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Hmm... where to begin here... this is part 1 of what I susect will be a two part story. Yes, yes, it's ushy gushy... VERY ushy gushy, so the faint of stomach should run in the other direction. Pretty dramatic too, although hopefully the second part with have more of the muppety sillyness that makes the ushy gushy bearable.
Although this does, I suppose, qualify as a Scene from Behind the Scenes, I'm posting it separately because it's less comedic than those ones, and because it takes place around an episode of the Muppet Show, rather than around a movie. Specifically, it happens after the Loretta Swit episode of the muppet show, wherein Piggy plants a story about them being secretly married a year ago in Vegas and Kermit fires her for it. They spend the whole episode bickering and fighting visciously, with Piggy mostly on the defensive. Loretta has them sing a "sappy song" and they patch things up with a chorus of "What would we do without you".
And I think that's really all you need to know. Dedicated to Ru, who was the original target of this story, and special thanks to Lisa and Prawnie who let me write it in front of them.
Enjoy!
"After the Fireworks"
“Thanks again for being here, Loretta.”
The M*A*S*H actress smiled warmly at him. “It was my pleasure, Kermit, and I’m so glad you and Miss Piggy managed to work things out.”’
Kermit shifted uneasily. “Yeah, me too.”
A horn sounded faintly from outside. “Oh, that’s my ride. Take care, Kermit… and take care of Miss Piggy too, won’t you? She’s so very fond of you.”
“Uh… thanks. I will. Goodbye!”
“Goodbye!”
Kermit waited politely as Loretta Swit made her way down the hallway and out of the building. With the guest star safely on her way, he leaned suddenly against a wall and let out a long slow sigh. Sometimes he just needed one of these “let it all go” moments before plunging back into the fray.
Kermit felt particularly frayed today… and though the show had ended, there were still loose ends that needed tying. Of course, that wasn’t unusual, but in this case, there were also open wounds to cauterize… and he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for that yet.
“If I had known what kind of day today was gonna be,” he murmured to himself as he shut his eyes against the world, “I would have found a nice rock to hide under while it ticked by.”
He had to talk to Piggy. He had to make sure she was really okay, that they were really okay. That wasn’t going to be easy, seeing as how he wasn’t sure whether he was okay. Part of him couldn’t help but still be angry with her for the stunt she had pulled. Again, Piggy pulling stunts… well, that wasn’t at all unusual, but this one… this one really took the cake. The outrageous, and sometimes outraged, lady pig had spread rumours about her relationship with him before, going so far as to announce their engagement on more than one occasion, or even trying to trick him into a wedding, but still...
A secret wedding in Las Vegas… last year.
The only good thing about the story ending up in a gossip rag was that his family was unlikely to see it. A brief thought about his dear mom’s hypothetical reaction to having missed his wedding intruded and, wincing, he firmly pushed it out of his head. He would have to let them know about the story, before the gossip spread to where they would hear about it. Maggie was going to have a field day.
Kermit wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised at the intensity of his reaction. Now, with his apoplectic fury whittled down into more familiar Piggy-related exasperation, they were going to have to talk about this. It wasn’t that Kermit didn’t appreciate Loretta’s sappy song approach; it had, after all, managed to remind him that he liked having Piggy around, but there were some things a warm cup of treacle just couldn’t solve.
Time to see Piggy.
Abandoning his peaceful moment in the empty hall, Kermit started moving. He gave a quick wave to Scooter as the go-fer darted by, being his usual marvel of efficiency. Without Kermit’s even having to think about the possibility of needing to ask, his marvelously efficient assistant had sprung into the action, handling all the usual show difficulties, freeing Kermit to handle his tougher than usual Piggy difficulty.
Kermit headed up the battered, “crummy” stairs to which Piggy had said a mournful, yet sardonic farewell earlier in the day. At the time, her dramatics had only irritated him further, but now he could smile at the memory, and at Piggy being Piggy. Strange how in the awkwardness after a fight and just before everything got back to normal, Kermit always seemed to find himself overwhelmed with a deep fondness for her… and always at a time when there was no good way to share that feeling with her. With a rueful little sigh as he arrived at her door, Kermit tapped lightly and before he could announce himself Piggy was cheerily calling, “Entrez!”
