Chapter Text
Branch glared at the storm clouds blocking out the sun with eyes that could kill, fingers twitching angrily around the sticks in his arms. The rain was coming down in buckets and he was seriously not looking forward to making his way home in it, the cold water already sticking to his fur where he was standing underneath a wide leaf. How he managed to not notice the clouds earlier would forever be a mystery to him, and the very reason he’d always be on the lookout for crappy weather in later years.
“Fucking- at least everything in the bunker is waterproof,” he muttered, sucking a deep breath in his teeth before pushing himself into the freezing cold and making his way home.
It stung and his feet hurt, but he was making good progress. He was halfway there when he heard the tell tale sounds of singing and groaned, curling around his haul and doing his best to ignore it. Of course Poppy would be out and about, singing in the rain for all the world to hear. That girl hardly ever stopped singing and it grated on his nerves sometimes. Didn’t she know she’d get sick from being out here?
He huffed and pushed past a bush, groaning loudly when he spotted the pink princess dancing on the other side. Just his luck. And, of course, she spotted him.
She gasped excitedly and ran over, waving. “Branch! Didn’t expect you to be outside right now, whatcha doing?”
He stepped away from her and rolled his eyes, sticks shifting in his arms. “Just gathering wood for my heater and then I’m gonna hide until the weather goes back to normal,” he muttered, ducking under her attempt at a hug.
That didn’t deter her and she simply began to follow him, her bright blue raincoat standing out like a bright flower in the darkness of the storm. “Why not stay and hang out with me? It’s so much fun out here in the rain and we can feel like we’re in a story book! And no one would bother us so you wouldn’t have to worry-”
He groaned and stalked his way towards the bunker. “Absolutely not, we could get sick,”
“You might,” she said, fingers pinching the fabric of his, now soaking wet, vest, “This isn’t a raincoat, silly,”
With an annoyed huff, he yanked himself away from her touch. “Yes, I’m aware , Poppy! I didn’t plan to be out here in the freezing rain, so why the hell would I be wearing a-”
His voice, which had steadily been rising in volume the more annoyed he got with the princess, suddenly cut off when a loud clap of thunder shook the trees around them. He tensed and dropped his sticks without thinking, hands coming up to cover his ears with a small smack. A shout ripped out of him without his permission and he started to shake, crouching low to the ground to get away from the loud noise that had his heart rate speeding up and his breathing to become ragged.
His mind was slingshotted back into his youth, the terrible tremble of wart-filled feet slamming into the ground to shake the world around him and terrible, yellow eyes glaring down at him while the trolls around him were snatched. Screaming filled his ears and he whimpered without meaning to, hugging his knees tightly to his chest to try and get rid of it.
The cold around his body lessened slightly, a gentle weight being wrapped around his shoulders and making him freeze. He blinked back memories and slowly lifted his head to peek out at the world around him, coming face to face with the princess’s concerned eyes. Her blue raincoat was nowhere in sight and she was sitting just a foot away from him, hands in her lap and eyes searching his for something. When he finally focused on her, she relaxed a bit and let out a breath, her overbite peeking out.
“There you are. Are you okay?” She asked softly, scooting a little closer. Not close enough to touch him, but enough to reach out if he wanted it.
He grunted and sat up to tell her off, blinking when bright blue invaded his vision. “What…?”
She giggled and reached over to push the color from his eyes, adjusting the coat around him. “I figured the rain wasn’t helping and thought you could use something warm,” she said, stretching her arms out above her head, “And I don’t mind getting wet,”
Branch blinked rapidly and reached up to feel the texture of the raincoat now curled delicately around his shoulders, the fluffy inner lining tickling his arms. She was right, it was warm and it had shocked him out of his panic attack enough to stop shaking from fear, so he wouldn’t push it away for now.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped his face dry, scowling. “You should get home,” he mumbled, going to tug the garment off of himself, “You’ll get sick without this and-”
Another loud clap of thunder cut him off and he buried himself deeper into the coat, yelping without meaning to. A spike of panic went through his chest again and he curled up tight, hands coming up to fist through his hair to try and ground him. Why the hell was he acting like this? He was a grown troll, he shouldn’t still be scared of thunder anymore! It couldn’t hurt him!
And yet, despite the logic screaming at him, he couldn’t help but tuck himself into his legs to try and hide, making himself as small as he could to avoid whatever his rampant mind thought was going to eat him. The world around him shook and he sobbed softly, chin jamming into his chest. He needed to get back to his bunker, where it was safe, but he couldn’t move, limbs shaking and rendering him incapable of even shifting to get out of the rain. This was all so stupid and he had no way of fixing it.
After a third clap of thunder, there were hands on his back that made him tense. His head shot up and he growled, shuffling backwards until he was an appropriate distance away from whatever had touched him, pink invading his vision once he did.
Poppy smiled at him and crossed her arms in satisfaction. “Huh, I aimed that really well,” she said, walking over to join him where he now sat, “Sorry, I didn’t know how else to move you,”
His brows furrowed and he blinked. “Move me..?” He mumbled, lifting his head to look up. A large leaf was now above their heads, shielding them from the heavy rain and allowing for some light shelter. He blinked and looked back down at Poppy, who’d pulled a towel from her hair and was drying herself off.
