Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Children were cherished in the troll village. Of course, for a happy species, that would be a given under any circumstances, but it was more so when the surrogate trees can only manage to grow a fraction of the new pods. Unlike the original Troll Tree, trees in the edge of the clearing were simply not made to accommodate for such a task, and therefore expecting parents learned to accept this fact and not get their hopes up, else risk the heartache of watching an potential life whither and shrivel up before their eyes. It was still far better than the other option: having many children, most of them gobbled up within their first few years of life. If you were lucky to live long enough to become a parent, that is.

It took nearly a year for the first child to be born after the great escape, and to this day it had been one of the greatest parties the trolls ever had, even the week-long festival they held for said escape. Slowly but surely, the numbers grew, and each new sprout was celebrated. A new tradition was born, another excuse to party, really. Blooming Showers were all the craze, and they only became more intricate over the years.

But first, you have to have a pod that makes it through the three month growth period, and before then you have to have a seed, and for that you have to have a life partner.

Unless the tree gives you one.

It have been uncommon, but not unheard of, in the Troll Tree; the great King Peppy himself was such a gift to his single, unmarried mother, the late Queen Posie. However, in the nearly fifteen years since the establishment of the new village, no such miracle has ever occurred within the surrogate trees themselves. It was to be expected; they can barely provide for the new pods the village made, or attempted to make, much less make one themselves .

Except tonight.

Despite the little pod's stark white color that stood out in the greens of the trees and the rainbow hues of the village, it manage to stay hidden from it's planting spot, thanks to it's small size, the fact it was a few hours after midnight, and the rather inconvenient place of a single leaf that shaded it.

By the break of dawn when the berry pickers rose up and prepared to water their bushes, it would go unnoticed. When the sun just barely passes beyond the horizon and a few more trolls awaken to go about their day, still it would remain hidden. And when many more trolls come out and about to start the day's morning song, no one would yet notice.

But when a certain princess jumps out of her pod, a special card in hand meant for a certain troll, and lands right on a certain branch, from which a certain leaf would just barely shift over to the right, only then would a certain new little pod catch a passing troll's eye.

At first, the random troll would have no idea what the strange, little white thing he was looking at was, but soon he notices the familiar tear-drop shape. There's no hair fibers wrapped around, but it has the telling fuzz of a converted flower bud. And when the troll touches the pod it is slightly warm, an indication that it's receiving energy from it's branch.

And yet, no hopeful parents had made any sort of announcement within the last few weeks. No good luck songs were sung the days before, and no home was perched within a foot of the little pod.

The troll immediately went to search for the king.

______

"Branch! Just the troll I wanted to see!" Poppy excitedly skipped her way over to the downtrodden grey troll, beaming and humming along the way, as cheerful as ever.

"Oh really? You're just the troll I wanted to avoid." He snarled at the happy princess. He was foraging for roots and wild beets in the deep parts of the forest, and the last thing he needed was for the ditzy pink girl to tag along. Her constant singing and chattering would make it hard to focus on listening for dangerous creatures, not to mention he would be forced to protect her from them.

"Come on, Branch, don't be such a bridge troll!" She sing-songed, continuously jumping up and down in place with giddiness. Her smile was as wide as ever, and she not-so-discreetly held something behind her back.

With a sigh, he got up from his knees and faced the princess fully. "What do you want?"

It was a rhetorical question; he knew exactly what she wanted, so might as well get it over with.

"Wellllll," She dragged the word along, "I just wanted to be the first one to wish you a 'Happy Birthday!'"

She was the only one who ever wishes him happy birthday.

No longer able to contain herself, Poppy revealed the card she had worked on since the moment she had woken up; a mini him, holding a tiered cake, with her and all her friends right behind him with big, happy faces.

"Happy Birthday Branch!" A tiny Poppy-like voice sang out from the card.

Cue the "surprise" glitter attack. It has been a surprise since the last three cards. Unfortunately, it looked like it was going to remain a thing.

He leaned away from the stream of glitter, only for her to step closer so it could hit his face once more. Yep, this was definitely going to be a constant from now on.

Once it ended, he faked his best smile and carefully plucked the card from her stretched-out hands. As always, her eyes sparkled and her smile widened with hope and joy.

And as always, the smile vanished when he crumpled it in his hand. Same old routine.

"I've said more times than I could count, and I'm going to say it again." He hissed at her. "I. Don't. Celebrate. My. Birthday." He emphasized each and every word with a sharp, condescending tone, hoping for once she would get a clue.

Poppy reached in her hair and presented him another gift. "Cupcake?" Her voice sounded not-so-hopeful this time.

Almost like giving her a high five, he slammed his hand into her palm, smashing the cupcake flat. Then he sulked away.

She stood there for a few seconds. Once she was a little more composed, she smiled and began to trail behind the grumpy grey troll.

"So, the big one-nine!" She stated it as if it was sort of some accomplishment. "That's means you've been an adult for a whole year now!"

He merely grunted in response. He's been an adult since the day he ran away from the orphanage pod to start a bunker.

"So what's adulthood like? Anything different? Did you change in any way? Ooooh, Im pretty sure you've been a lot nicer this year!" She chattered along, digging for information. "Well? Anything?"

"Same as a teen, same as a kid." He said no more than that.

"Oh." Poppy sounded a little disappointed, but bounced right back to her happy place. "When I'm an adult, I bet I'm going to be smarter and wiser!"

He doubt it.

"And I'll know all sorts of cool things that will help me be the best queen ever!"

"Hah."

"Just wait and see, Branch, I'm going to be soooo mature and stuff, it'll be so cool to be an independent grown up an-oof!" Poppy found herself impacting Branch's backside. Rubbing her nose, she stepped back a bit, to provide some distance.

Branch spun around, scowling all the same, and growled at her. "Actually, you're just going to be the exact same person you already are: annoying, naive, and incompetent."

He trudged forward, forcing her to shrink down as he leered above her form.

"And do you know why? Because your completely incapable of seeing anything beyond your little fantasy world of cupcakes and rainbows. You'll never learn because you don't even try to, and you'll be a terrible queen because you'll have no idea what to do!" Finished, he sharply turned away from her and briskly left. The conversation was over, and he clearly had enough of her.

Again, she stood there for a moment, but eventually brightened up and waved to his retreating back. "Okay!" Her voice was as chipper as ever. "I'll see you around Branch! Happy 19th Birthday!" She turned and skipped back towards the village, licking the remnants of cake and icing still lodged in her palm.

Hug time was almost here, and she could definitely use one right about now.

_________

The first thing Poppy noticed was the large crowd underneath one of the trees. She could see her father and an elder in a mushroom platform planted in one of the branches, conversing amongst themselves.

It seemed like the entire village was concentrated in that one area, and that only ever happened with big parties.

But no one was singing or dancing, just lots of hushed talking.

Curious, Poppy made her way to the edge of the crowd, gently pushing her way through, greeting familiar faces and excusing her intrusion.

"The princess is here!"

"Does she know?"

"Has anyone told her?"

"Princess Poppy!"

"Make way, she's trying to reach King Peppy!"

The crowd parted just enough that she could sprint her way over, quickly greeting her friend Guy Diamond and the some of the children as she past by.

By the time she reached the center, Smidge had a flower ready for her to jump onto. She sent a "thank you" to the tiny troll, and before was raised high above everyone's head directly towards her father.

"Dad! What's going on? Is there a party?"

Before King Peppy could speak, every hug time bracelet chimed, so she jumped off the flower and embraced her father and the elder within the platform before getting back to business.

"Poppy dearest, my child!" Peppy grasped her shoulders. "Exciting news! A miracle, you will not believe!"

"A miracle?" She was confused, but the fact her father seemed very happy meant she should be too. "What is it?"

"Look up, child, see with your own eyes!" The elder spoke up, extending his arm upward. He was Ambrose, the oldest of them all, with a hunched back and a crooked cane.

She did as she was told, and finally noticed the little white speck on the tree. It was a strange sight, but she recognized the familiar shape.

A pod. A tiny, itty bitty, newborn pod! Precious!

"Wow, a new pod!" Surprised, and even further befuddled, she turned to her father again. "That's great! I hope it grows up, but where are the parents? They should've told everyone before they planted, right?" She tried to recall the last few days, and couldn't remember a single announcement .

"No one did, because the tree grew this pod."

"Wait, hold up, what!?" Poppy exclaimed in surprise.

"The tree made this pod, princess," the elder spoke up again. "Do you remember how your father came to be?"

"Yeah! Grandma Posie needed a baby, so the Troll Tree made dad for her!" Poppy beamed at her father, proud that she knew the answer. He returned the gesture, equally proud. Still, she was perplexed. "But I thought only the Troll Tree could do that."

"We thought so, too. However, we have gathered the entire village, and not one single troll has claimed to plant it. It is the only explanation."

Children were treasures in their village. No troll would not want to show off their seed to the village, even if the chances of the pod surviving the growth process were minuscule.

"Which means," the elder bellowed, addressing the entire village. "This pod right here is a gift, bestowed by the tree itself, onto a troll in need of a child!"

Crowd cheered with excitement. It was great news; maybe the surrogates were slowly becoming official Troll Trees themselves! Who knows, but it was still wonderful.

"This one has to bloom then! If the tree makes it itself, it'll do better than the rest!" A troll from the crowd spoke up. Many echoed in agreement, exhilarated over such a prospect.

"I can't wait!" Another troll squealed. "It's so exciting!" The gossip grew louder and louder.

"Settle down, let us not bring our hopes up!" Elder Ambrose spoke up once more, bringing the crowd's chatter back to a lower volume. "Until the pod does in fact bloom, we must assume the same odds as any other." Despite the words, there was no doubt very high expectations from the village. The elder could only wish it doesn't end in sadness and disappointment.

"For now, we must tend to the matter of who does this pod belong to." Peppy spoke up with authority, and again the village went into a thrilled uproar. Who indeed, does it belong to?

"Luckily, I have been there for whence your majesty's own pod have been discovered, so I can convey to you all how we shall find the rightful owner. Listen well!" The elder Ambrose stepped closer to the tiny pod, and placed his hand on it's surface. "Upon contact shall it glow in it's parent's true colors. To reveal it's parentage, every adult troll in the village must touch the pod until it glows for them."

"The elder has spoken!" Peppy shouted. "Trolls, climb up to touch the pod!"

With a cheer, trolls began climbing up the tree towards the branch just below the pod. The elder and royal family stepped to the side of the platform as the villagers lined up to touch the pod one by one. Even as they sped up the pace and made quick work of hug time, it took almost two hours for every adult in the village to take their turn.

Poppy's good friend and secret crush Creek was the last one to touch the pod, and for a split second Poppy's breath hitched and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Could it truly be?

No. The pod did not glow.

The whole village gave a collective gasp, and even Creek was astonished for a moment, but quickly returned to his usual calm state and simply shrugged with a smile.

"B-but we all touched it!" Someone said.

"What does this mean?"

"Does...does it not have anyone?"

"Oh dear, the poor thing!"

"Elder Ambrose, are you sure we did it right?"

"The method is true! Aged I may be, but I've a memory sharper than a needle's point!" The elder spoke, deeply concerned as well. "Perhaps someone has missed their turn! Let us try again!"

"Perhaps everyone this time? Every single troll, even the children?" Peppy asked. The elder nodded in agreement, though certain it would not matter.

To keep tally, every troll had their nose painted white by Opal, and her daughter Harper, once they touched the pod. Hug time was temporarily forbidden to avoid distractions. The trolls that have already gone prepared and brought lunch for those in line. Children had a thrilling time participating. As the line grew shorter and shorter, the village grew both more excited and equally more worried.