He took hold of the doorknob with his slender green fingers and turned it, but hesitated. “It’s Kermit,” he said gently. Almost immediately, he heard a sudden flurry of activity within. He considered whether to give her a minute to do whatever it was she was doing, but decided against it. She’d already invited him in after all, when she didn’t know it was him, so her state of dress couldn’t be an issue. Right?
Kermit pushed open the door and stuck his head in to see Piggy with her back to him, nervously straightening up the assorted knickknacks littering her makeup table, and doing far more harm then good in the process. He cleared his throat quietly and she spun to face him, a too-bright smile plastered on her face.
“Oh! Hello, Kermie!” she chirped sweetly, her eyes searching his face so cautiously that he instantly forgot everything he planned to say to her. It wasn’t like her to be quite this fidgety. Kermit felt a startling pang of guilt over his informally retracted firing during the show.
“Um… hi Piggy. I, uh…just thought I’d um…”
“Are you-“ Piggy was staring at him as though she was expecting him to stick her with a meat fork. She must have picked up on his taken aback expression because she suddenly drew herself up. One blink of her glorious eyes and it was as though another person, a confident person, a person who feared nothing and backed away from less, had taken up residence behind them. Only the airy laugh so familiar to him gave away her continuing uneasiness to Kermit. “Um... would you like to sit down?” she asked at her civil best.
He nodded slowly. “Yes, that would be fine, thank you,” Kermit replied, matching her formal tone, but hoping that there was enough warmth in his voice to reassure her that he wasn’t there to start another argument. Before he could protest, she scooped up her opened, but still unpacked suitcase from the little couch and set it unceremoniously on the floor. He couldn’t help but notice that sitting amongst a few lacy things best not dwelt on was a framed photograph of him. Kermit looked away quickly as he settled but not before Piggy tracked his gaze and blushed.
“That’s just…I haven’t really had a chance to unpack just yet, Kermie.” He nodded amiably and Piggy sat down quickly, her eyes lingering on the photo, eyelashes lowered almost enough to completely obscure the vibrant blue that underlay them.
The lingering tension between them was killing him, slowly and painfully.
He gestured to the suitcase. “Taking me with you, huh?” he asked playfully, hoping to break the ice.
Piggy flicked her eyes to him in surprise, and then just as swiftly looked back at the picture, as if she found it easier to look at. His hope for a smile from her proved vain. “I couldn’t… I didn’t want to just leave you behind.”
“Oh. Well, um, that’s… that’s good, Piggy.” Feeling bolder, Kermit slid his hands over hers, feeling the smooth silk in which they were clothed, and gave her hands a firm squeeze. “I don’t, I didn’t want you to leave me behind either, Piggy. I didn’t really want you to go.” Kermit was consoled by her faint answering pressure against his hands. That was good, because her next words weren’t comforting at all.
“Not even for a minute?” Piggy asked him, her voice so measured that it lost some of its personality. “You were pretty convincing.”
“Well,” Kermit hemmed a little bit, and found his own reassurance in the amused little shake of her head. “Maybe for a little while. I was angry,” he rationalized. “People who are angry sometimes say things, and even mean things, for a little while, that normally they wouldn’t say or um, mean.”
Finally, she gifted him with a genuine, if ironic, smile. “I’m sure I can’t imagine such a thing.” She was smiling faintly, and the gentle self mockery surprised him. “Really? What a very strange idea.”
Kermit laughed softly. “I’m a frog with a lot of strange ideas actually.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh dear. I guess my secret’s out then.”
Much of the tension ebbed soothingly away in the friendly teasing, and he found that Piggy was actually looking at him companionably instead of in wariness. She leaned in closer, conspiratorially. “I don’t mind your strange ideas, frog.”
Kermit smiled at her, amused and pleased with the flirt, then leaned down and nicked up the frame. “Well, Piggy, I don’t really mind you taking me with you… this isn’t a bad photo-“
“You’re very photogenic, Kermie.”
