s snooping? It was an accident!”
Skipper stood up with her. “Look, I’m sorry あなた 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 バター up ‘I almost died’! If that bothers you, あなた 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 あなた get mad when I say things are classified, but then あなた get even もっと見る upset when あなた hear the truth. I’m not seeing a winning side here,” Skipper 発言しました folding his flippers over his chest. “Marlene, あなた know what I do. I put myself in life-threatening situations all the time to protect people like you. あなた should be grateful.”
Marlene turned back to him. “It’s hard to be grateful when I’m sitting around praying あなた won’t come ホーム in a body bag,” she 発言しました in a shaky voice.
Skipper sighed and looked away. “Well, I’m sorry あなた 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 あなた to stop doing your duty, Skipper,” Marlene choked. “I’m asking あなた not to leave me.”
Skipper watched as a tear trailed down her cheek. He exhaled. “Marlene,” he 発言しました softly, “I could tell あなた 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 あなた 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 あなた 安全, 安全です 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 フォワード, 前進, 楽しみにして and tried to ラップ his flippers around her to comfort her. She resisted at first, but finally relaxed into Skipper’s embrace. He gently stroked her back.
“Marlene, あなた 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 もっと見る real. I don’t want to lose you.”
Skipper looked down at her. “I never knew あなた cared so much,” he 発言しました quietly.
“Of course I care, あなた clueless idiot,” Marlene 発言しました in a muffled voice.
Skipper smiled slightly. Then he tilted Marlene’s chin. “I’ll always protect you, Marlene,” he said. “Whether あなた hate me for it または 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 あなた 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, あなた 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 あなた 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 あなた look in the right places. That’s what I fight for. If no one fought off the evil, those like あなた 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 もっと見る people like you.”
Skipper shook his head. “No, Marlene. The world needs もっと見る 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 あなた doing here?” she asked.
Skipper frowned. “Someone told me they saw あなた leave the zoo. I was worried. What’s wrong?” he asked sitting 次 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. あなた know あなた can trust me, right?” he asked gently.
Marlene looked down. “Yes, I know. That’s not—what I’m worried about,” she 発言しました hesitantly.
Skipper knit his brows. “Marlene, あなた can tell me anything.”
She looked at him. Then she bit her lip and away. “Well . . . あなた know how あなた just came back from that solo mission?”
Skipper nodded slowly. “Yes, why?” he asked.
“When あなた returned, I—accidentally heard あなた listening to your logs while あなた were filing the mission,” she 発言しました 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 あなた mad?” she asked sheepishly.
Skipper disregarded the question. “How much did あなた hear?” he asked looking out across the water.
Marlene watched him carefully. “Enough. Like about how あなた would’ve died if you’d have been a 秒 later. I didn’t hear how. It—frightened me.”
Skipper looked at her regretfully. “I’m sorry あなた had to hear that.”
Marlene raised her brow. “That’s it?” she asked irritably. “I just told あなた I know I nearly ロスト you, and all あなた have to say is ‘I’m sorry’?”
Skipper shook his head. “And あなた also just told me that あなた heard intel on a classified solo mission. What do あなた want me to say? Sorry あなた were snooping around?”
Marlene got to her feet. “Who’s snooping? It was an accident!”
Skipper stood up with her. “Look, I’m sorry あなた 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 バター up ‘I almost died’! If that bothers you, あなた 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 あなた get mad when I say things are classified, but then あなた get even もっと見る upset when あなた hear the truth. I’m not seeing a winning side here,” Skipper 発言しました folding his flippers over his chest. “Marlene, あなた know what I do. I put myself in life-threatening situations all the time to protect people like you. あなた should be grateful.”
Marlene turned back to him. “It’s hard to be grateful when I’m sitting around praying あなた won’t come ホーム in a body bag,” she 発言しました in a shaky voice.
Skipper sighed and looked away. “Well, I’m sorry あなた 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 あなた to stop doing your duty, Skipper,” Marlene choked. “I’m asking あなた not to leave me.”
Skipper watched as a tear trailed down her cheek. He exhaled. “Marlene,” he 発言しました softly, “I could tell あなた 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 あなた 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 あなた 安全, 安全です 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 フォワード, 前進, 楽しみにして and tried to ラップ his flippers around her to comfort her. She resisted at first, but finally relaxed into Skipper’s embrace. He gently stroked her back.
“Marlene, あなた 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 もっと見る real. I don’t want to lose you.”
Skipper looked down at her. “I never knew あなた cared so much,” he 発言しました quietly.
“Of course I care, あなた clueless idiot,” Marlene 発言しました in a muffled voice.
Skipper smiled slightly. Then he tilted Marlene’s chin. “I’ll always protect you, Marlene,” he said. “Whether あなた hate me for it または 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 あなた 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, あなた 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 あなた 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 あなた look in the right places. That’s what I fight for. If no one fought off the evil, those like あなた 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 もっと見る people like you.”
Skipper shook his head. “No, Marlene. The world needs もっと見る people like you.”