Poppy went last this time. Expectations boiled up again.

And Harper sadly marked the princess's nose in white paint.

"Did...did we do it wrong again?"

"King Peppy, does this mean it has no one?"

"I'm not sure," Peppy turned to his old friend and advisor. "Ambrose, are you sure this was done right?"

"Yes," the voice whispered in a hoarse tone. "This was exactly how it was done with your own pod, and a few before I've seen. I'm afraid I have no answer as to why it has not worked this time. Perhaps it is a problem with the tree itself."

"I see." Peppy thought for a moment. "Not to worry, everyone!" He spoke up to the crowd. "We'll simply raised the child as a village. It will be loved as any other!"

The villagers seemed to brighten up with the king's encouragement, but still many ponder over this great mystery. As adored as the child would be, no doubt the lack of parentage was both baffling and sad.

"The poor thing. I'm sure we can take well care of it, but to be an orphan before it even blooms..." The troll who was speaking hugged her friend. Many did so, in comfort.

Poppy wrapped her arms around her father as well, who returned the embraced. She couldn't bear to think about it herself. She could only imagine how life would be so different without her father.

An orphan. Poppy thought as she closed her eyes. That's been unheard of in so long. The last orphan in the village was-

Poppy's eyes opened wide and she gasped.

"WAIT!" She bellowed so loud that every single troll perked up. Silenced filled the place, with not even the usual buzzing murmur of small talk.

She made sure to glanced all over the village just to be sure. In a sea of colors, he always stuck out the most.

Sure enough, he wasn't present.

Her grin couldn't get any wider. "There is someone who hasn't touched the pod yet!"

Excitement grew again, but so did everyone's puzzlement. Trolls looked at one another, looking for this one particular troll.

"Someone who isn't here right now!" She squealed.

"Who?!" Someone asked.

"Wait! You don't mean..." Another spoke up. Many others started coming to the same realization.

"B-b-but princess! It can't be! He could possibly want or love this child!" A troll all the way in the back shouted.

"He's too grumpy!" Another shrieked.

An then it finally clicked for the rest of the baffled trolls. Concerns and protests were shouted out all together, she could not begin to decipher what each individual voice was saying.

"Quiet, quiet, please! Look, I know it might seem a bit of a stretch, but just...hey, SHUT IT!!!"

"SILENCE" The elder's voiced permeated though all the other's. Silent they did become, but the village still held great worry in their expressions.

The elder took a deep sigh. "As I have said earlier, pods like this usually are gifted...to a troll in great need. The late Queen Posie has been such herself." Elder Ambrose turned to the princess and king. "He would...certainly fit the bill." The elder chose his words carefully, but the message certainly came across.

Since their first encounter, Poppy had made it her life mission to bring out the happiness in Branch, the one and only miserable grey troll. While she slowly managed to encroach into a sort of "semi-friendship" status, she never truly got through to him.

Could this finally be it? The key to his happiness?

"Everyone else touched the pod, he should get the chance to do it, too!" Poppy spoke firmly and with confidence. "I't's worth a shot."

"Indeed." Peppy nodded. He knew Branch's situation, as did most of the elders, and they had kept it secret over the years, by the request of the troll himself. He wanted no pity, he had claimed as his reason. And so in self misery he had remained, alone, much to the king's dismay. Like his daughter, Peppy wanted nothing more than to help this particular troll, and it seems his wishes may have just been answered.

"Alrighty then!" Poppy clapped her hands eagerly. "I'll go get him, and we'll see what happens!"

She could still hear many concern voices behind her. It was most definitely not a popular suggestion. She could already hear some of them saying, "the poor thing would probably be better off an orphan," but those trolls can't seem to understand how great this could be! The miracle Branch needed in his life!

"Girl, you got guts to say all that." Poppy was confronted by her closest and bestest friends, the Snack Pack, as she gracefully hopped off the tree.

"I know what you're all thinking: Poppy, this is the craziest idea yet!"

"Yep"

"Uh huh."

"I kinda thought your punk phase was crazier..."

"But I know everyone deserves happiness, and if Elder Ambrose says this pod belongs to someone in need, well, Branch definitely needs happiness."

"You don't gotta explain yourself, Popps." Satin and Chenille smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, we're with you! Let's go find the grump!" Guy Diamond whooped, followed by Smidge and Fuzzbert.

"It'll be hilarious!" Cooper guffawed.

"Well then," Poppy, "Since I doubt he'll come on his own, I guess you're all more than happy to...'assist' him in coming over?"

She received equally wicked grins in return.

_________

A short distance away from his bunker, Branch sat on a stone by the narrow river, sighing deeply.

After making sure Poppy had left, Branch licked clean the remainders of the smashed cupcake from his hand, not wanting to dirty his clothes further or stop his foraging to wash up.

Plain vanilla. It tasted homemade, like a grandmother's recipe.

And it had been with that thought did the ever-present depression he drowned deep inside surged to great heights. The search for edibles had stopped right then; he didn't have to energy to continue foraging anymore. Or do anything, really. He'd be doomed if an animal came to make him a meal. And he wouldn't care.

Some days were grey. Some days were even more grey.

And some days were just pointless, and he wondered why he even existed. Today was one of those days.

And so he spent hours atop the stone, staring at nothing and everything at once, staring at arms and legs that were as dull as the rock itself.

Sometimes he wonders what his true colors were. After so long, he had forgotten. Blues and greens, and even purple, came to mind, but he could never recall it exactly.

Does it matter? He thought bitterly. It's not like I'll ever change. I'll always be grey, and miserable, a terrible monster.

I'll always be the same. I'll never change.

A slight rustle didn't faze him like it usually would have. He lost all ability to care.

At least until the rustle spoke. Then he really cared, and groaned.

"Branch! Just the troll I wanted to see!" The princess skipped to him merrily.

"You said that already." He grumbled. Leave, can't you see I want to be alone? Forever?

"Did I? Hmmm...oh yeah, earlier!" She exclaimed as if this was surprising news. He rolled his eyes.

One thing's for sure; even when he's turning numb inside and out, Poppy always at least made him feel annoyed. Better than nothing, he supposed.

"What do you want?" He mumbled grumpily.

"You said that already!" She teased, throwing his words back at him. "I need you to come with me to the village!"

He actually raised his head to stare at her gleaming face, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"Becauuuuse," She sanged, "it's a surprise!"

His glare deepened.

A surprise.

A surprise birthday party. When will she get it?

"No. Go away." She didn't even flinch.

"Come on, you don't wanna even find out the surprise?"

Instead of responding to her, he sat up from his stone and made his way towards the bunker. Realizing her time now had a limit, she quickly ran up to block his escape.

"Just for a moment, then I'll leave you alone. What'd ya say?" She tilted her head and smiled sweetly. Any other day that adorable little gesture would've at least make his chest leapt a tick. Not today.

"Take a hint, princess," He snapped, crossing his arms defensively, "I will not be going anywhere with you!"

Her smile faltered for just a second, but her gaze suddenly became predatory and full of mischief.

"Fine then," She shrugged, and in a way it felt like an act of sorts, "I'll guess I'll just have to force you to come along."

Force him? Her? He couldn't help the ugly laugh that grumbled in his throat.

"Force me, really Poppy?" He mocked, crossing his arms. "You and what army?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" She grinned at him suddenly.

Several different colors of hair wrapped around him in a trap.

_______

By the time they reached the edged of the village, he managed to free his mouth from Cooper's dreadlocks.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BE SORRY WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE!!! WHO THE BLOODY HELL KIDNAPS SOMEONE!?!?" He continued his fierce struggle, kicking as best as he could, hoping to hit someone.

The entire village was probably gawking, staring, maybe even laughing. This was humiliating, and he be damned if he let the Snack Pack get away with this.

Thorns on his side, the lot of them. They've learned to leave him alone over time, until Poppy does something to get them all riled up. And then things like this happens. Every time. He'll be sure to add a lot more insults after their next song routine. And make someone cry. Probably Biggie.

"Relax Branch! Go with the flow!" Guy Diamond chipperly responded in his strange auto-tune voice.

The twins and Copper started cackling, and a few others chuckled.

"We're almost there!" Poppy happily skipped alongside her friends, and the captive.

While some villagers had returned to their daily routine, some had remained in place, singing the songs meant to bring good luck to the pod, with the hopes it would survive the three month growth period. Upon hearing their arrival though, the villagers once more began to gather around the tree, most with nervousness.

But just before the Snack Pack could make their way through the increasing crowd, Branch finally loosened his wrists from Smidge's powerful grasp. In a flash, he used his free hands to further escape from the tangle of hairs, while tying them up in knots to prevent his captors from grabbing him again. Soon enough, he managed to twist his way out and into solid ground, leaving the surprised, yelping Snack Pack in a mess of clumps.

He felt the stinging pain of a blunt object strike him in the back of his head.

"Ow, what the hell?!" He growled, facing the princess. She held a scrapbook in her arms like a shield.

"Sorry, I was just trying to knock you unconscious!" She defended, as if that was a good excuse.

She squeaked in slight terror as he quickly snatched the scrapbook from her and threw it far over his shoulder.

"You have a lot of nerve!" He yelled at the shaking girl. Many onlookers stepped back in fear. "Dragging me all the way to this death trap you call a village! When will you take a hint and learn that I! Want! To be! Left! ALONE!!!" He got more and more in her face as he shouted.

"Easy, mate," Creek calmly nudged his way between the two, "Before we lose our cool any further, let's take some deep breaths-"

"-Can it, hippie, or your joining them!" Branch sneered, pointing over to the Snack Pack that still couldn't free themselves from the tight knots.

For a split second Creek's terror showed at the prospect of having his beloved hair ruined and messed around in such a way. He returned to a calm state once more and quietly backed off with a shrug, but left a comforting hand on Poppy's shoulder.

Branch proceeded to ignore the purple troll, glaring at the princess once more with arms crossed. "I've told you already I don't celebrate my birthday, so if you had some high hope that I'm going to change my mind just because you get it in your scatterbrained mind to throw a surprise party, you've got another thing coming!"

"Huh?" The Snack Pack paused from their escape for a second. Creek tilted his head.

"Oh!" Poppy exclaimed, "Oh, no Branch, you got it all wrong! I didn't kidnap you to throw a surprise birthday party!"

"You didn't?" His eyebrow raised, but his glare and uninviting posture didn't change.

"Yeah," Cooper spoke up from behind, "We didn't even know today was your b-day, bro."

"Happy Birthday!" Biggie happily yelled, echoed by his friends. They started to sing that obnoxious song Branch hated so much.

"Ohhhhh, it's your hap-"

"Shut it!" Branch snapped menacingly, making the poor giant troll tear up. Of course the group cheered the blue guy back up with a hug.

"How did I not even think of that!" Poppy facepalmed. "Of course, a surprise party! That would've been great! Oh well, there's still next year!" She brightened up at the thought of giving Branch his own special party.

"What," Branch's seethed, "did you bring me here for?"

"Oh right!" Poppy happily snapped her fingers. "There's a pod nobody knows who it belongs to, so you need to touch it and see if it's yours!"

Branch processed her words for a moment. "What?" His eyebrow raised again.

"There's a pod." Poppy pointed up towards one of the trees, but Branch refused to to look. "And it's special and it's gonna glow for it's parent, but everyone except you touched it and it hasn't glowed."

He stared at her incredulous. "That's...do you seriously not know how pods are made? Did you bother not to learn anything in your entire life?" He shook his head in disbelief; the princess was not only an airhead, she was beyond stupider than he realized before. Their entire species is doomed.