“Thank you, Piggy.” He handed her the photo. “I um, I don’t really mind you having this either I suppose, or taking it with you…though, I’m,” He took on a more serious tone. “I’m glad you’re staying. You are staying, right?”
“If you want me to stay.”
“And even if I don’t?” he teased.
She didn’t smile. “If you want me to stay.”
“I want you to stay, Piggy.” Kermit said sincerely, “Of course I do….but we… we need to talk about this.”
She shrugged, drawing back a bit. “So talk. I’m listening. That’s how it works, isn’t it? You talk, I listen, or I don’t.” Her voice was cool, the words slapped down flatly and she tried to pull her hands away. He held fast.
Kermit frowned at her. “What do you mean by that?” Maddeningly, she simply shrugged again. “Piggy, I want you to talk back, you know. I’ll listen.” Sincerity mixed with mild reproach in his expression and his voice for her pointed implication.
“Will you?” She wasn’t looking at him, her chin held high, the curve of her lips holding the hints of a startlingly appealing vulnerability. A sudden desire to soothe that tension in her lips away with his own seized him, and shocked him. He swallowed hard and fought both the urge and his answering sense of panic.
He pulled away from her side, swinging around and letting one leg fold under him so he could face her directly, head on. “Of course, I will… but you have to admit, you were out of line with this whole wedding in Vegas thing.”
“It was not out of line,” she protested, her posture growing increasingly defensive.
“Piggy," he said quietly, chiding her with her own name. Her eyes narrowed, fire flaring up and neatly obscuring the dismay that dwelt in the shining depths.
"It wasn't!" she insisted, shaking her head. "Why can't you ever..." she bit her lip and dropped her eyes. He could no longer see what was happening there.
"Piggy, listen..." He watched her chest rise and fall slowly as she fought for control. Frustration gripped him. "Would you just... would you please look at me?"
She kept her eyes lowered, wringing her hands until he reached out to touch her shoulder. Indomitable Piggy actually flinched away from the touch, but she did look up at him. "You said you were going to listen, Kermit." Tears welled up rapidly in her eyes as if even to look at him was too much to bear. He wondered miserably how it had come to this so quickly as his gut twisted with remorse.
"I... I did say that, and I meant it. I'm sorry. Go... go ahead." He smiled sweetly at her. "Please? Please, talk to me?"
She shook slightly with the effort of controlling her breaths. A tiny little nod, and she dropped her eyes again. Her breaths evened out and her hands settled gently in her lap.
“I didn’t think you would be that angry." He straightened, sarcasm leaping to his lips, but a quick nervous flicker from her eyes stilled him utterly. He tried to tell her that he was listening, just through his eyes, but she had looked away again. "I thought you’d be a little angry." She managed stiffly.
“Well, yes…”
"I hoped you wouldn’t be at all," her voice suddenly shifted to something hopeful and wistful, almost childlike, "and I certainly didn’t think you’d want to get rid of me over it.”
Kermit inhaled softly in a reaction too soft to be a gasp, to deep for shock. "Piggy, honey, I didn't-" The faintest, pathetic little whine escaped her throat despite the iron bars he knew she was laying in front of it. Spurred by his gentle heart to action, he slowly encircled her with his arms and drew her towards him until she was nearly in his lap.
"Kermie," she choked, emotion making her voice warble helplessly. He tugged her surrendered form until she was firmly snuggled against him under a protective arm. Lovingly, he pushed his face into her hair, burrowing gently until he was brushing her neck with his face, breathing against her skin.
"Shh..." he murmured. It was a strange thing... a very strange thing to see someone needing him, and no one, and nothing, but him, so very badly. He felt hot, salty tears trickle down his face, wetting her hair, wetting her neck. He pressed against her neck firmly, feeling the warmth of her. One arm stroked her back automatically in a soothing rhythm, like he'd comforted Robin whenever he'd been sick. Slowly, she sighed against him, and it felt uncomfortably right.
Kermit held her close for, he didn't know how long.... long enough for their breathing to fall into harmony, long enough for her to relax and snuggle quietly, trustingly into his shoulder, sniffling quietly, letting her tears roll into his soft collar until, in their own time, they stopped.
