Marlene frowned as her eyelids fluttered open. She opened her arms and stretched out in front of her but immediately stopped as she felt some sort of pressure around her waist and a feeling of softness and warmth pressed into the arch of her back.

She took a glance at her surroundings and immediately recognized the inside of the penguins' HQ. She blinked rapidly as she remembered how Skipper picked her up and carried her to the HQ so Rico could take care of her.

She remembered the pain and her fever, the nasty tasting medicine and talking in the dog bed with Skipper before falling asleep… and dreaming about soft feathers…

Oh my… Skipper! Marlene looked down to see two black flippers wrapped around her waist. She felt her heart begin to race and prayed to God that Skipper couldn't feel it against his chest and flippers. She blushed hotly as her eyes widened. The last time she had been this close to Skipper was in the sewer with Roger the alligator… but this time it was more… what's the word? Romantic?

Whoa! That is just too much, even for me!

She craned her neck around to look at Skipper's face. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps…

Marlene took notice how Skipper's scowl was gone, leaving a serene emotion displayed on his face. Her eyes swept down his forehead and continued down his chest, admiring his white feathers and his frame.

She swallowed and reached up to place a paw on the side of his face. Her heart began to pound harder when she felt her fur and skin tingling when she touched him. "Oh, Skipper…" She traced down his neck with her fingers and couldn't help but grin when she felt him shiver.

She smiled and laid her head on his chest to get back to sleep, her body still complaining with aches, although they weren't as intense as yesterday to Marlene's relief. Not only was she feeling better but now she could enjoy the private moment with Skipper even more.

Skipper cracked open an eye at the feeling of Marlene sighing. He was awake a few minutes before her but he wanted to see what she would do and boy was the outcome shocking.

His whole body was screaming as well as he was on the inside. He blinked as he felt the shivers remain where she had stroked him. He swallowed as Marlene's breath danced across his chest every time she exhaled, making his heart take nervous leaps from time to time.

He glanced over at the clock and realized that training wasn't until a few hours more. He wanted to spend as much time with Marlene as possible. His eyes swept over to the bunks and was immediately relived to not see any pairs of eyes peering at them curiously from inside the rectangular holes in the walls.

He blinked and looked back down at the otter cuddled against his chest. He smiled warmly and felt his heart melt with just the sight of her. He wrapped his flippers tighter around her and nuzzled carefully into her neck.

I'm glad you're feeling better, Marlene…