Grass Rings.

Be Faithful to her.

Porco had almost always kept his true emotions hidden from the world, but this past few days it had been impossible. Paradis Island had unlawfully come into Marley, killed Zofia and Udo, and then Gabi and Falco had gone missing, they too were assumed dead, or as Pieck has refused to believe it, they were officially Missing In Action. Pieck stood up, slamming her hands down on the table, causing the guards to move in closer and point their guns at her, whilst one gripped the handle that would activate the trap that would force her and Porco into a hole several ten feet deep. "Damnit Commander!" She yelled through the glass. "How many times do I need to tell you? They aren't dead!" Porco saw the small, only remaining warrior candidate flinch, and place his hand on Pieck's, as she sat back down. Sure, the guns were on the other side of the glass but they could still do a lot of damage. "How many times do I need to tell you? Missing. In. Action." She stated, one word at a time, and you could hear the voice crack. "Gabi Braun. Falco Grice. Remember those names."

"Mr Porco?" Colt mumbled, drawing Porco's attention. "I think I might be sick. Mr Porco I'm going to be sick." He said again, laying his hand on the doorknob. 

"Ok, you're going to be ok." He said again, slowly standing up, displaying his palms to the Commander. "I'm going to take Mister Grice outside. We cannot risk him staying in this room." He kept careful to show his palms until he took Colt Grice out of the room. 

Colt was over by the window, which was wide open. He was taking deep breaths in and out, and it reminded Porco a bit of him when he was a kid. Loved his brother, maybe a little dumb, but constantly having a minor panic attack and feeling like he was going to be sick. "You remind me of someone." Porco said, looking at him over by the window. There was a thick wall a little down the corridor which Porco was leaning against, dividing the Warrior's and the candidates, and the Generals, because god forbid they be in close proximity to each other. 

"Who?" Colt asked, completely oblivious, looking at his mentor leaning against the wall. 

"Myself." Porco said, walking over to join him. "The thought that your brother might be dead is going to be rough, buddy." He put his hand on the child's back, who was still looking out the window. "But you've got this." 

"I'm not you," The Warrior Candidate said, "I'm not you or Miss Pieck or Mister Zeke or Mister Renier. I can't be like any of you." He almost cried, and put his head in his hands, as if wanting to scream, as if wanting to shout as loud as he could as long as he could and as hard as he could. 

"No, you're better." Porco said. "Than I could ever hope to be. Want a hug?" Colt nodded, and the boys hugged. They related to each other on more levels than just the not knowing if their brother was dead, of course, they both had to grow up far too fast for anyone of their age, Colt was 15 but looked 20-something, if he wasn't such an airhead, he could pass for it to, but he was still so inexperienced there was a boyish charm about him, as if he was a lost puppy dog, perhaps a kitten was a better word. Porco was 20-something, but time, life, and circumstance had made him look a lot older, so sometimes people mistook him to be 30. "We'll get your brother back." 

There was a knock on Pieck's door sometime after the meeting, when she was alone in her dorm. The empty bed covered with a sheet had belonged to Annie Leonhardt, who was on Paradis somewhere, maybe being tortured. They didn't know. "Come in." She said, stashing a book she wasn't even supposed to have under her pillow just in case it was someone important, and it was. Well, a little bit. "Evening, Pock. I didn't expect to see you here tonight." It was a regular thing that Porco would often show up at Pieck's room when he couldn't be alone and needed someone to talk to, but usually that was when he was happy or excited, but more and more often he had been spending more time alone. "Well don't just stand there, come in. What?" She grabbed her jacket  off the chair and put it on over her vest, zipping it up. "Oh."

"What?" He asked, coming in and sitting down on the end of her bed, putting whatever bag he was holding on her desk. 

"Nothing." She smiled slightly, looking at the bag. She knew that he didn't come in because she was wearing a vest, and Porco was so respectful to her it was a little painful, but the second she had put on her jacket he had come in. "Porco can I ask you something?" She asked, sitting next to him on the bed, putting her head on his shoulders, leaving Annie's bed untouched, it was generally out of respect, but it did have a thin layer of dust over it, which was a little inconvenient, but Pieck could live with it. Not like she'd live for much longer anyway. "Why are you so respectful?" She asked before waiting for a reply. 

"I just find it, you know, it's not hard to be respectful of people, and my Mother raised me that way." He cringed, realising what he had said. "Shit, I didn't mean it like that, Pieck. I mean like, being a gentleman was a big thing in my house, I brought snacks." He transitioned, standing up, getting the bag off the counter and taking out one little bottle, three cups, a pack of plain biscuits and a bottle of water. "Not like I understand you, but I know lemons are your favourite and you do that thing where- Pieck are you ok?" When Porco had stood up, Pieck hadn't forced her head to stay up, Pieck had fallen down on the bed, her arms flopped to the side. 

"Fine." She said. "Just being dramatic." She laughed, stood up and walked over to the desk, where Porco had poured the lemon juice into a cup, and Pieck picked it up and drank it. 

"Pieck no." He said, taking the cup down. "That's to put the biscuits in. Here you go." He handed her a cup of something, she didn't know what but it smelt slightly alcoholic and maybe even a bit posh, she took a sip of it and checked the bottle, she didn't want to get too drunk before the next day. 

"We leave at dawn you know." She said. "I'll have one drink." She picked up a plain biscuit from the pile, dunked it in the juice and ate it, and noticed Porco's curious looks at her, but she still continued doing it. "You know if someone see's us together they might get the wrong idea."

"We're married, Pieck." He joked, remembering the time a few years ago they had said their vows, un-officially, of course, but never under law. It'd be a bit scary. If Porco tried really hard, he could probably remember the day he had made her and him grass rings out of blades he had plucked from the ground. "I guess its not too strange for friends to spend the night together."

"Would you ever marry me properly?" She asked him, looking him dead in the eyes, unblinking and sending chills through his body. "Like, not a big ceremony, just us, nobody else would need to know." 

"Make it back alive from this mission and I'll marry you." 

"Well that's not a challenge you might as well marry me when you get to Paradis." She said taking another biscuit and secretly hoping he took the hint, but it was Porco, so it was hit or miss. He took a biscuit from the bag, even though he wasn't the biggest fan of them, and got down on one knee, Pieck raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Pieck Finger, and I hope I got your name right now," 

"Pock what the hell are you doing?" She asked again, bending down to his height. 

"What do you think I'm doing? Will you marry me?" He asked, and didn't wait for a response before kissing her nose. She nodded and laughed, took the biscuit and downed all the lemon juice in one go. 

"Ow, shit, that burns. I'm going to get a drink of water. I'm far too drunk." She walked to the door and began to walk out but turned around at the last second, pointed at him. "One, stay here, I will be back, two, ok then." 

"Ok then." He repeated, sitting down on the bed. He found it a bit disrespectful to look around Pieck's room, but one photo caught his eye, one photo of the young warriors framed, and then he remembered he promised not to look around Piecks room again, and closed his eyes and lay back on the bed.