His back was complaining a little when he felt her start to pull back, withdrawing herself in a awkwardly self-conscious motion. Without hesitation, he clutched her tighter, and then, careful not to let go, determined not to let Piggy think for a moment he was letting her go, he maneuvered them both until they could rest together, supported by the cushions, locked in each other's arms.
Again, he waited, just breathing, just feeling her breathe, until he felt quietness settle over them, until he felt her waiting with him, feeling him breathe. Only then, did he speak.
"Piggy...oh, my dear Piggy." He was so attuned to her breaths that he knew instantly the little catch and fade of her reaction. "Piggy, I never... I don't ever want to get rid…" He choked on the hurtful words, but then... better ones came.
With an affirmation rather than a denial; Kermit used the truth to gently wipe away the false.
"Piggy, honey, I want to keep you."
He felt her breath trip out of rhythm again, and he tucked his head so he could look at those eyes. They were so pretty wet; he almost hated to see them dry. There was a watery smile on her lips and he returned it, wondered if it was half as steady as he meant it to be.
She giggled then, quavery and fragile, but a laugh nonetheless, springing not from humour but from the sudden release of tension. Kermit himself felt a kind of relieved mirth bubble up inside him as though he and Piggy were really just two parts of the same person. "I want you to stay,” he insisted, “... for always, okay?"
"For always?" she murmured wistfully, smiling against his neck.
"For always, Miss Piggy. Promise you will?"
She laughed again and squeezed him tighter. Kermit marveled affectionately at the casual strength there, and did his best to respond in kind.
"You um, sure you want me to promise that? Because um, I'm still gonna want you to marry me, and uh, I won't promise I'm not going to try-"
He laughed, and still fighting a grin, gave her as serious a look as he could manage, knowing it wasn't nearly as serious as the promise he wanted. "Please? Just promise me, Miss Piggy... you and me, for always?"
She raised her eyes to them, sparkling with laughter and joy, still shining liquidly. "Yes, Kermit... the frog, you and me, for always... I do." Her eyes crinkled up in amused delight.
"You do, huh?" He shook his head. "My Piggy, always irrepressible."
She nodded firmly, her words slow and filled with devoted promise. "I do."
He smiled easily, stretching his hand up and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I, um, I do too, Piggy." Her eyes widened dramatically and Kermit’s smile also widened. "I promise, too." He added with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
She laughed, and so did he, and then, though some things were still unsaid, they were really okay again. "You will, Kermie," she informed him smugly, "Whether you know it now, or not!" Kermit tightened his grip on her again and rested his head on her shoulder. Staring straight ahead, and not seeing anything that lay before him, he said quietly, "You may be right about that."
"Oh, I am," she crooned happily.
"Oh, good," he said peaceably. After a few minutes of letting the world go by, and considering many things about the world, Kermit turned to face her. "These kinds of things need to be sealed," he murmured firmly, letting his eyes wander over her, still considering. He nodded almost imperceptibly and then leaned in, pressing his lips softly against hers for a long second.
He pulled back and she let him, her gaze both dreamy and delighted, and delightful to him. They looked at each other for a few moments before Piggy giggled gently. "If you need anything else sealed, you know where to find me."
"So I do," he agreed with a laidback chuckle, "Wherever I am, for always."
She held his eyes with her own, and then inclined her head, "For always." Piggy touched his chest with one silk gloved finger, “Even if I should happen not to be exactly where you are.”
Kermit’s lips curved crookedly. With a playful, broad gesture, he caught her hand and held it over his heart for a few strong beats. Releasing her, he let out a long slow sigh. “Still,” he murmured, “it would be a little easier for us to be in sync if you would stop going behind my back all the time.”
Utterly relaxed, she shrugged languidly. “I’d prefer going at you from the front, Kermie, but you usually run when you see me coming.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward, as if pleading for intervention.
“Oh, alright. I’ll try to give you a breather, Kermie,” she giggled. “At least for a little while.”
‘Thank you,’ he mouthed, still looking up, dissolving into laughter as she gave him a playful swat.