"It's true, Branch." King Peppy finally made his presence known, looking more regal and tranquil than he had in years.

Well, as much as you could in only your underwear, but trolls tended to overlook Peppy's occasional bouts of habitual undressing. By occasional, meaning frequent.

"King Peppy, afternoon." Branch nodded respectfully, suddenly changing his entire composure, more calmer and sincere than moments before. Poppy would do anything to have him give that same level of respect to her, honestly.

"Afternoon, my boy." Peppy smiled, as kind as ever. "And what my daughter says is true. Elder Ambrose have said this a very special pod that the tree grew itself for a troll in great need, and that the only way to find it's rightful parent is if it glows their true colors on contact." Peppy turned his head upwards, and only then did Branch look over his shoulder in the direction the king faced.

It was a tiny white speck, but visible from where he stood. It was already the size of a troll's head, meaning it must've sprouted early overnight. It was slightly strange, the stark lack of color amongst the many colors of the village. It stuck out like a sore thumb...sort of like him.

"I'm sorry your majesty," Branch faced the king again, "But I don't believe this pod is mine. This is the closest I have ever gotten to this tree, there's no chance it could have sprouted for me." His eyes furrowed. "And I definitely do not need it." He remained firmed and unmoving.

"As a member of this community, you are just as equally and likely to be the parent as any other troll here. The circumstances are odd, I know, but it wouldn't hurt to try?" King Peppy silently pleaded to the grey troll, who only shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going home now. Good luck with the kid, if it makes it."

Branch walked past the royal family and Creek, headed towards his bunker. He could hear whispers around him; some trolls were downright relieved, and some were sad, oddly enough. But he paid them no mind, he had enough socializing to last him a year. He just wanted to crawl back in his hiding hole and forget today even existed.

The hand that grabbed his arm did nothing to stop him.

"I won't invite you to the next party!" Poppy pleaded.

But that did, and his right ear twitched in the direction of her voice.

"Or hug you for the next five days?" Sweetening the deal. She's used this tactic before. It never fails.

He spun right around and gave an intense but neutral stare down; the most positive he's been towards her today. He remained silent for a few more seconds.

"Two weeks." Was the simple reply.

"One week." Her gaze silently showed her refusal to budge any further, daring him to try.

Another short pause. "Let's get this over with." And now he was walking away from the direction of his bunker, towards the tree. Villagers in the background whispered excitedly over the turn of events.

As he made his way past the still struggling Snack Pack, he quickly reached into the ball of hair that trapped them together. In one swift move, the hairs loosened and the Pack fell away from one another with a thud, finally free. Creek left Poppy's side and quickly joined them, helping them up.

Poppy and King Peppy followed closely behind the grey troll as he marched up the tree to the branch with the mushroom platform.

Upon closer inspection, Branch noticed it wasn't exactly a white pod after all; it had a shimmery texture beneath the fuzz. Almost like light silver glitter, except not glittery at all.

Quite the puzzle.

He stared at it a little longer, hesitant to actually touch this strange thing.

What if it really is his? Could he handle this responsibility? He honestly didn't want to find out.

He could turn around right now, decline Poppy's deal, and walk away.

No one would stop him, or could if they even try. It could wither away and shrivel back into the branch from which it sprouted, or bloom and be raised by a loving village. No one would be the wiser.

Well, not really. The what if would always linger in the back of his, and everyone else's, mind.

"Branch?" He slightly jumped at the worried voice that broke through his thoughts. "Are you okay? Do you need a minute?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm fine." He exhaled, and raised his palm, the one that had smashed the cupcake the very same morning. "Here it goes." His heart beat was racing, and he grew somewhat lightheaded.

He took his time before finally making the contact.

And there was no glow.

He blinked. Why did he feel...strange?

"Oh no," Poppy sounded very disappointed herself, "It really is an orphan!"

He felt intense sadness before, but this emotion was slightly different.

"It's alright, my little flower," Peppy embraced his daughter, "these things happen."

Almost like...a breaking heart. He only felt that way once in his life, fifteen years ago.

He closed his eyes as he let go; he couldn't bare to look anymore at the pod. The strange ache in his chest lingered.

"Well," He did his best to mask whatever emotion showed in his expression before turning around to the royal father and daughter, "A deal is a deal." He didn't have the energy to force a smirk or use a mocking tone.

The expressions on their faces were of absolute shock, and quickly became tremendous joy.

"OH MY GOD!!!!" Poppy suddenly shrieked. She leapt for Branch in a tight hug and spun around with him in her clutches. "IT'S YOURS, IT'S YOURS, IT'S YOURS!!!!"

"BY THE SPIRITS OF OUR ANCESTORS!!!!" Peppy gave a loud, hearty laugh that pervaded through the village. "CONGRATULATIONS, MY BOY!!!!" The king then brought his daughter and the captive Branch to a very tight, bone-breaking embrace. Villagers below cheered with equal joy, even the ones who had desperately hoped the grumpy grey troll wasn't the father.

As soon as he was released from Peppy's painful hug, Branch's dizzy mind began to clear and he looked back at the pod.

There was a glowing teal handprint.

Branch wasn't the kind of troll to faint on a whims notice; it bode no chances of survival to black out in such a vulnerable state.

In this situation, he did. In the princess's arms, no less.

"Congrats Branch! Wow, you're going to be a dad! Isn't that great? I bet you're excited! Branch? Braaaanch...Oh."

Chapter Text

He returned to the cliff overlooking the village, a place he tended to frequent during parties. He honestly hadn't expected to find the princess of all trolls leaning against a flower stalk, arms crossed and a smirk far too smug for his liking. She practically mimicked his usual posture while waiting for the trolls to finish singing, and he couldn't help but believe she was purposely mocking him.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

Branch scoffed. "I'm only looking for more sticks in the area."

"Every five minutes?"

He glared harder. "Stalking trolls now? How low of you, princess!"

"Oh come one Branch!" She rolled her eyes at him as he searched the area for something to collect. "Just admit you're here to watch your pod!"

"I'm not, because I don't care about the stupid little pod," He denied, "I don't have time or patience for children, and it would be an inconvenience in my life." He decided in collecting flower petals from one of the stalks hovering over them. He'll find some use for them, he just needs to look busy right now, to avoid eye contact. "I have a bunker to prepare, and that's the only thing I ever need to care for in my life."

But in the corner of his eye, he could see something flying far too closely to the tiny white speck.

"Hey!" Quickly, he took out his slingshot and sniped the colorful dragonfly with a pebble, making it falter. "Stay away from that pod, you pathetic excuse for a bug!" He had ran straight for the edge, fist raised threateningly, bellowing at the top of his lungs. "And that goes for the rest of you!" He pointed at the trolls further down, some of whom had paused to stare up at the crazy troll shouting at insects.

It took him a few seconds to realize what he was doing. Without another word, he immediately turned straight into the tall grass, ignoring the princess as she called back to him.

__________

He leaned on the branch just below, glaring at anything that moved. It has been a week since the pod's discovery, and still here it was, in the same place as always, twice the size since he first touched the darn thing.

The other troll's have taken it upon themselves to go behind his back and wrap the pod in a garish, multicolored jumble of troll hair. Troll hair not only provided insulation and kept the pod from unraveling during the growth process, it helped determined the child's future colors. The vomit-inducing mess they wrapped around the pod meant it could be anything now, even pink! Awful, awful pink! Can you imagine?

Just watch, I'll be stuck taking care of some bright bubblegum pink kid for the rest of my miserable life! Fate always kicks me when I'm already down. His face soured at the thought. And he just knew he would be; that annoying princess would make sure of it, she kept spouting off about how this kid would be good for him. She would certainly not let him get away with shoving the responsibility to another troll.

His fists clenched. I can't care for it! Why can't she understand? I'm going to yell! I'm going to get frustrated! The bunker isn't meant to raise a loud, screaming brat! I'll have to remove all my protective traps! And lock my weapons room! And the artillery! Even the lab! And the kid could crawl straight off the elevator shaft...

...So I'll probably need to put some cushioning at the bottom, install a couple dozen baby gates, craft some storage chests and child-proof locks. What color yarn should I knit with? The kid's gonna need a lot of blankets to keep warm. I should come up with some kind of heater to keep the bedroom warm without a dangerous fireplace. And I shouldn't forget to-

He snapped out of his thoughts; they were becoming way too paternal for his liking! It's the little pod! Staring at it for too long was doing strange things to him! He threw himself off the branch and landed in the mossy ground on his two feet, then stalked away from the tree. With the meanest frown on his face, frizzed hair and a figurative storm cloud following along, it's no wonder the fearful villagers gave him a good wide girth as he marched his way through.

"Im actually getting a little worried, dad," the usually optimistic Poppy addressed the troll beside her, high up in a branch just outside the two royal pods, "not only does Branch not even look the least bit happy, he's downright worse than before."

As if on cue, Branch viciously growled at a poor troll whose vision had been hampered by too many baskets, and therefore came at a hair's length. The unfortunate victim dropped his baskets full of berries and sprinted away, crying mercy. The entire ground was almost immediately vacant of any other troll. King Peppy had to agree with his daughter.

_________

He had made a comfy chair of woven twigs and braided leaves right next to his pod. He would spend a good hour or two everyday sitting there, reading books borrowed from the rarely used library. They thankfully had a small collection of parenting and baby books; if he was going to take on this commitment, he was damn well going to be prepared for it.

The tiniest shifting of the branch and the chiming of the bells he used as an alarm system alerted him to the approaching company. He shoved all but one of the books in his knapsack and made sure to cover the title underneath his arm.

He glared at Poppy and Fuzzbert, the former whom carried a large tome in his hair. Of course, the princess must've tattled on him; she had been shelving a children's picture scrapbook when he had arrived that morning.

"Hi Branch!" Poppy waved as she approached. Fuzzbert greeted him as well.

"What do you want?" He peered waringly at the heavy book the green hairy troll held.

"Go ahead Fuzzbert!" the happy pink princess nudged her friend, who took a cautious step closer to the grey troll. He mumbled underneath his hair how his mother, the librarian Branch spoke to earlier, had this book in her own private collection about child psychology and development; it usually wasn't available in the library since it's heavy reading, but he got her permission to share with Branch.

"No thanks, I don't need it." Branch huffed at the two.

"Sure you do! Don't pretend I didn't notice the books you were checking out, Branch. You must be so excited to-"

"-No I'm not!" He denied. "I don't care about this pod. I just wanted to make sure it can survive so none of you can blame me if it doesn't. Then I'm going to find someone else to hand it over to. I don't care at all!"

________

Eventually he got over his stubbornness and accepted the book, which he was currently reading. It was far more useful than the other texts, going through the same information in far more excruciating detail and better explanations. Who knew saplings were ready to be born a few days before they even bloom?

The pod was a little over a month by now, with no signs of wilting anywhere within ten feet of it's perch. To everyone's concern and confusion, the mess of rainbow colors on the pod had slowly been fading to a less-nauseating pastel tone; a thorough check up from Dr. Plimsy and her nurse reassured everyone that the pod was still healthy and active, although Branch could've told them all that himself.

He could hear the sound of cheers from villagers from behind him; the couple that approached him an hour ago must've announced their seed. They had given him a sob story about failing five other times to have a child, but his pod motivated them to give it another try. He had simply nodded with disinterest as the husband spoke to him.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later the citizens started singing, meaning the pod must've just been planted. Not long after, Poppy was happily skipping her way over to him, humming along with the crowd in the distance.

"Branch, my man! Just where I expected you to be!" She spun around as she talked, nearly jumping off the branch. Can't she ever be careful?

"What did I tell you about dancing near the pod?! You could bump into it and knock it off!"