“How did you-”
“I remembered how you’d always shoot in the opposite direction whenever someone touches you, so I just made sure to aim it properly,” she hummed, handing him his own towel with a small smile, “Wanna dry off? I think we’ll be here a while,”
Branch blinked at her for another moment before hesitantly reaching out to take the orange cloth. His hand curled around the fabric at the same time another clap of thunder went off and he squeaked, bringing it to his face so fast that he punched himself. He groaned and wrapped it around his head, trying his best to dry himself without shaking. This was seriously hurting his reputation.
Poppy, sweet as ever, didn’t comment and simply situated herself in the damp grass next to him, once again far enough to not touch him, but close enough for him to grab her if he needed. She was letting him make the choice.
He sniffled and set the towel on the ground once he was done, tugging the coat tighter around his arms. “Thanks…” He mumbled, flinching at another rumble of thunder, “You can go now-”
She snorted a little and leaned back on her hands. “I’m not leaving you out here while you’re having a panic attack, Branchifer, that’s dangerous,” she teased, looking over at him, “So you’re stuck with me until the rain stops,”
He groaned a little and tucked himself into his knees, scowling at the ground. “I’ll be fine, Poppy,” he grumbled out, a whine slipping out of the back of his throat when the world around him shook form the force of the sky, “I’ve done this before, I’m not a baby,”
“Didn’t say you were one,” she said softly, nudging him as gently as she could with her elbow, “But I don’t leave my friends when they’re upset. You’re no different,”
“We aren’t friends,” he said instantly, shooting her a glare.
She merely grinned in response and stretched out to lay in the grass. “Mhm, yeah we are. You’re one of my best friends, I’ve decided,”
He frowned at her and sighed, curling up next to her after a few moments. “Do I get a choice in the matter?” He asked, tucking his knees into the jacket with him.
Poppy giggled beside him and rolled over, pink eyes meeting his blue ones. “You usually would, but you’re always lying that you hate me, so not this time,” she said softly, regarding him with an extremely cheerful expression that made his ears go warm.
Branch scoffed as best as he could in his tense state. “Yeah? And how in the world did you figure that?” He asked, sarcasm lacing his tone like a poison. A trick he’d taught himself to get people to go away that worked almost every single time.
Key word: almost.
The girl in front of him merely giggled and tucked one of her arms underneath her head. “Cause then you wouldn’t be laying with me right now,” she whispered, giggling when his face turned an even darker shade of gray.
He scowled and tucked his face into the jacket. “I’m panicking and-” he tensed and curled up when the world shook again, “-I’d be doing this with anyone else,”
But she knew that was a lie, too.
“No you wouldn’t,” she said quietly, the hand not under her head reaching out to fill the space between them. An invitation. “If it was anyone else, you’d yell at them to go away and stomp off to have your panic attack alone. But you’re with me, so you’re curled up in my raincoat and letting me stay with you. Am I wrong?”
He stared at her hand for a long time before cautiously reaching out to hold it in his own, eyes staying angrily glued to the grass. “No…but that doesn’t make us friends,” he grumbled, allowing her to lace their fingers together.
She just giggled and turned their hands over a little bit. “I feel like you could hold both of my hands in just one of yours, they’re so big,” she whispered, squeezing gently when more thunder shook the world.
“Probaby,” he whispered back, tensing more and taking a shaky breath, “But I think you’re just tiny,”
An offended gasp hit his ears and he grinned slyly at the princess in front of him. She stared at him in shock before her own grin split her face and she brought their knuckles to her face to nuzzle them.
“Remind me which of us is taller again?” She teased, giggling when he groaned.
“Half an inch- that’s all!” he shouted, flicking her with the fingers near her nose, “You’re not that much taller than me, Poppy,”
She squealed and snapped at his finger playfully, wiggling to be closer. “And yet, here I am, taller than you and loving it,”
He snorted, a small smile forming on his face. “Yeah right, you’re still tiny with your dainty hands and your napping tendencies,”
She gasped loudly and stared at him, making him giggle once more at the ridiculousness of it all. He didn’t see the grin spread across her face or react to the next thunder clap.
*
Poppy smiled wide when she noticed the way he relaxed into his laughter, ignoring the thunder surrounding them. So far, her plan was working and a bit of pride seeped into her chest, making her wiggle. She played it off and huffed, falling right back into their banter.
“The heck do you mean by ‘napping tendencies’?” She asked, watching his grin spread, “What does that even mean?”
He merely smirked and glanced at her. “You know you hum in your sleep, right? I hear it whenever you fall asleep at the beach if I’m out,”
She blinked back surprise and sat up slightly to stare at him in shock. “I WHAT!?” She yelped, trying not to laugh with him, “I do not hum in my sleep!”
“Yeah you do,” he whispered simply, tucking himself deeper into the wet grass with a tired chuckle, “It’s the same little hum you do when you’re happy, the one in the back of your throat,”
Poppy blinked again and stared at him quietly, watching as he raised his eyes back to hers with an amused curiosity.