“A little while,” she growled, “but not for long, darling.”
“Good.” Kermit decided. “After all, what would I do without you?”
“Nothing very interesting,” she informed him archly.
Although this does, I suppose, qualify as a Scene from Behind the Scenes, I'm posting it separately because it's less comedic than those ones, and because it takes place around an episode of the Muppet Show, rather than around a movie. Specifically, it happens after the Loretta Swit episode of the muppet show, wherein Piggy plants a story about them being secretly married a year ago in Vegas and Kermit fires her for it. They spend the whole episode bickering and fighting visciously, with Piggy mostly on the defensive. Loretta has them sing a "sappy song" and they patch things up with a chorus of "What would we do without you".
And I think that's really all you need to know. Dedicated to Ru, who was the original target of this story, and special thanks to Lisa and Prawnie who let me write it in front of them.
Enjoy!
"After the Fireworks"
“Thanks again for being here, Loretta.”
The M*A*S*H actress smiled warmly at him. “It was my pleasure, Kermit, and I’m so glad you and Miss Piggy managed to work things out.”’
Kermit shifted uneasily. “Yeah, me too.”
A horn sounded faintly from outside. “Oh, that’s my ride. Take care, Kermit… and take care of Miss Piggy too, won’t you? She’s so very fond of you.”
“Uh… thanks. I will. Goodbye!”
“Goodbye!”
Kermit waited politely as Loretta Swit made her way down the hallway and out of the building. With the guest star safely on her way, he leaned suddenly against a wall and let out a long slow sigh. Sometimes he just needed one of these “let it all go” moments before plunging back into the fray.
Kermit felt particularly frayed today… and though the show had ended, there were still loose ends that needed tying. Of course, that wasn’t unusual, but in this case, there were also open wounds to cauterize… and he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for that yet.
“If I had known what kind of day today was gonna be,” he murmured to himself as he shut his eyes against the world, “I would have found a nice rock to hide under while it ticked by.”
He had to talk to Piggy. He had to make sure she was really okay, that they were really okay. That wasn’t going to be easy, seeing as how he wasn’t sure whether he was okay. Part of him couldn’t help but still be angry with her for the stunt she had pulled. Again, Piggy pulling stunts… well, that wasn’t at all unusual, but this one… this one really took the cake. The outrageous, and sometimes outraged, lady pig had spread rumours about her relationship with him before, going so far as to announce their engagement on more than one occasion, or even trying to trick him into a wedding, but still...
A secret wedding in Las Vegas… last year.
The only good thing about the story ending up in a gossip rag was that his family was unlikely to see it. A brief thought about his dear mom’s hypothetical reaction to having missed his wedding intruded and, wincing, he firmly pushed it out of his head. He would have to let them know about the story, before the gossip spread to where they would hear about it. Maggie was going to have a field day.
Kermit wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised at the intensity of his reaction. Now, with his apoplectic fury whittled down into more familiar Piggy-related exasperation, they were going to have to talk about this. It wasn’t that Kermit didn’t appreciate Loretta’s sappy song approach; it had, after all, managed to remind him that he liked having Piggy around, but there were some things a warm cup of treacle just couldn’t solve.
Time to see Piggy.
Abandoning his peaceful moment in the empty hall, Kermit started moving. He gave a quick wave to Scooter as the go-fer darted by, being his usual marvel of efficiency. Without Kermit’s even having to think about the possibility of needing to ask, his marvelously efficient assistant had sprung into the action, handling all the usual show difficulties, freeing Kermit to handle his tougher than usual Piggy difficulty.
Kermit headed up the battered, “crummy” stairs to which Piggy had said a mournful, yet sardonic farewell earlier in the day. At the time, her dramatics had only irritated him further, but now he could smile at the memory, and at Piggy being Piggy. Strange how in the awkwardness after a fight and just before everything got back to normal, Kermit always seemed to find himself overwhelmed with a deep fondness for her… and always at a time when there was no good way to share that feeling with her. With a rueful little sigh as he arrived at her door, Kermit tapped lightly and before he could announce himself Piggy was cheerily calling, “Entrez!”