"Chillax, grumpy," the princess waved off his paranoia, "Just wanted to tell you there's going to be another baby!"

"Pod, Poppy. Its not a baby." He corrected. Never become too attached; all trolls know that, even him.

"They'll be around the same age!" She ignored the pessimistic troll. "They could be best friends and have play dates!"

"No pods ever survived two in a row in this village," Branch huffed at the girl as she continued to spout fantasies. "One of them is bound to not make it, and I'm going to make sure mine does!"

He pulled out pliers from his hair to show off to the princess. "Been pruning the twigs around here and watering the tree everyday. And since no one seems to get it through their heads that this branch is quarantined from trespassers," he pointed at her, "I've been adding traps everywhere. Caught three trolls yesterday trying the leap through." He grinned smugly.

He frowned when the princess started giggling. "And what's so funny?" He leered.

"I-I-I k-knew y-you c-c-cared!" She sputtered through her fits. Once she calmed down, she continued. "You're being an overprotective daddy, and you called it 'mine!'"

He gulped, finally realizing his slip of the tongue. He crossed his arms and refused to look her in the eyes. "You're reading too much into my words!"

"Oh Branch," she chuckled, shaking her head, "Just admit it already; you read parenting books, you guard it like crazy, you subconsciously touch it to check if it's still warm, which you're doing right now." He jumped back from the pod, realizing she was right. He hadn't even noticed he changed his posture or reached out for the pod.

Groaning, he crossed his arms defensively again. "Fine! I care a little."

"Knew it!" She whooped, dancing boastfully about being right.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, and grabbed her arm when she nearly danced off the branch.

_____________

His pod continued to grow paler; it was returning to the silvery, nearly white state that it begun as over two months ago. It would be two more weeks before it fully developed it's true colors, but it certainly looks like his kid's gonna be the first light silver non-glitter troll, guaranteeing that he would forever stick out among the rest of the village.

He's heard the whispers and gossip. It was odd, unusual. It was quite the puzzle.

Joining him today were three trolls; one was a father, with his two year old in front of them doodling on paper. The third one was the expecting mother Amber. They were sharing notes on how to care for a child. Or rather, the father was telling lengthy stories about his experiences, Amber was taking as much notes as possible, and he was knitting while half listening to the stories. Parenthood sounded scary.

"Oh sure," the father, Hilbert or Hil-something, laughed as he answered question Amber had written down on a slip, "definitely start singing to the pod right now. Make sure it knows your voice, eh!"

"Actually," Branch decided to interject, "the child doesn't develop auditory sensory until the end of the second month, so singing right now won't make much of a difference." He mentally cursed as he missed a loop and had to unravel the previous knit. "Reading or having any conversation next to it should also have the same effect."

They blinked at him. Amber furiously started to jot down on her notebook.

"Huh, you sure seem to know a lot, Brancherino. Who told ya all that, eh?" The father leaned in far too closely, curious.

"It's Branch," he corrected the male troll, before turning his attention to Amber. "The librarian has a personal book about child development. It's not light reading, but if you're really serious about learning, I highly recommend it." He had to glance away when the yellow-orange troll looked up from her notebook and smiled brightly. Hair knows if he accidentally smiles back she'll get the wrong idea and start calling him a friend.

__________

Yep, the kid's true colors were light silver, with a small splash of teal. The conjoined twins had squealed and exclaimed that the slightly shimmery look was akin to satin. The namesake girl had the time of her life telling everyone within earshot. He simply ignored them and the rest of the Snackpack as he busied himself writing some simple poetry. He was going for mundane as a theme, taking inspiration from the surrounding flowers, bugs and trolls passing by. He's even taken lyrics he found interesting and made poems out of them as well.

As he troll-watched to find something interesting to write about, he spotted Amber down below amongst the throng of happy villagers.

Currently, he was no longer the only grey troll. It's been five days; the longest any troll had been grey, besides himself. The troll's friends and husband were worried it would be permanent at this rate, though Branch was sure she'll bounce back. Eventually.

Never become too attached. All trolls know that, even him.

It's too bad they both did anyway. Bergens and predators were no longer the only things he had nightmares about.

____________

Only two more weeks. Everyone was absolutely sure the pod was going to make it. Much to his annoyance, trolls had been congratulating him and singing even more than they usually do, which was an accomplishment itself. Meanwhile, he's been preparing for the upcoming arrival of his child.

Foraging had been an excuse for him to leave his stifling bunker. It wasn't much of an option for his future, so now he has various berry bushes planted around his bunker, and he was in the process of making a garden. So far he had honeydew mushrooms, but hopefully he'll add sugarbeets and sugarcane.

He's learned bird calls over the years, but never thought he'd put it to good use until now. Cliff Pikks made elaborate nests to attract mates, and always made a new one each year. It took a few days and a confusing amount of communication, but he managed to trade bright colorful spools of yarn for an old nest; months worth of firewood.

He traded handiwork around the village for a few baby necessities. How trolls got by without an official carpenter, he'll never understand, but the few who weren't too scared of him to ask for help had certainly been grateful for the work, and were generous in their offers.

He's also nearly baby-proofed the entire bunker with gates and safety locks. He's even caged the elevator, sealed any large gaps in the tunnel shaft, and added cushioning at the very bottom. The new bedroom was completely dug out and only needed furnishing. He's already had half the crib carved out. The last finishing touches he had yet to add was the stairway connecting to his own bedroom and the heater connected to the living room's fireplace.

With great amount of hesitance and a month's worth of refusals, he had finally succumbed to Poppy's and Biggie's wishes to teach him baking. He only knew how to make chocolate cupcakes after all, and while they were the most nutritious and healthy food option for trolls, it didn't hurt to learn a variety of baked goods, in case the child was a picky eater. So far, he's done fruitcake, brownies, several cookies, and a few cobblers.

He apparently had been unofficially integrated in some sort of exclusive group or club, because just about every parent in the village had come up to him, unfazed by his irritable attitude, and simply just gave him things. Bottles, fabrics, recipes, expert opinions; one parent straight up handed him their old blender, insisting he'll be thankful when he doesn't have to mash up berries manually.

He was still a grumpy grey troll. He sassed others, kept to himself, and still hated singing and dancing and hug time. He warned them all about the bergens and freaked out over noises he was absolutely sure was the footsteps of the giant monsters. He still stomped on Poppy's invitations and avoided the Snack Pack's group hugs. Many trolls still ran away from him, feared him, and pitied his gray colors.

He was still Branch, just with a future baby tacked on. And everything that goes with it.

__________

"Blooming Shower?" The words left a foul taste in his mouth that wasn't the sweet onion he ate this morning.

"It'll be the first one I've ever done, but I promise I can pull it off!" Poppy insisted. Suki, Smidge and Guy Diamond right behind her, agreeing with everything she said.

"First of all, they are loud and obnoxious, the exact opposite of what it should be at night, when there are countless nocturnal predators!" Because just like normal flowers, pods grew and bloom at the high point of the moon.

"Second of all, they are ridiculous and tacky, and just another excuse for you guys to party. The baby wouldn't even remember it, which makes it even more pointless." He physically lifted his chair to turn it away from them. "No thanks, I'm good."

Poppy and her friends gasped. "But Branch, every kid in the village had one! Do you really want yours to be the only one who doesn't?"

"It's an important milestone!" Smidge added.

"The answer is no, now scram before I break something!" He snapped at them.

They pouted, and pleaded some more, to no avail.

"That's alright!" Poppy skipped happily once they were out of his usual hearing range. "Since we didn't give him a surprise birthday party, let's give him a surprise blooming shower instead!"

"Fantastic ideeeeaaaa!" Guy Diamond sang.

"How though?" Suki questioned. "He's checks the pod everyday, and he's already starting to camp out."

"We'll just have to make it a small party; just us friends. You know one of Biggie's sisters live right in that pod up there?" Poppy pointed up to the pod in question. It was very close to the baby's. "I figured he might say no, so I asked and she's already agreed to switch with me for the next few days. We can get everything ready in there!"

"Poppy you're a genius!" They embraced the smart, scheming princess.

________

It was certainly sneaky, spying on the grump late at night from the small window conveniently facing his direction. Ten trolls proved too many to give everyone a good view. Well, seven trolls. Creek stayed in a corner meditating. The twins cared more about their nails.

"Biggie, I can't see!" Smidge nudged the giant troll above her just a little, forcing both him and Cooper to lose their place.

"Hey, no pushing!" Cooper brought a leg down someone's head, which turned out to be Fuzzbert, who mumbled angrily. "Oops, sorry Fuzz-B!"

"Wait, I think he's moving! He's...no, just turning a page again."

"I thought this was a slumber party, too. Shouldn't we, you know, do something slumber partyish?" DJ Suki yawned into her hand.

"Any minute now." Poppy refuse to budge, watch her prey with sharp focus. If only they could see the pod from this vantage. But alas, the foliage barely gave them enough of a glance at the father-to-be.

"Join us, Suks, we can paint your toenails. We got rhinestones!" Chenille offered. Suki shrugged, and turned to join the twins, even though fashion and girly stuff wasn't really her thing. After a few moments, other members of the Pack left their perch for a more thrilling activity. Poppy remained, although Creek decided to approach her for small talk.

And this was only the first night. By the time the pod actually bloomed, they would be done with slumber parties for the next few months.
_________

Branch's ear twitched at the sound of shifting. The pod had been wiggling for the last few days, but this was the strongest movement yet. After a minute, he saw it; thin, slightly curved vertical cracks slowly appearing all over the pod. The petals were finally opening. His heart raced.

Quickly setting his book aside, he got up to stretch a bit before approaching the pod. As he stood before it, he contemplated whether or not to peek inside. Nervous, but no longer patient, he moved a petal a little further down. His breath almost immediately hitched.

Bright blue eyes just like his. The child was already reaching out and he fought back the tears that nearly swelled at the sight of his child.

He opened the pod further and picked up his little sprout, bringing the boy into the dim glow of the lantern that carried a snoozing firefly.

Light silver skin much like Guy Diamond's, but without obnoxious glitter, thankfully. The hair was just barely lighter, practically white, with the same shimmery look as the pod. The nose was a very soft, pale teal, and so were the tips of his pointed ears, toes and fingers. The baby watched him with the same amount of interest. So innocent, so curious, this little life, and already Branch could feel the strength of a permanent bond starting to form in his very being.

He was finally, after three long, tiring, noisy months, holding his baby. That the tree gave him. Gifted him. He was starting to grow overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions bubbling up inside him.

But annoyance took over.

"WELCOME TO THE WORLD. BABY, YOUR FUTURE IS LOOKING BRIGHT!!!" The Snack Pack circled around, singing the dreaded song at the top of their lungs. "LOOK OUT TO THE WORLD AND YOU'LL SEE, JUST TAKE IN ALL THE SIGHTS!!!" Dear god, he was certain the sleeping trolls around him were waking up from the commotion.

Cake and presents were shoved in his unamused face. Colorful confetti rained down, thankfully the chunky kind as to not harm the child, though he still covered the baby's eyes protectively. When they started waving sparklers, that's where he drew the line! Were they crazy? That's dangerous!

He found an opening right underneath Cooper's long neck and ducked his way through it. Thankfully, they were still too distracted in their song to notice, so he hurriedly snagged the knitted blanket to wrapped his child in, and carefully sprinted towards Dr. Plum Plimsy's.

Whether she heard the commotion or had been staying up the last few nights as well, he wasn't sure, but she was already outside her doorway, expectantly waiting to take in the father and newborn.

Once inside, she gave the sprout a quick check up, confirming his good health. No strange growths to remove, everything fully developed, breathing is stable with no blockage.