“Did you not know you did that?” He asked, snorting when she shook her head, “Yeah, you either hum or make a popping noise in the back of your throat when you’re relaxed and happy. Has no one ever told you about that?”
“No!” She said incredulously, flopping onto her back with a dramatic flare she hoped would keep Branch’s focus on her instead of the thunder fading into the distance, “No one ever told me!”
He shrugged and yawned slightly, eyes falling back to their joined hands. “They might not even realize it either, it’s hard to spot unless it’s quiet. And it is extremely difficult to get you quiet,” he mumbled, smirking at the gasp that got him.
She stared at him for a moment before grinning, unable to keep the softness from her voice. “And you did notice it?” She asked, flexing the fingers trapped in his larger ones, “You noticed something so small about me?”
He blinked a little bit and his face flushed heavily, gray skin going darker and allowing for the beauty marks dotting his face to pop out more than they usually did. His eyes fell back to the grass to break their eye contact as he huffed in slight annoyance that she knew was fake, no matter what he said. It made her grin and she settled deeper into the grass.
“Don’t read too much into it, okay?” He mumbled, the bite in his voice not even really there despite his efforts, “I’m just observant, it doesn’t mean anything,”
Poppy merely smiled in response and squeezed his hand, noting the fact that the thunder had stopped and the rain had begun to lessen. “Are you? Because you didn’t notice the last, like, twenty claps of thunder while we were talking,” she said, giggling as she spoke, “Distractions always work,”
Branch blinked rapidly for a moment before looking up at the leaf that she’d chased him under, noting the way the rain had tapered off into a light pitter-patter instead of the buckets it had been dumping on their heads when they’d run into each other. Understanding shined in his pupils and he turned back to her with surprise written all over his features.
“How did you…?”
She merely smiled and squeezed his hand, wishing the moment didn’t have to end as soon as it did. “As much as you don’t wanna believe it, Branch, we’re friends. And I know how to help my friends feel better,”
He stared at her for another moment that seemed to stretch across lifetimes before carefully letting go of her hand and sitting up, tugging the light blue raincoat off with one swift motion. “I…thanks for letting me use this,” he whispered, pointedly keeping his back to her, “And- and for helping me, I guess,”
She sat up as well and smiled a little bit more, taking the raincoat and pulling it over her own form. It smelled like him, like pine needles and dirt, and she had to pinch her cheek to keep herself from burying her face into the garment to save her dignity and his own. She’d never wash this again if she could help it.
“That’s what friends do,” she said softly, standing once he did, “Do you need any help getting home?”
He shook his head almost instantly, leaving the safety of their leaf to grab the sticks he’d abandoned in the rain. “No- no, I’ll be fine. You should get back to the village and warm up before you catch a cold,”
He kept his back to her like it would keep her from seeing his blush, unaware that his ears were giving him away. The light gray skin was a good two or three shades darker than usual and the little appendages twitched every few seconds, making the princess smile. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.
“Okay,” she said simply, bouncing over to him and wrapping her arms around his middle to hug him tight. He tensed up slightly, but allowed her five seconds of hugging before he began to try and push her away.
She grinned and squeezed him once more before letting go and stepping around to look him in the eye. His pupils were blown wide and his cheeks were even darker than his ears, eyes falling back to the ground once she was in his line of sight. His shyness would never cease to make her heart rate speed up and she had to restrain herself from hugging him again.
“Stay safe, okay?” She said softly before turning on her heel and heading towards the village. The happiness that bubbled up inside of her had her bouncing as she walked, a song eventually being pulled from her chest and out into the world.
“All I knew, this morning when I woke,” she sang softly, spinning in time with the music of her heart as she walked, “Is I know something now…something now that I didn’t before,”
*
Branch stomped his way back to his bunker, trying his best to get his heart to stop beating a thousand times a second, when he picked up Poppy’s song in the distance.
“And all I’ve seen…since eighteen hours ago, is blue eyes, and freckles, and your smile in the back of my mind, making me feel like…”
He didn’t recognize the song and huffed, opening the trapdoor with a small scowl at the dirt walls. The music cut off once the door closed and the tiniest part of him longed for it to continue, longed for him to reopen it and follow the princess into the village to listen to the rest of the melody. Thankfully, the rest of him screaming to take a shower and warm up won out and he sat down as the elevator descended into the depths of his home.
As the silence surrounded him, his mind began to think, something he really wished he could’ve avoided, but alas. A recent memory bubbled to the surface, causing his heart to speed up and a fire to light up behind his cheeks.
A cave and cuddling months ago, when Poppy had trailed after him during one of his busiest days and turned it into one of his least productive. Getting trapped for hours with nothing but each other and a small lantern…it was almost laughable how similar the situation had been. Being trapped together while providing comfort…his hand burned slightly from the prolonged hand holding and he timidly brought the palm up to his face to keep the warmth there, hoping beyond hope that the comfort he felt would stay for just a few minutes more.
After all, he never knew when he’d be able to feel that again.
Right…?