He took hold of the doorknob with his slender green fingers and turned it, but hesitated. “It’s Kermit,” he said gently. Almost immediately, he heard a sudden flurry of activity within. He considered whether to give her a minute to do whatever it was she was doing, but decided against it. She’d already invited him in after all, when she didn’t know it was him, so her state of dress couldn’t be an issue. Right?
Kermit pushed open the door and stuck his head in to see Piggy with her back to him, nervously straightening up the assorted knickknacks littering her makeup table, and doing far more harm then good in the process. He cleared his throat quietly and she spun to face him, a too-bright smile plastered on her face.
“Oh! Hello, Kermie!” she chirped sweetly, her eyes searching his face so cautiously that he instantly forgot everything he planned to say to her. It wasn’t like her to be quite this fidgety. Kermit felt a startling pang of guilt over his informally retracted firing during the show.
“Um… hi Piggy. I, uh…just thought I’d um…”
“Are you-“ Piggy was staring at him as though she was expecting him to stick her with a meat fork. She must have picked up on his taken aback expression because she suddenly drew herself up. One blink of her glorious eyes and it was as though another person, a confident person, a person who feared nothing and backed away from less, had taken up residence behind them. Only the airy laugh so familiar to him gave away her continuing uneasiness to Kermit. “Um... would you like to sit down?” she asked at her civil best.
He nodded slowly. “Yes, that would be fine, thank you,” Kermit replied, matching her formal tone, but hoping that there was enough warmth in his voice to reassure her that he wasn’t there to start another argument. Before he could protest, she scooped up her opened, but still unpacked suitcase from the little couch and set it unceremoniously on the floor. He couldn’t help but notice that sitting amongst a few lacy things best not dwelt on was a framed photograph of him. Kermit looked away quickly as he settled but not before Piggy tracked his gaze and blushed.
“That’s just…I haven’t really had a chance to unpack just yet, Kermie.” He nodded amiably and Piggy sat down quickly, her eyes lingering on the photo, eyelashes lowered almost enough to completely obscure the vibrant blue that underlay them.
The lingering tension between them was killing him, slowly and painfully.
He gestured to the suitcase. “Taking me with you, huh?” he asked playfully, hoping to break the ice.
Piggy flicked her eyes to him in surprise, and then just as swiftly looked back at the picture, as if she found it easier to look at. His hope for a smile from her proved vain. “I couldn’t… I didn’t want to just leave you behind.”
“Oh. Well, um, that’s… that’s good, Piggy.” Feeling bolder, Kermit slid his hands over hers, feeling the smooth silk in which they were clothed, and gave her hands a firm squeeze. “I don’t, I didn’t want you to leave me behind either, Piggy. I didn’t really want you to go.” Kermit was consoled by her faint answering pressure against his hands. That was good, because her next words weren’t comforting at all.
“Not even for a minute?” Piggy asked him, her voice so measured that it lost some of its personality. “You were pretty convincing.”
“Well,” Kermit hemmed a little bit, and found his own reassurance in the amused little shake of her head. “Maybe for a little while. I was angry,” he rationalized. “People who are angry sometimes say things, and even mean things, for a little while, that normally they wouldn’t say or um, mean.”
Finally, she gifted him with a genuine, if ironic, smile. “I’m sure I can’t imagine such a thing.” She was smiling faintly, and the gentle self mockery surprised him. “Really? What a very strange idea.”
Kermit laughed softly. “I’m a frog with a lot of strange ideas actually.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh dear. I guess my secret’s out then.”
Much of the tension ebbed soothingly away in the friendly teasing, and he found that Piggy was actually looking at him companionably instead of in wariness. She leaned in closer, conspiratorially. “I don’t mind your strange ideas, frog.”
Kermit smiled at her, amused and pleased with the flirt, then leaned down and nicked up the frame. “Well, Piggy, I don’t really mind you taking me with you… this isn’t a bad photo-“
“You’re very photogenic, Kermie.”
“Thank you, Piggy.” He handed her the photo. “I um, I don’t really mind you having this either I suppose, or taking it with you…though, I’m,” He took on a more serious tone. “I’m glad you’re staying. You are staying, right?”