"Congratulations! Do you already have a name in mind?"

Throughout the three months, gossiping trolls had used a handful of adjectives to describe the pod.

Odd, strange, unusual, confusing, perplexing, interesting, bizarre, puzzling.

"A puzzle?"

"Sure Branch!" Poppy held up the box. "It's pretty relaxing and quiet, and I even got one of the more difficult ones!"

He shrugged, and sat down as Poppy dumped the contents all over his table.

They've had a few small conversations as they worked through the activity. Sure enough, she had indeed gotten a difficult one. Even with double teamwork, they still only managed to connect a few edge pieces.

"It's soooo confusing!" Poppy commented. "I mean, this piece has almost exactly the same shape, but it doesn't fit right! It's like no two pieces are alike!"

"That's the challenge. Try finding ones with similar colors."

"Hmmm." Poppy looked over the pile, and started to arrange them as such. "Oh! I think these two fit! They're both red!" Sure enough, they did. Perfectly.

Slowly the puzzle started to take form; a picture of sunflowers, it seemed. But the two pieces Poppy managed to fit together remained on the side, not yet finding a place within the bigger picture. For a moment, they both wondered if maybe they were straggler pieces from another puzzle accidentally placed in the wrong box.

Unfortunately, Poppy needed to go home before they could finish. She dumped the incomplete jigsaw puzzle back into the box, sadly undoing all their hard work. But she carefully placed the two red pieces on top of the pile, perhaps to make them easier to find in case they did in fact come from a different box.

"Puzzle. His name is Puzzle,"

Dr. Plimsy smiled. "How fitting!"

They were both two pieces that didn't quite fit in with the rest.

_______

He returned to the pod the next day, the little sapling sleeping safely in his hair, arriving very early in the morning to remove the pod and pick up the remainder of his belongings. He had never planned to raise Puzzle in the tree or in a pod, as unorthodox as it may be.

The troll that silently greeted him was Amber. The mute female troll had her colors back.

He gave the new seed in her arms a quick glance. "Congrats, and good luck." He didn't smile with his mouth, but she read eyes pretty well, and she returned the gesture.

If she could speak, he knew exactly what she would be asking.

"Maybe if you plant it right here, it'll have a better chance." She nodded in agreement.

He decided to leave the chair behind.

As he made his way home, Puzzle woke up and began to squirm around. Branch threw his bag over his shoulder so he could pluck the little sapling out of his hair.

Poppy approached from behind and followed along side-by-side.

"Good morning Branch!" Her chipper voice sang. "And you too...?" She glanced at the grey troll expectantly.

"Puzzle." He muttered.

"Cute!" She giggled behind a hand. "Congratulations, grumpy dad!" He merely grunted in response.

"Since you left too early and ignored us when you came out of Dr. Plum's pod, we dropped the gifts back in my pod! You should come by when you have the chance and pick 'em up!"

"Sure." He lied. Not a chance, princess!

"Oooh!" Poppy started to jump around in excitement as an idea formed in her mind. "And you should stay a bit so we can try that jigsaw puzzle again. Remember? The one with sunflowers and the two red pieces? It'll be perfect! 'Cause, y'know, you named your baby Puzzle!" She giggled at her own cleverness.

It made him pause for a moment, thinking it over. "Okay." He nodded, this time meaning it.

This time they finished even less of the sunflower puzzle, but they found a third piece to go with the two red ones.

Chapter Text

Poppy skipped her way through the nearly hidden path that lead towards the bunker, humming the song she and her friends sang earlier that day. She hadn't really planned on visiting Branch today, not that she minded at all, but after ten days of no sign of either her grumpy friend or the newest addition to the village, the amount of trolls voicing their worries over the child's wellbeing escalated to alarming numbers. And so she elected to check up on them; she was, after all, the only troll that knew the bunker's location.

She wasn't too worried; Branch was probably just being a hermit, as usual, and she already visited five days earlier with no noticeable issues. She'll just check in, make sure Puzzle was at least getting some sunlight, maybe convince Branch to let her hold the sapling a little, then report to the village with positive feedback to ease the many troubled minds.

Of course, that was the plan. For the first time ever, Branch did not respond to her insistent knocking.

"Branch, Branch, Branch, Branch, Branch!" After over five minutes rapping her knuckles on the boulder entrance, they were actually coming close to bleeding. Branch never left her knocking for more than half a minute. Something was wrong.

Taking a moment to hum a happy, calming tune, Poppy moved over to the "welcoming" mat, which would be much easier to pry open than the heavy boulder. She had to dig a little to get a grip from the side, but eventually she managed to push it open just enough to squeeze through.

"Braaaanch! I'm in your bunker, uninvited!" She called out, hoping to incite a response back. Nothing but the faint echo of her own voice greeted her. Now she was getting worried.

"Let's see...the best place to start looking would be Puzzle's room." Branch had shown her the cute nursery in her last visit. So she pulled the elevator lever down and descended into the earth, slowly passing rooms after rooms.

It was a lot more eerie, and stifling, sinking underground alone. She continuously hummed a happy tune to distract her from her nerves.

Finally reaching the lowest, newest level, she eagerly hopped off the elevator as quickly as possible, jumping over the baby gate right at the entrance, and carefully made her way through the straight hallway to a wooden door, nearly triggering a trap that would've left her stuck to the wall. Such a paranoid guy!

She didn't bother knocking this time, letting herself in to the much brighter, warmer room. The infant instantly greeted her from his crib of woven branches with a delighted squeal. When she finally spotted the grey father right beside the crib, a weight she hadn't realized before lifted from her shoulders.

Relieved of her worries, she couldn't help but giggle madly at the sight before her. She's seen Branch's funnier sides before; crazy rambles, wide-eyed freak outs, the occasional mischief, and mocking false smiles.

But this was brand new; his forehead was planted right on the edge of the infant's bed, he slumped over from the stool he sat on, one arm dangling like dead weight, and the other over an open children's book that came close to falling out of the grey troll's lap. Oh, and he was snoring loudly.

What she wouldn't give to have a camera at that moment!

"Rise and shine, sleeping grumpy!" She sang right by one of his ears, making him jolt up.

"To find a trumpet for our young son!!!" Branch nearly screamed, turning his head around frantically to search for any dangers. A dark mark was left on his forehead from where he had been resting on the crib's edge. His crow's feet were much more prominent and bags drooped from under his eyes. His hair, she now noticed, looked frazzled and unkept, unusual for a troll who always spouted it's importance for defense.

Wow, he looks bad. And she couldn't but giggle some more.

And he had fallen asleep again during her observing, so she shook his shoulders to bring him back from dreamland once more.

"I shall find it at last!" He gasped out, nodding his head as he fought to stay awake.

"Sheesh, Branch," She chuckled, amused, "when was the last time you've seen your bed?"

He drowsily, and slowly, counted out the number of days on his fingers, holding up four. "Three." He muttered lowly, followed with a yawn.

That concerned her immediately. Then she heard a strange rumbling from the troll's direction.

"Hey, stay with me," She shook him some more, "did you eat anything today?"

He yawned out some kind of response that sounded like "blackberry pulp", the left over by-product from straining the juice for a baby. Not exactly appetizing or nutritious.

"Okay, this isn't good." First things first, she reached over for the still-squealing infant, who held his cute little arms out excitedly as she picked him up and placed him in her hair. She took care of children quite often, so the shifting and tugging atop her head didn't faze her much.

With the sapling secured, she removed the book from Branch's lap and snatched his thick arm, pulling him out of the chair. He stumbled a bit and wavered on his feet, so she wrapped around his shoulders to support him. "Come on, to the kitchen with you!"

They moved painstakingly slow, but eventually reached the cozy little kitchen at the uppermost floor. She forced the grumpy troll into a chair, and placed the sapling on top of the table; he was still too young to crawl or roll around, so she wasn't the least bit worried.

"Okay." Poppy peered though his pantry and icebox, finding a ceramic tray with an already prepared dish. "Aha, blackberry cobbler! I'll get this warmed right up!"

After placing the tray in the slot above the low-burning cast iron oven, and fueling the fire with a few sticks, she reached for a large jug on the counter that, with a whiff, smelled like grapefruit.

"Here, a little refreshment while we wait." She poured a glass and placed it directly in front of the troll who looked ready to take a nap right then and there. He stared at the glass with hazy, unfocused eyes, making no movement towards it.

But then Puzzle started to act fussy, squirming around. As if on autopilot, Branch repoured the drink into a bottle he had kept in his hair, plucked the baby from the table, and began feeding the hungry child, all while sleepily mumbling something too low for Poppy to hear. With a sigh, Poppy refilled his glass and another one for herself. When she looked up, she was flabbergasted to see that Branch managed to dozed off while somehow holding the tiny baby perfectly steady in his arms.

"Branch!" She hissed loudly, kicking his ankle.

He woke up again with a slight jump, and stared in her direction with half lidded eyes.

"When did you get here?" He slurred at the pink princess.

"I've been here for quite a while, Branch." She giggled at her silly friend, finally glad to hear him talking at her. Even better, he wasn't angry at her intrusion.

"Hmmm." Was all he said at he looked around with blinking, still weary eyes. "This is the kitchen." He managed to yawn out.

"It is."

He sniffed the air. "Food."

"Baking as we speak!" She nodded, amused by his antics.

He let out a bigger yawn. "Hmmm, later, sleepy." He pulled the now empty bottle away from Puzzle, setting it aside, and burped the infant over his shoulder.

"Oh fine," she huffed, before downing her drink, "just give me a moment."

After taking the cobbler out of the old fashioned oven and leaving it cool off in the counter, she plucked the child from his father's arms and guided the exhausted troll towards the hammock down the short hallway. He plopped down unceremoniously and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

"Hey Branch," she tried shifting him awake again, "does this mean I'm babysitting Puzzle for the time being?" She received incoherent mumbling as a response before the grey troll went right back to snoring.

"Okay, thanks!" She sang chipperly, taking his reply as a positive one.

"Well little Puzzle," Poppy bounced the happy baby in her grasp, "looks like it's playtime with aunty Poppy!" The sapling squealed and clapped his hands excitedly.

She might as well bring him to the village so everyone could see how well the baby was doing, and give him a little fresh air.

_________________

As she made her way through the village, trolls cooed and awwed at Puzzle. However, he didn't look the least bit interested in their baby talk, instead curiously staring around at the bright and colorful village while latched on the princess's shoulder.

They visited the conjoined twins first at their pod.

"Aww, look at the wittle cutie!" Chenille shoved her smiling face in front of the unamused sapling.

"I just love his hair!" Satin combed through the tips of the glossy, shimmery light silver strands. Her brow furrowed when she looked further down. "Ugh! But look at that patchy disaster he's wearing!"

"Some people just have no taste." Chenille tsked, agreeing with her sister. "Don't worry my wittle pwecious, we'll fix daddy's mistake and make you cute as a wutton!" She cooed at the baby, who ignored her as she baby talked him.

In no time flat, they not only had the baby dressed in a new bright blue and green diaper, he was also snuggled in a soft yellow blanket.

"This is Mr. Dinkles!" Biggie, the next friend they found, held out his tiny worm to the infant. Mr. Dinkles was barely a year old, and still had much growing to do.

Puzzle squealed and reached out for the baby worm, interested in the very small creature donning a sailor hat. But Mr. Dinkles wasn't having any of it and wiggled his way out of his owner's grasp and over the thick blue arm to hide behind Biggie's back, making a few squeaky hisses along the way.

"He's even tinier then me!" Smidge exclaimed in her gruff voice, hanging onto Cooper's neck to get a good look at the sapling.

