Note: This is my first Koico, Rowalski, Kico...whatever you'd like to call it. It is in Rico's point of view.

I watched him as he sat there, lonely as always. He never really seemed to care whether he had such company or not. Very careless indeed. I enjoyed to have him around all the time, he was a like a best friend to me...but there were times that I doubted our friendship. I didn't think that he didn't like me or something around that area, I just sometimes felt really close to him. Too close, I believe. Almost like brothers. Sometimes I felt even closer than that. I always wondered how that was even possible. BEING CLOSER THAN BROTHERS. The thought always haunted me.

And then again, I already knew the answer, though I denied it as much as I could. I sometimes felt my self...uh...how do I say this...ATTRACTED to Kowalski. He was a very creative friend to have around...and sometimes I could feel myself blush when his flipper brushed up against mine, or when he looked my way and smiled, then turned back to his invention, pretending nothing ever happened. I have a small feeling that Kowalski understands me too. He seemed to smile a little too much at times, and he also returned hugs, smiles, or even simple glances when I shot a couple at him.

One day, he almost admitted it. Or at least I think he was about to, since I can't be 100 percent sure on things sometimes. But I could just read him like a newspaper. The black letters with the usually tiny font sat there on the page, a message waiting to be read. Enjoyed. Loved. Shared. But the font was ALMOST always small. It made it harder to read the message too, especially when something had been spilled on it. What was spilled was the fact that Kowalski actually talked to me that way.

He stood calmly, looking through papers and occasionally glancing up to see if anyone was around. Of course, no one was, until I came along. He just looked up and the way he searched through papers quickly sped up. He then dropped all of his papers and looked down at them, not making a sound. I quickly ran over to him and began helping him pick them up. Everything was fine until my flipper touched his. His sight darted up at me and he let all the papers go down again and he sat in the corner of the HQ.

I waddled over to him, to try to comfort him, but I might of gone too far. "You don't understand, Rico." He told me when I had propped my flipper around his smooth shoulders. Of course...I was doing it in a "friendly" way...even though I meant it to be something more. "You don't get it." He continued to speak as he shook his head, a couple of tears running down his eyes. I knew why he cried, all I wondered was, what did he care? "This violates the reproduction laws." He said. I just stared down, not knowing what he meant. "Male to Female. Female to Male." He cleared up.

I let out a low sigh, now understanding his "wise" theory. Yes, I suppose it did make sense. But there was something more. Who said we would ever reproduce? I wouldn't mind not having children. Who said that I was trying to get closer to him in that way? I never admitted it to him. And who ever said that the whole "reproduction" law was true? I didn't, and I never agreed to it either. He was confusing me, in way making me feel loved, and in another, hated. I tried to calm down and began breathing deeply. I was taking this rejection too hard, except something inside told me it wasn't rejection.

I hugged Kowalski a little bit and he returned the hug, laying his head on my chest, and wiping his tears on my torso's feathers. But then he noticed the gesture made by himself and he snapped up like a stick. He looked at me with a nervous look, he chuckled and then blushed a little. I just stared at him in...I hate to admit it...but a flirty manner, raising my eyebrows with enthusiasm. Kowalski shook his head and tried to remove the thoughts of us. "I'm sorry Rico." Kowalski got up and went to his work station again. "This won't work." He sighed sadly. I felt a pain come against my chest, the rejection pounding harder against my skull than ever before. But then it slowed down and softened up to a mellow mush ball when I remembered that he tried to regret his feelings.

Skipper walked in, with out us expecting it of course. I felt a small sense of relief, noticing that I wasn't alone with Kowalski anymore. "Training time, Soldiers." Skipper climbed up the ladder and signaled us to go up too. I nodded and watched Skipper leave. "Can we still be friends?" Kowalski asked as I was about to leave. I could tell he doubted that I wanted to talk to him anymore. I nodded and shook his flipper. He smiled and I began walking out, but before I could, he placed a flipper on me and pulled me back.