“If you want me to stay.”
“And even if I don’t?” he teased.
She didn’t smile. “If you want me to stay.”
“I want you to stay, Piggy.” Kermit said sincerely, “Of course I do….but we… we need to talk about this.”
She shrugged, drawing back a bit. “So talk. I’m listening. That’s how it works, isn’t it? You talk, I listen, or I don’t.” Her voice was cool, the words slapped down flatly and she tried to pull her hands away. He held fast.
Kermit frowned at her. “What do you mean by that?” Maddeningly, she simply shrugged again. “Piggy, I want you to talk back, you know. I’ll listen.” Sincerity mixed with mild reproach in his expression and his voice for her pointed implication.
“Will you?” She wasn’t looking at him, her chin held high, the curve of her lips holding the hints of a startlingly appealing vulnerability. A sudden desire to soothe that tension in her lips away with his own seized him, and shocked him. He swallowed hard and fought both the urge and his answering sense of panic.
He pulled away from her side, swinging around and letting one leg fold under him so he could face her directly, head on. “Of course, I will… but you have to admit, you were out of line with this whole wedding in Vegas thing.”
“It was not out of line,” she protested, her posture growing increasingly defensive.
“Piggy," he said quietly, chiding her with her own name. Her eyes narrowed, fire flaring up and neatly obscuring the dismay that dwelt in the shining depths.
"It wasn't!" she insisted, shaking her head. "Why can't you ever..." she bit her lip and dropped her eyes. He could no longer see what was happening there.
"Piggy, listen..." He watched her chest rise and fall slowly as she fought for control. Frustration gripped him. "Would you just... would you please look at me?"
She kept her eyes lowered, wringing her hands until he reached out to touch her shoulder. Indomitable Piggy actually flinched away from the touch, but she did look up at him. "You said you were going to listen, Kermit." Tears welled up rapidly in her eyes as if even to look at him was too much to bear. He wondered miserably how it had come to this so quickly as his gut twisted with remorse.
"I... I did say that, and I meant it. I'm sorry. Go... go ahead." He smiled sweetly at her. "Please? Please, talk to me?"
She shook slightly with the effort of controlling her breaths. A tiny little nod, and she dropped her eyes again. Her breaths evened out and her hands settled gently in her lap.
“I didn’t think you would be that angry." He straightened, sarcasm leaping to his lips, but a quick nervous flicker from her eyes stilled him utterly. He tried to tell her that he was listening, just through his eyes, but she had looked away again. "I thought you’d be a little angry." She managed stiffly.
“Well, yes…”
"I hoped you wouldn’t be at all," her voice suddenly shifted to something hopeful and wistful, almost childlike, "and I certainly didn’t think you’d want to get rid of me over it.”
Kermit inhaled softly in a reaction too soft to be a gasp, to deep for shock. "Piggy, honey, I didn't-" The faintest, pathetic little whine escaped her throat despite the iron bars he knew she was laying in front of it. Spurred by his gentle heart to action, he slowly encircled her with his arms and drew her towards him until she was nearly in his lap.
"Kermie," she choked, emotion making her voice warble helplessly. He tugged her surrendered form until she was firmly snuggled against him under a protective arm. Lovingly, he pushed his face into her hair, burrowing gently until he was brushing her neck with his face, breathing against her skin.
"Shh..." he murmured. It was a strange thing... a very strange thing to see someone needing him, and no one, and nothing, but him, so very badly. He felt hot, salty tears trickle down his face, wetting her hair, wetting her neck. He pressed against her neck firmly, feeling the warmth of her. One arm stroked her back automatically in a soothing rhythm, like he'd comforted Robin whenever he'd been sick. Slowly, she sighed against him, and it felt uncomfortably right.
Kermit held her close for, he didn't know how long.... long enough for their breathing to fall into harmony, long enough for her to relax and snuggle quietly, trustingly into his shoulder, sniffling quietly, letting her tears roll into his soft collar until, in their own time, they stopped.