"And he kind of looks like me without glitter!" Guy Diamond smiled at the child, who giggled happily when he heard the glitter troll's strange auto tune voice.

The Snack Pack crowded around Poppy and the adorable infant, making silly faces that made Puzzle squeal and laugh in joy. Creek peered cooly over Suki's shoulder at the new addition.

"Yes, indeed quite the cutest baby I've ever seen." Creek smiled slightly. "And may I say, actually has a normal disposition in his aura."

Much to his annoyance, the Snack Pack was too busy singing a children's rhyme to listen to what Creek has to say. However, the infant looked at him strangely when he stressed the word "normal." Creek thought nothing of it, though; it was an infant, after all, couldn't possibly understand a thing.

"Well," Creek clapped once, "I hate to leave you all, but I'm afraid I had scheduled a meditation session for this moment."

"Kay bye Creek." Was all Poppy said as she and the Snack Pack continued focusing on the sapling. Offended but not willing to show it, Creek marched off in a quiet huff.

Shortly later, everyone's bracelets went off, surprising Puzzle and making him laugh some more.

"Okay, everyone, gently! This is Puzzle's first hug!" Poppy exclaimed brightly. The Snack Pack huddled closer to share in the lightest, most careful hug they've ever had. They eventually pulled back, expecting to see a happy baby enjoying his very first hug time hug.

Instead, the baby's face started to scrunch up and frown, unhappy whimpers barely audible.

"Uh oh, did we hug too hard?" Biggie started to tear up with concern.

"No, we barely touched him." Poppy scrutinized the baby for some kind of sign. "Maybe he has sprinkles in his diaper?" She scrunched up the bottom. "Feels clean. Maybe he's hungry? How often do babies need to eat?"

The Snack Pack shrugged, clueless.

"Should we...get Branch?" Suki suggested.

"He'll get really mad at us. We can handle this ourselves." Poppy rejected the idea.

"Here, hold him for a sec." She handed the baby over to Chenille, who was more than eager to take the baby and coo at him. Poppy reached in her hair for the bag she brought with her.

"Here's his bottle!" She had filled it up with more juice before leaving the bunker.

"Here you go, cutie-pie!" Chenille offered the bottle. But Puzzle turned his head away, squirming and kicking and whimpering even louder.

"I don't think he's hungry." Cooper not-so-helpfully commented.

And as soon as he did, Puzzle started to cry.

"Cooper!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"No, it's not Cooper!" Poppy defended.

"Then why is he upset?"

"I-I don't know." Poppy had no idea what could be wrong. Weren't babies suppose to just eat, sleep and look at stuff? Puzzle's cries grew louder and louder in volume. The kid sure had a healthy set of lungs, that's for sure.

"Well lets find someone who does!"

"Ow!" Chenille shrieked as Puzzle gave a rather hard kick during his fit. "Here, take him back!" The blue twin gently shoved him back at Poppy.

"Why is he kicking so much?" Poppy questioned as she held the baby out as far away as possible. She flinched as the cries grew louder and started to ring in her ears.

"Do we look like baby experts?" Satin snapped.

"Hey, chill out, Satin! You're not the one who got hit!" Chenille scolded her sister while rubbing her bruised cheek.

"Well maybe you set him off; he didn't look very happy with you earlier!" Satin shot back.

"And what exactly are you implying?"

"Whoah, hold it, let's not bicker right now." Suki tried to come between the quarreling twins, to no avail. The two started arguing, ignoring the world around them. And they've been doing so well not getting into any heated arguments for the last few months; their mother was so going to ground them later.

"Hey, does anyone know anything about babies?" Poppy called out to the few trolls that had paused to stare at the crying, unhappy child. None of them seemed able to help out.

"Maybe we should get-" Suki was cut off.

"No!" Poppy panicked. "Branch will kill us if he finds out we made Puzzle cry!" Granted, he would probably kill them anyway for taking the baby in the first place.

"Let's try a song!" Several of Poppy's friends joined together in chorus, but it didn't seem to have any effect of the sapling. Smidge made the silliest face she could muster, Cooper tried his harmonica, and Fuzzbert tried his kazoo.

Nothing worked. Nothing!

_______________

When Branch woke up again, he felt a whole lot better, more refreshed. He stretched his muscles, relieved to hear the slight cracking. With the smallest, peaceful smile, Branch glanced over to the right.

And stared right at his makeshift nightstand.

...Where's Puzzle's crib?

He wasn't in the nursery.

Spooked, he jumped out of hammock and landed harshly on the dirt floor. A surge of anxiety started to build up in his chest. He quickly scampered down the narrow staircase he had made connecting directly to the nursery.

Okay, okay, don't panic, I must've just sleep walked my way over there. Puzzle should still be in his room.

He wasn't.

"PUZZLE!!!" Now Branch panicked.

"Puzzle?" He checked the hallway just outside the door, getting his foot caught in a sticky trap.

"Puzzle?" He checked one of his food storage rooms.

"Puzzle?!" He even checked the locked and sealed rooms, like the armory, which he had padded for good measure.

"PUZZLE?!?!" He fought the urge to cry as he searched the underground cavern as well.

"I LOST MY BABY!!! EVERYONE WAS RIGHT ABOUT ME!!!" He cried despairingly on his knees.

"Wait!" He could barely recall the scent of food and a bright, obnoxious pink blur, which he had earlier excused as part of a dream.

Upon entering the kitchen, he found two empty glass cups, an already cooled cobbler on the counter, and a half empty juice jug.

"Poppy." His frown couldn't fall any lower.

The entrance at the mat had been tampered with. The crack was definitely big enough for the princess to squeeze through. He shoved it further open, not caring that he probably damaged it from the improper handling.

_________

He headed straight for the sounds of crying, still looking worse for wear, with a menacing frown that promised terrible things to come. Not even the colorful baby bag over his shoulder made him look any less ominous. Trolls everywhere ran away from him in fear. Good.

He could see the Snack Pack circled around, the missing baby in question squirming and crying atop a mushroom.

"I don't know what else to do, guys." Poppy picked up the baby.

"UNHAND MY BABY THIS INSTANT!!!!" His voiced boomed. It had an immediate effect as the last of the villagers left in a fright and the Snack Pack snapped their attention at him, looking very guilty and scared out of their wits. "FIRST YOU KIDNAPPED ME, THEN YOU KIDNAPPED MY BABY!!!!" The group cowered behind the now visible Poppy and Puzzle.

He stopped right in front of the princess's face. He may not be very tall, but his sneer, dark complexion and frazzled hair gave the effect of a towering beast ready to pounce.

"I-I didn't kidnap him, I swear in every inch of my hair!" Poppy shivered; not even when she dragged him over to the village three months ago did he look this terrifying. "You were exhausted, a-and agreed to let me babysit him!"

"And you broke into my bunker uninvited." He sneered, ignoring her excuse. "And you've made him cry!!!"

"I'm sorry, we've tried everything! I don't even know what made him upset! He was fine not too long ago!" She held the baby out, flinching as the angry father snatched him out of her hands.

Branch's menacing glare lessened to a frown as he looked over his crying, squirming sapling. He noticed almost instantly that Puzzle wore a new diaper. "Did you even powder him before you changed his diaper?" He growled at the group.

"Powdered?" Poppy blinked, sharing a glance with her equally confused friends.

Branch rolled his eyes. "If a baby wears a diaper, your suppose to powder him every time he's changed to prevent chafing. Even soft fabrics can be rough on a newborn." As he lectured the group, he set Puzzle on a mushroom and removed the little fabric the twins had dressed him up in; sure enough, the poor thing's bottom had reddened from a slight rash.

Hauling out his stuffed baby bag, Branch took out two bottles, first applying a soothing lotion to ease the pain of the rash, then shaking the other bottle to sprinkle white powder that left a faint dusty cloud that smelled slightly of lavender. The Snack Pack looked on impressed as Branch expertly tended to his baby, whose crying began to simmer down.

After redressing him in the green and blue diaper, Branch bounced the baby a bit. Puzzle went from crying to babbling and squealing just as happily as he did before the whole ordeal.

"Wow, nicely done." Cooper whistled in approval.

"I'd never would've guessed! You sure know how to take care of Puzzle, Branch." Poppy complimented the grey father.

"Obviously, he's my child, Poppy." Branch rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, I made sure to learn everything I needed to know about caring for a baby before I go prancing around the village with one." He glared at the sheepish girl.

His glaring was cut short with a rather embarrassing big yawn. Despite his nap, he was even more exhausted from the stress of losing his baby, searching frantically around the entire bunker, and running over to the village in a hurry. Now that the baby was secured and the anxiety ceased, his weariness took a toll on his body once more. He was still a disheveled mess, with an empty stomach to boot.

"Hey Branch," Poppy smiled kindly as she noticed his state, "why don't we head over to my pod so you can crash on my couch? We can babysit Puzzle a little more while you get some rest!"

"Absolutely not!" He snapped, anger taking a hold of him. "As if you did an excellent job before, like hell I'm handing him over to the likes of you!"

But Poppy did not back down, glaring back at him with determination. "Look, I'm sorry I took him without permission-"

"-So you admit it, kidnapper!" He spat at her face.

"LET ME FINISH." The strength in her voice made him blink in surprise. The Snack Pack were equally as shocked.

Poppy took a deep breath. "I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think it was in your best interest. Sheesh Branch, you didn't even answer your door, and you were nearly dropping dead when I found you!" Her frown returned to a kind, gentle smile. "I can tell you're doing a great job taking care of Puzzle, but you've completely neglected yourself, and Puzzle needs you to be healthy, too, to look over him. Is it really too much trouble to ask for a little help?"

Branch was actually left speechless. As much as he hated to admit it...she was right. Taking care of a baby proved to be a whole lot harder than he thought, even with all his preparation and advice from other parents. His lifestyle had been harsh enough without even accounting for a baby's needs. At one point he had even contemplated actually giving up Puzzle to a loving family. For real, this time.

"And if we have any problems, we'll come straight to you, like we should've done in the first place." Poppy felt guilty, knowing it was her fault they didn't.

He said nothing at first, and she began to worry he was going to start yelling again, reject her idea and scold her like a simpleton.

"...Fine." He replied, grumpily, but no longer red with rage.

____________

He couldn't deny it was the best sleep he's had since Puzzle's birth. And they did in fact wake him up twice when they couldn't figure out what Puzzle needed. After he was well rested, he stuffed himself with Biggie's famous cupcakes, took a much needed shower, and straightened out the tangles with Poppy's personal comb.

He didn't make a big habit of it, though, and as soon as Puzzle was a little bit older and ready to play with other kids, he even elected to find one of the other parents to watch over his baby, with the promise to do the same for their children every so often. It helped to get Puzzle socialized, something Branch had never wanted for himself, but knew was best for his child.

But occasionally Poppy would find him at the foot of her pod, exhausted, with the far too energetic baby in tow, and as soon as he bit back his pride and grumpily asked her for help, she would smile as bright as the sun and let them in.

Chapter Text

The first two months raising Puzzle were tiring but mostly uneventful. Like any other troll baby, he was bouncy, liked company, played with anything you put in front of him, babbled and laughed a lot. Branch spent most of the time alternating between holding out toys for Puzzle to reach out for, or reading some of the fairy tail books out loud. Story time became a mostly outdoor activity, where Puzzle could stay safely within Branch's hair as he tended to the garden, always juggling a book in one hand and a tool or crop in the other.

