Grass Rings.

Will You love, honour, comfort and keep her?

Little Pieck wandered into her Mothers bedroom, and saw her laying on the bed. Porco, of course, by her side, trying to protect her and failing to intimidate anyone he came into contact with (he acted tough but he was quite scared himself, and who could blame him?), Pieck wandered over to her Mothers bed and lay with her, her Mother wrapping her arm  around little Pieck's head, and then she looked up, saw Porco stood against the door, and invited him into the hug as well, which he gladly took, because his parents had been so focused on Marcel recently they had seemed to forget all about their other son. It didn't take long for the pair to notice her crying, "I'm sorry." She said, through few sobs, holding her daughter. "There was so much I wanted to watch you go through. So much advice I have to give you, my daughter." She cried. "My poor daughter." 

"Its ok Mummy." Pieck whispered. "Its ok." And then Pieck was crying too, but not as violently as her Mother was, then inspiration struck Porco, just like a lightning strike during a thunderstorm. 

"Why don't you just give her all the advice now?" He said quickly, Pieck glared at him but he could stand that, besides, she looked pretty cute when she glared, or something along those lines. Porco didn't know. He never knew. "I mean why not?" He repeated, blushing. Pieck's Mother sat up, extended one arm left, to Pieck, and one arm right, to Porco. The children took her hands, and she guided them to the floor, as if about to tell them a lovely bed time story, as if the skin wasn't clinging to her hands, as if she didn't have bags under her eyes the size of the moons, as if her skin wasn't pale as snow as if her black hair wasn't falling out in little clumps. She seemed almost perfectly healthy, and spoke with all the calmness of some tutor.

"Well, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is simply marry the person who is also your best friend, since I will not be there to see it. You have to marry someone who you respect and respects you back, not many people do. You to Gillard Junior," She looked at the boy next, "Marry someone who you love every part of, even their little flaws."

"Little flaws?" Pieck questioned. "What do you mean, Mummy?"

"Well, I suppose, lets talk about your dad. He never does the dishes and is almost always late, but I still love him." She smiled softly, Pieck's same smile, with the little simple, Porco noticed. Then her hands went limp in the kids hands and her eyes shut. 

"Mummy?" Pieck said, standing up and shaking her. "Mummy?" She asked again, a little louder, and then a doctor came in. "My Mummy fell asleep!" She said, ever so slightly panicked. "She isn't waking up!" She started shouting, and Porco stood up by her side. "Help my Mummy!" She yelled again, Porco placing a hand on her shoulders. The doctor told her something she couldn't hear, but apparently Porco could as he moved her out of the room, talking at her but no words coming out. 

The pair had found themselves under the tree outside the training grounds, Pieck had placed her head in Porco's lap and was snoring, and Porco was fashioning a ring out of bits of grass and on the odd occasion playing with her hair. He finished the ring, held it up and the sunlight shone through it, it was alive and it was almost a lime green in the sun, brown roots of the grass peaking through some of the braids he had made. He saw a small daisy not too far away from him, but he would still have to move to get it, so he worked on the other ring, doing the same thing, braiding the grass, intertwining it and hoping that it worked out, as these rings would be the very thing he would propose with, because, as Pieck's Mother had said, "Marry your best friend," and he considered Pieck his best friend, so it just made sense to marry her, at least, that's what he thought. He placed both rings on Pieck's head and also sat back, letting the sunlight shine on his face as well, and he heard footsteps, but he didn't open his eyes. "Poko?" His brother said. "You awake?" Porco shook his head, denying it but confirming it at the same time, he wasn't that smart. "Yeah, ok, open your eyes, idiot." Marcel laughed, so Porco did, because if he didn't, heaven knows what Marcel would say next. He saw his brother standing there, and with him was his friend, Zeke, holding a ball. "We're gonna play catch, want to join?" He asked, referencing the ball in Zeke's hand, and Porco shook his head. 

"I have something to do today." He replied, fidgeting with more blades of grass next to him. Zeke raised an eyebrow. 

"Like what?" He questioned, looking at Pieck, still asleep with the two rings on her head. "You going to marry Pieck?" He half-laughed, but Porco was shocked, how had he known? Did he have some sort of power? Porco's eyes widened, and he gasped. 

"Yes, actually!" Zeke laughed with his whole chest, and even Marcel had to fight to hold back a giggle. "What?" 

"Piecky." Zeke said, waking her up. The rings fell off her head and Porco caught them before they feel to the ground. Still laughing, Zeke chocked out "Go on Pock- Tell her!" Marcel punched him. "Ow!" He exclaimed, still laughing. Marcel apologised and dragged him off to the corner, and the could still hear little laughs from him. Pieck turned to face Porco. 

"What?" She mumbled. "What did you want?" If you didn't know her, you would think she was annoyed at you, but blankly staring and being toneless was just how she was when she woke up, weather from a nap or from a long sleep. 

"Well I was thinking about what your Mum said before, you know, about marrying your best friend." He said, covering the hand that held the 'rings' with his others, and this did not go unnoticed by Pieck, and she pointed at them. 

"Whats in there?" She said, pointing at his clamped hands. 

"Nothing." He said, a little too quickly. 

"Porco-" She drew his name out and stood up, placing both hands on her hips, and then bore down on him from above. "Show me."

"No!" He said, also standing up, almost twice her size. 

"Show me!" 

"No!" This game of call and repeat went on for several minutes, and at one point when Pieck tried to force his hands open, they'd ended up on the floor, laughing, before standing up and playing what appeared to be an odd game of tag, drawing the attention of some of the other warrior candidates that had come outside to play. This odd game of cat and mouse went on for several minutes, until Porco turned around and stared at her, making her freeze. "Pieck Finger will you marry me?" He declared, rather loudly, drawing the attention of some other people near by.  

"What did you say?" She asked. 

"Uh. Um." He became very awkward, and opened his palms to reveal the two rings fashioned out of grass. "Well. I mean. You heard me! And...And you heard your mum! You just have to marry who your best friend is and you are my best friend!" 

"That was," She paused and thought for a moment, "Very aggressive." She began laughing, and Porco did too, "Ok then." She said. "Ok, I'll marry you." Zeke began laughing in the background, and the pair looked at him. 

"You...Cannot be...You two...You have to kiss to marry someone! You have to have rings." Porco grasped Pieck's hand, put on the grass ring on her hand and then put his on his hand, and held them in the air, as if to say 'See?'. Some of Zeke's laughter died. "Ok but...You still have to kiss her." Pieck stood on her tippy toes, kissed Porco's cheek, glared at Zeke and then ran off inside. "Smooth play, Pock." He teased, and Porco flunked back down under the tree and closed his eyes.