His back was complaining a little when he felt her start to pull back, withdrawing herself in a awkwardly self-conscious motion. Without hesitation, he clutched her tighter, and then, careful not to let go, determined not to let Piggy think for a moment he was letting her go, he maneuvered them both until they could rest together, supported by the cushions, locked in each other's arms.
Again, he waited, just breathing, just feeling her breathe, until he felt quietness settle over them, until he felt her waiting with him, feeling him breathe. Only then, did he speak.
"Piggy...oh, my dear Piggy." He was so attuned to her breaths that he knew instantly the little catch and fade of her reaction. "Piggy, I never... I don't ever want to get rid…" He choked on the hurtful words, but then... better ones came.
With an affirmation rather than a denial; Kermit used the truth to gently wipe away the false.
"Piggy, honey, I want to keep you."
He felt her breath trip out of rhythm again, and he tucked his head so he could look at those eyes. They were so pretty wet; he almost hated to see them dry. There was a watery smile on her lips and he returned it, wondered if it was half as steady as he meant it to be.
She giggled then, quavery and fragile, but a laugh nonetheless, springing not from humour but from the sudden release of tension. Kermit himself felt a kind of relieved mirth bubble up inside him as though he and Piggy were really just two parts of the same person. "I want you to stay,” he insisted, “... for always, okay?"
"For always?" she murmured wistfully, smiling against his neck.
"For always, Miss Piggy. Promise you will?"
She laughed again and squeezed him tighter. Kermit marveled affectionately at the casual strength there, and did his best to respond in kind.
"You um, sure you want me to promise that? Because um, I'm still gonna want you to marry me, and uh, I won't promise I'm not going to try-"
He laughed, and still fighting a grin, gave her as serious a look as he could manage, knowing it wasn't nearly as serious as the promise he wanted. "Please? Just promise me, Miss Piggy... you and me, for always?"
She raised her eyes to them, sparkling with laughter and joy, still shining liquidly. "Yes, Kermit... the frog, you and me, for always... I do." Her eyes crinkled up in amused delight.
"You do, huh?" He shook his head. "My Piggy, always irrepressible."
She nodded firmly, her words slow and filled with devoted promise. "I do."
He smiled easily, stretching his hand up and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I, um, I do too, Piggy." Her eyes widened dramatically and Kermit’s smile also widened. "I promise, too." He added with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
She laughed, and so did he, and then, though some things were still unsaid, they were really okay again. "You will, Kermie," she informed him smugly, "Whether you know it now, or not!" Kermit tightened his grip on her again and rested his head on her shoulder. Staring straight ahead, and not seeing anything that lay before him, he said quietly, "You may be right about that."
"Oh, I am," she crooned happily.
"Oh, good," he said peaceably. After a few minutes of letting the world go by, and considering many things about the world, Kermit turned to face her. "These kinds of things need to be sealed," he murmured firmly, letting his eyes wander over her, still considering. He nodded almost imperceptibly and then leaned in, pressing his lips softly against hers for a long second.
He pulled back and she let him, her gaze both dreamy and delighted, and delightful to him. They looked at each other for a few moments before Piggy giggled gently. "If you need anything else sealed, you know where to find me."
"So I do," he agreed with a laidback chuckle, "Wherever I am, for always."
She held his eyes with her own, and then inclined her head, "For always." Piggy touched his chest with one silk gloved finger, “Even if I should happen not to be exactly where you are.”
Kermit’s lips curved crookedly. With a playful, broad gesture, he caught her hand and held it over his heart for a few strong beats. Releasing her, he let out a long slow sigh. “Still,” he murmured, “it would be a little easier for us to be in sync if you would stop going behind my back all the time.”
Utterly relaxed, she shrugged languidly. “I’d prefer going at you from the front, Kermie, but you usually run when you see me coming.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward, as if pleading for intervention.
“Oh, alright. I’ll try to give you a breather, Kermie,” she giggled. “At least for a little while.”
‘Thank you,’ he mouthed, still looking up, dissolving into laughter as she gave him a playful swat.
“A little while,” she growled, “but not for long, darling.”
“Good.” Kermit decided. “After all, what would I do without you?”
“Nothing very interesting,” she informed him archly.