When two month old Puzzle started crawling, Branch was both ecstatic and freaked out. Ecstatic, because his baby was growing up properly. Freaked out, because he was now venturing off; it wont be long before the curious child finds a way through the many baby gates and locked doors. Gut feeling or his good 'ol friend paranoia, Branch wasn't too sure; he just had to keep a very close eye on the child whenever they were outside the nursery.

Luckily, beyond their homes troll children instinctively stayed close to their parent or guardian, often latching on, during the first year. But inside the bunker, Puzzle was already very attentive to his surroundings, and curious enough to go exploring.

Branch had every single glass, pointy object, and any other potential hazard stored away by now, but when you're raising your first child, some things just don't seem dangerous until it actually becomes dangerous.

"Puzzle, no!" Branch quickly snatched up the child the moment he saw him grasp the dangling cloth. Puzzle clutched the fabric like a lifeline as he was pulled away to safety, dragging it out, bringing the boxes and assorted tools down with it. Branch had the metal tools out to repair the handle of a cooking pot, and the boxes contained a variety of small, random objects Branch had collected over the years. They all met with the floor with a loud series of clattering, and one of the boxes opened up, spilling it's contents. Cursing, Branch placed Puzzle on his shoulder and dropped to his knees to clean up the mess.

"Okay, no more overhanging tablecloths; that was a close one." Branch sighed with relief, grateful for his ability to multitask and pay attention to his surroundings, a skill he developed from years of foraging while looking out for predators.

He collected the metal working tools first, placing them in a pile next to a table leg. He paused the moment he noticed Puzzle reaching out for something in the perimeter of his vision.

"No Puzzle, not toys." He held the sapling steady and proceeded to place the box's contents back inside. The objects ranged from colorful feathers, to nuts and bolts, some acorns, even a tooth from a tarantapuff. It was when Branch picked up the shiny black pebble that Puzzle started squirming and reaching out again.

"Oh? This is what you were looking at?" He suppose it wouldn't hurt to hand it to Puzzle, it was too large for the sapling to shove in his mouth, and could distract him while Branch finished cleaning up. He already had it sanitized along with the other objects that had been placed in storage, so he wasn't the least bit concerned about it containing germs.

"Oa, oa!" Puzzle babbled happily as the pebble was now finally within his reach. He bounced with joy, holding the new object in his itty bitty hands, staring at the shiny surface with great interest and amazement. Branch had to look away as the adorableness overwhelmed him.

Puzzle wouldn't give it back when Branch tried to take it, hugging the black pebble like one of his plush toys.

"Okay, I guess you can keep it for a little longer." Branch chuckled, rolling his eyes. He's been warned by other parents that trollings tended to do the strangest, most unexpected things. Latching onto random objects was one of them.

When Branch tried to play with Puzzle later, he was baffled that he couldn't grab his attention with anything else, not even the toy Poppy handmade for him.

"Come on Puzzle," He held out the plushie glowfly that was a close replica of Nightlight, "this is your favorite toy." But Puzzle refused to let go of the shiny pebble.

"Well, you'll get bored of that thing eventually." He sighed.

___________

Puzzle never got bored of the pebble. In fact, Puzzle loved playing with that pebble.

His favorite thing to do with the pebble was throw it. And then whine and whimper if he didn't get it back soon enough.

"How do you have such good aim?" Branch groaned as yet another burk acorn cracked upon impact. Acorn pudding it is then...for the sixth time in a row. Time to install more cabinets.

While Branch worked on his new cabinets in his workshop shed outside, Poppy played with the sapling and his new "toy" a stone's throw away.

Literally, a stone's throw away.

Branch sighed again underneath his face mask and goggles when the shiny black pebble hit and toppled over a few wood planks.

"Sorry Branch!" Poppy hurried over with the child in tow.

"Stop! I told you already, sawdust can be bad for his and your lungs! Just give me a moment, I'm coming over!" Branch quickly retrieved the bane of his existence before Puzzle could get fussy over it.

"He sure can throw far." Poppy giggled, bouncing the naughty child, as Branch made his way towards them.

"I'm aware." Branch handed the pebble back to his kid's extended arms.

"Plus, he's got great aim!"

"I'm very aware."

"Hey, he'll probably be amazing at feltball when he's older, probably a pitcher for his team!" Poppy proudly nuzzled the child's nose, inciting a squeal. "I was a catcher for my team. So was Creek, and Suki was the pitcher! They were the only one's I knew back then, but Biggie was playing blocker for the other team!" Poppy told her tale more to the sapling in her arms than to Branch; he hardly listened to her rambling anyway.

"I'm not familiar with feltball terms, Popps. What's a pitcher?" Branch asked as he took off his gloves and opened his water canteen for a drink.

Poppy blinked. So, he was actually listening. Huh.

Interesting.

"Oh, well, it's the troll that throws the feltball at one of the goals. The blocker has to block them from reaching any of the goals, and the catcher catches the feltball and throws it to the pitcher."

"Why can't the pitcher catch the feltball themselves, or the catcher try to aim it at a goal?"

"Well, uhhh..." Poppy tried to think, "...because, umm...I don't know, Branch! It's just how we played the game!"

"Kind of silly, if you asked me. Why put a middleman and complicate everything? And why call them a pitcher instead of a thrower?"

"It was just a game for fun, Branch! Fun doesn't have to have rhyme or reason!"

"Okay, okay." Branch gave up on the argument, as it wasn't worth the time.

Glancing at the pink troll, he noticed Puzzle was starting to scrunch up his face. And was missing a certain object.

"Uh oh." His eyes widened.

"What?" Poppy looked down to what troubled Branch, also noticing the problem. "Uh oh."

"It can't have gone far," Branch immediately started walking off, "a ten-foot radius, at best. Just stay right there so I have a better idea where to search!" His focus stayed on the ground, grazing through the surrounding grass patches and bushes for anything black and round.

"Calm down, Puzzle." Poppy gently cradled the child who began to whimper and hiccup. She looked around hoping to spot it. Luckily, she did. It was on the thatched rooftop of the workshop shed. "Branch! Up there!"

Branch looked up at Poppy and followed where she pointed at, noticing the pebble as well. "Thanks!" He sprinted over to the shed, using his hair to help him leap on to the roof.

"Got it!" Grabbing the pebble, he made his way down carefully. Or tried to, at least.

"Ack!" The roof wasn't entirely solid underneath the dried grass covering, so when he took a step forward and felt his foot sink into the gap between two planks, his immediate reaction was to jump backward to avoid either falling through the roof or tripping his way down. He landed on his backside, and started sliding off, feeling every painful bump from the uneven surface along the way. He landed on the ground on his stomach and arms.

"Branch!" Poppy gasped and ran to him, ignoring his earlier warnings to stay away from the shed.

"Ooooh." Branch groaned in a daze, still lying on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Poppy fretted above him, still holding the unhappy infant over her shoulders.

"Good, I'm good." Branch moaned as he got up. Trolls were sturdy creatures and rarely got hurt badly from a fall. You had to be, when you lived in pods dangling from tree branches, high up from the ground.

"What's so funny?" He frowned as Poppy started to giggle.

"Y-you! On the roof! That was hilarious!" Poppy tried to contain the laughter behind her palm, with little success.

"Glad you enjoyed the show. No, really, I've been working on the act all week." He glared, crossing his arms.

"Oh, lighten up, Grumpy Dad!" She snickered. "And look! You got Puzzle's pebble out of there!" She exclaimed, picking up the rock on the ground and handing it back to the sapling. Puzzle immediately calmed down and hugged his pebble.

"Hip hip hooray." Branch replied sarcastically.

It went flying again, this time breaking the only window.

__________

He guessed it wasn't so bad, the shiny black pebble.

Sure, it broke a few things, things that had to be thrown away or fixed. But hey, anything that hits Creek's smug little face cant be too bad.

When Poppy heard of the incident that happened earlier that afternoon, though, she decided to march right to the bunker and scold him for encouraging Puzzle.

"Violence is never the answer, Branch!" The princess shook her head, disappointed. "I know you really dislike Creek, for some strange reason, but he was only trying to hold the baby; you let me do that all the time! You should apologize on Puzzle's behalf."

"Sure thing, Poppy," Branch replied, smiling good naturedly, and nodding in agreement. "I'll do just that whenever I see Creek again."

The princess was certainly surprised at the positive response, but returned the smile. "Glad to hear it!"

The next day while on his way to drop off Puzzle with another parent, he crossed paths with Creek again.

"Sorry my kid sees through your slimy, conceited lies." Branch cheerfully "apologized" as he walked past the guru troll and his older sister.

Creek did his best to contain his emotions, but couldn't help the blink-and-you'll-miss glare when his sister Cybil broke into a snicker.

"I like that one. I should arrange a playdate with my little Rajiv!" Cybil exclaimed, as her younger brother temperamentally told his carrier bug to fly faster.

Chapter Text

Due to the bunker's distance from the village, Branch and Puzzle spent two nights at Amber and Russel's pod along with Amber's father, the elderly royal advisor. Ambrose was quiet company, whom reminisced memories of past family members and trolls he had once known. Branch learned a great deal of their particular family tree in those two nights.

A sudden excited clamoring from outside the pod brought to their attention that the baby had finally bloomed. At first, Branch wondered why the noise made his heart beat rapidly, anxiousness itching at the seams of his mind. But the feeling passed quickly as he assisted the elderly troll out the pod. Not that he needed to; aged trolls were as spritely as the younger ones, unless they were as stressed as King Peppy or Branch himself.

It only took ten minutes for the Blooming Shower to ignite into one big party, trolls everywhere popping out their beds as if sleep have never reached them, somehow energized and ready to dance the night away. Branch felt exhausted just looking at the throng of partygoers, not to mention insecure, with the urge to hide safely in the tall grass.

But among the rest of the trolls who were only here as an excuse to party hard, there was a certain group which Branch felt far more comfortable joining in with. The proud new parents were circled around with their closest friends and family. Ambrose immediately went to embrace his daughter and son-in-law, and meet his granddaughter, while Branch stood next to Violet and Mumsie, as well as their offspring. Puzzle was already squealing and reaching out at the sight of his two playmates, although both children remained asleep throughout the event, somehow not minding the noise around them.

Branch didn't recognized the lullaby, but what mattered more was the fact Amber was humming it; so soft and tenderly sweet, even the softest breeze could easily drown her out. Russel had told him she did the same for their wedding, but reverted back to her silent vow shortly after. Even some of her friends were hearing her for the first time tonight, so at least Branch wasn't too out of place.

He didn't remain for long, anxiety slowly starting to creep back in. He handed over his gift and thanked the couple for inviting him, and got a good look at the tiny sprout bundled in one of his knitted blankets. He left with only a chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie from the large array of treats displayed, taking only the smallest nibble before hiding it in a hidden vest pocket. Eating in front of Puzzle wasn't a good idea at this point, when the sapling still wasn't ready for solid foods but wanted to snatch anything he could bite on to soothe the tiny new tooth barely peeking out of his gums.

Making his way out of the village he encountered some trolls either on their way to the party or on their way back to their pods. The ones returning home were bidded good night, often by name, some receiving hugs as well. Everyone seemed to know one another.

Only two trolls greeted him with a good night before quickly scampering off. Most went out of their way to keep a good distance from him, going silent as soon as they came close, and speaking up again once they made it past the grey troll, never looking him in the eye. At least a few shivered as they walked by.

Reminding him of how much he had isolated himself from his own kind, why he felt out of place in a party, why he remained a miserable recluse, why he felt anxiety over loud noises and looming darkness.

And why he felt like hiding.

How had he not realized before that he hadn't thought of Bergens even once since Puzzle's birth? One of those monsters could have been attracted to the noise of the very party he just came from!

