A short oneshot written after watching the ending of "When The Chips Are Down". So, spoilers ahead! But oh, that ending was just too adorable. I couldn't take it.

Anyway, enjoy. This fanfic will contain slight Skivate.

It had been a day. Less, even. Private had vanished sometime in the late afternoon. But it felt like longer.

Skipper had never been so terrified in his life.

He'd faced dangers that made him conscious that death may be an inevitability. But what hadn't killed him had just made him stronger, smarter, taught him to toughen up and swallow any oncoming fear as any good leader would. But no amount of training had prepared him for this. For…

It was like he had said. He'd not wanted any of his team starting to go soft. And, although he'd lost allies in the past, just the very idea that his little Private would be added to that list made his blood run cold. It had made him choke up and tears well in his eyes at the very prospect. He could even bear to say it aloud…

Later that night, after his return and the whole team celebrating, laughing about what had gone down when they'd found out their subordinate had been in the zoo all that time, ("You went all the way out to Battering Place but didn't think to check the vending machine? Ha!") Kowalski and Rico had retreated to their bunks, but Skipper and the younger penguin had stayed up.

Private said something that made the platoon leader sit up and glare at him.

"One of the things I was most worried about was being replaced if I was gone…"

"…What are you talking about, soldier?" Skipper snapped, still looking at him angrily. Private looked taken-aback, but the elder penguin didn't abate. "No man on this platoon is so easily replaced, I thought you understood that."

"W-well it's just… of course you three couldn't ever be replaced. You're the leader, Skipper, invaluable… and Kowalski's a right genius so where would we be without his brain? And Rico's…well… Rico's Rico!" He gave a nervous sort of smile, shrugging. "All of you have so much to offer to the team and you just…all fit… s-so… where do I fit into that?" He looked at the floor, somewhat bashfully. "It's like you said, I'm expend-"

"Private." Skipper said warningly, an arm lifting, looking like he was about to offer a familiar smack to the face as he did when he disliked what was coming out the beaks of his platoon members.

"…able?" Private winced.

Skipper didn't even have the heart for it. He lowered his flipper, and just looked at him exasperatedly. "Private. You're not… expendable. I thought… well…I didn't know what to think. You'd vanished and who knows what might've happened to you?" He recalled back to earlier when the sight of his dear subordinate literally made him loose his cool and launch himself at the boy. Skipper cleared his throat, feeling a small tinge of pink flood his cheeks. "The point is that I—…we need you on this platoon, Private. You should have seen how worried the others were when they saw you were gone. Panicked, fretting. I told them they weren't to go soft and to focus on finding you, but of course, they got all emotional…and…"

Private was just staring at him, avidly.

"…What?"

"You seemed quite relieved to see me back too…" He started to smile a bit, brow furrowing.

"I…well... of course but…" Skipper was flustering and tripping over his words, which was a rarity (and usually he would insist that he was acting to keep an enemy off their guard if he got tongue-tied. Although, it probably wouldn't do to use that reason for this situation). He folded his flippers and looked away. "That was simply…um…"

"You were worried, too, weren't you?" Private bounced up and down a bit, obviously a bit gleeful that he'd been able to get his Skipper to show a very rare emotional side he tried so hard to suppress- it was flattering, it meant…well…it meant that he meant a lot to his leader.

"Alright, I'll admit, I was concerned for your safety…s-somewhat…well… more than somewhat…" He rubbed the back of his neck, going redder.

Get it together, man. Ever since this kid's come into your life you've lost your edge…

Ever since Private had come into his life, he'd learned to value and appreciate him so much, and although some of his quirks annoyed him, it was only out of concern for the young penguin facing the world out there alone with his innocent outlook and his heart on his sleeve (even if penguins didn't wear clothes).

And despite it being a slip of the tongue, Skipper had admitted aloud, for the first time, the complete truth;

I need you on this platoon.

He needed Private here. And that thought was one that also scared Skipper out of his wits. He'd spent so many years training not to need anyone because there was always the prospect of those he'd allied with being lost.

I thought today had been that day, hadn't I?

He felt flippers being wrapped around his middle and blinked. Private had reached forward to hug him, face nuzzled snuggly into the elder penguin's chest. "Don't worry, Skipper, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon…As long as I'm needed, I suppose…"

Skipper hesitated, normally not one to show so much affection in one day, but he rested his chin atop the head of his Private, hugging him back and softly muttering to him. "Then you'll always have a place here…"