He didn't stop running until he made it to the security of his bunker, but his ears continued to twitch around searching for danger even after the boulder entrance shut tight. It took a moment for the racing in his heart to steady, and even after his hand still shook as he held a cup of steaming tea, nearly spilling the hot liquid.

He spent the night on the couch in the nursery, trying to assure himself that everything would be alright so long as they remained here.

__________

Usually it took a few days before he would leave the bunker after a bad anxiety attack, since he had the tendency to have recurring ones, especially when the village decides to be very loud.

He would first look through his periscopes to check for danger, as well as check if any of the traps have been triggered: the ones that could only be set off by a large predator, or a Bergen. Then he would take inventory, tallying the food he ate for the last few days, and what he should restock depending on what was quicker to harvest. Then he would listen for any strange noises, especially Bergen-related ones, covering a large distance when he shifted his ears at just the right angle.

That was the usual protocol.

Except he was already late for a play date, and Puzzle was already whining about it, somehow knowing full well he was missing out on scheduled fun. The kid was too smart for his own good.

Deep breaths, remain calm. Branch's eye's and ears went miles a minute watching for even the slightest of movements as he rushed towards the very village that cause all of this.

Thankfully, the village was pretty quiet, likely because of the previous night's party. He'd probably have a heart attack if they suddenly sprang into song right about now.

He ignored the fact the few trolls outside were greeting each other by name, happily chattering with one another as if they were the best of friends, which they all probably were.

No, it didn't bother him one bit. Not at all.

______________

"Something troubles you."

He groaned from his meditative pose, sending a quick, frustrated glare at the troll hovering to his right.

He may not like Creek, but Cybil was far from being anything like her self-centered brother; a true guru, in fact, one that could actually float, yet was humble enough to use her perfectly good feet to walk rather than treat some poor bug like a personal chauffeur.

"And now you are glowering over someone." Cybil slowly lowered down to her cushioned seat. She watched her seven year old son gently play with the three month old Puzzle, who giggled and watched every bubble blown his way. "As always, my offer stands; I will listen to whatever you need off your chest."

"Thanks, but in case you haven't gotten the memo yet, I'm not much of an open book." He replied dryly.

"Indeed, but even a tome under lock and key yearns to be read." She returned to her meditation, this time without floating. "Perhaps someone else has the key."

He huffed, biting back his rebuttal, not wanting to start an argument just as he was finally starting to relax. Not to mention, Puzzle was having too much fun with the older child.

"Holding back your thoughts only creates a scalding stew that will overflow."

He groaned again.

The one troll in the village that wasn't loud or obnoxious, and she had a knack for seeing through your very soul.

_______

Needless to say, Branch wasn't in the mood for any more company. He may have managed to calm the raging storm of fear inside him (for now), but just being in the village was a reminder of who he's not. Irritation simmered as a pair spun around, arms interlocked, without a care in the world, coming way too close to bumping into him. Okay, maybe they were a good two feet away from him, but had they been closer they could've knocked him off his feet! He's carrying a child, for goodness sake!

"Branch, my man!" He flinched at the all too familiar voice of the princess behind him. Please, at least be alone. He spun around, showing his displeasure.

Nope, tough luck. Suki, Cooper, and Creek were with her.

And, surprise, surprise, she had a card in her hand.

"I was wondering-"

"-I'm not going to your party!" He snapped, interrupting her.

Poppy blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly.

"Come on, Branch!" She smiled as sweetly as she could, "It's a lake party! You like nature and stuff! And all our friends want you to be there, too, right guys?" She addressed the three right behind her.

"Ummm..." Suki was shifty-eyed. "....Sure?" She was still kind of miffed about losing her lucky headphones the last time Branch ruined a party, warning them about the Bergens.

"Maybe if he ain't party-pooping this party." Cooper muttered to Creek.

"I'm sure if Branch could find some positivity deep, deep within, he'll be a riveting addition to our little get-together." Creek cooly replied.

"See?" Poppy turned back to Branch, who was clearly unamused by their responses. "So whad'ya say?" She opened up the invitation, a miniature lake with two trees on either side, and a grumpy Branch with a floating tube around his waist.

"Let's Party!" The mini-Branch said in a not-Branch voice.

And then the glitter hit him in the face. And as he took a step back away from the glitter stream, Poppy once again took a step forward so it hits him in the face. He was starting to really, really hate this new addition to her cards.

Puzzle, however, was immediately in awe at the stream of glitter and the voice coming from the card, cooing happily and reaching out for the invitation.

Branch gave his best fake-smile as he plucked the card from Poppy's hands, held it up, and crumpled it as his smile turned into a frown.

Puzzle stopped babbling, and Poopy looked both surprised and hurt.

"Apparently, you've forgotten that I wouldn't be caught dead in one of your ridiculous parties, so-"

This time it was Branch interrupted, by Puzzle crying.

Loudly.

"No, no, no, no, what did I do wrong now?!"

Frantic, Branch bounced Puzzle to see if it would cheer the baby troll up. When it didn't, he checked Puzzle's diaper for any accidents. With none present, he set Puzzle down and shuffled through his baby bag. When he handed Puzzle his bottle full of chocolate milk, Puzzle threw it over his shoulder, crying louder. When he shook the glowfly plush toy in front of the child, Puzzle whacked it away. When he reached in his hair and offered the shiny black pebble, Puzzle grabbed it only to throw it, hitting Creek smack in the face despite the purple troll hiding behind Cooper the moment the pebble came into view.

Poppy snapped her fingers as if coming up with an idea, and quickly lied down on the ground, taking her scrapbooking supplies out of her hair and began to cut out shapes.

Goofy faces didn't work, peek a boo didn't work, he even offered Puzzle his hair, which Puzzle tugged painfully while still crying louder and louder.

"Please, what do you want from me?! I'll do anything!!!" Branch broke down, in front of the princess, her friends, the entire village. He should have never left the bunker today.

"Calm down, you two." Poppy somehow acted perfectly fine as Branch's world fell apart, sniping away at some blue paper.

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?!?!" Branch freaked out, staring at her wildly. "How can you be calm?! How can you possibly even be scrapbooking right now when Puzzle...is..." He trailed off when Puzzle cries quickly turned to giddy babbling.

In Poppy's arms was a copy of the invitation he had just crumpled up, folded neatly closed. Puzzle happily grabbed the card, opening it up and squealed at the stream of glitter hitting him in the face. Branch was at first too baffled to snatch the card away and check for sharp corners, but quickly snapped back to reality and grabbed the sapling to wipe away the offending glitter from Puzzle's sensitive little eyes and nose

He gave Poppy a look that was incredulous, impressed, and upset all at the same time. Poppy in turn looked back at him, smug and proud of herself.

Branch glared. "This doesn't change anything." He hissed, and proceeded to pick up Puzzle's belongings that have scattered everywhere during the little episode. "I'm still not going to your party!" He yanked the pebble Cooper held out with one of his limbs, ignoring the fact the thing was covered in Creek's rainbow blood and some dirt. "Never!!!" He yelled as he hastily retreated from the group, Puzzle still opening and closing the card while giggling. "EVER!!!" He yelled out from the distance.

"That was...amusing." Creek chuckled, holding his injured nose. The three friends approached Poppy, who remained frozen in place, watching Branch and Puzzle as they left.

"I don't get it," Poppy began to vent, "He rejected my invite!"

"Sweetie, he always does that. Why would now be any different?" Suki raised her eyebrow.

"No, he always used to do that, but he went to Amber's Blooming Shower yesterday! And...he's been getting along with other parents lately. I thought...well, I thought he was changing."

"Some trolls just never want to change, Poppy," Creek comforted the princess with a hand on her shoulder, "And don't want to be happy."

"But he is changing!" Poppy rebutted, surprising Creek, as Poppy had always accepted his word before. "It's just...maybe I caught him in a bad day." Poppy plopped to the ground, baffled.

"You mean every day?" Cooper chuckled to himself.

"Forget about it for now, Popsicle, we should meet up with the others for some ice cream, that always cheers you up!" Suki picked the girl back up by the arm.

"Indeed! Let's move away from these negative vibes and focus on this bright, sunny day!" Creek smiled brightly, poking the princess's nose. "Boop!"

Poppy returned the smile, somewhat reassured.

__________

While Puzzle continued to open up the new lake party invitation from his playpen, squealing every time the card repeated it's recorded message, Branch stared at the crumpled version in his hand. He doubted the other one would last much longer in Puzzle's grasp, but he just didn't feel like fixing this one right now. So he stored it among the rest of the invitations, still broken, right next to the one Amber and Russel gave him. The only non-Poppy invitation in his collection was far simpler than the others, even the first ones Poppy made, so it actually stood out amongst the rest.

In lieu of fixing the crumpled card, Branch instead went right back to the work on the felted custom jigsaw puzzle he had been working on for Puzzle. It's a simple project, using a drawing the sapling had made not too long ago, and would make for some good intellectual stimulation. He plans to make more of them for Puzzle in the future.

___________

Less than a week later Branch receives an invitation to a children's party, from Dillie's father. Several of the other parents he had become acquainted with would be there, including Amber and Russel, even though little Rei would be too young to play with the other children.

Either way, it was a good socializing opportunity for Puzzle, who seemed to make new friends pretty easily, and there would surely be some new faces for him to meet. And it would be a much quieter affair, taking place in a safe pod rather than out in the open.

So he hesitantly accepted the card, asked what sort of present to bring, and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming event, determined not to ruin the party in any way, as he was usually known for.

Unbeknown to him, Poppy had witness the entire exchange.

She put two and two together rather quickly and realized the answer to the question that had been plaguing her mind since his latest rejection.

Some trolls just never want to change, Poppy. And don't want to be happy. Creek's words echoed in her mind.

Why does Branch go out of his way for Puzzle's happiness, but not for his own?

And when Puzzle grows up and doesn't need his parent anymore, where does that leave Branch?

Will he still seek out the relationships he was beginning to make, or go back to hiding?

Poppy did not want Branch to go back hiding again.

Chapter Text

Branch pointed. "Tree."

Puzzle blinked at him innocently.

"Tree-ee."

The child tilted his head.

Branch moved on, taking out the shiny black pebble, "Ro-ock."

Puzzle giggled and grabbed hold of his favorite object.

"Puzzle!" Branch exasperated. "Come on, I know you understand!" He tried wriggling the sapling off, but eventually gave up and just let Puzzle have his pebble.

"Watch'ya doing Branch?"

With a shriek, Branch jumped out of his sitting position from the voice coming behind him. Turning, he glared at Cooper and Biggie, the duo unfazed anymore as Branch's usually mean looks have been slowly growing less intimidating.

"None of your business," he growled, "And what are you doing here?"

"I brought them here!" Poppy chipperly sang from behind him, making him jump again. She was already sitting cross-legged, the happy sapling nestled in her arms.

"Stop doing that!" Branch gasped, trying to calm his heart. He readjusted the angle of his ears to focus, scolding himself for not paying attention to his surroundings.

Poppy raised her eyebrow, "Stop what?" Cooper and Biggie shrugged from behind Branch, equally confused.

"Ugh, never mind! Why are they here? You promised never to reveal my bunker to anyone!"

"I didn't, silly," Poppy teasingly smirked, "We're outside the bunker."

"They can clearly see it from here!" Branch gestured to the triangular boulder and "Welcome" mat a few feet away.

"Oh hey, I didn't noticed that before!" Cooper spoke up, and the giant troll agreed. Branch facepalmed and groaned in displeasure.

"So Branch," Poppy ignored his melodrama, "Biggie has something to ask you. Go ahead, Biggie!"

Well, that explains their intrusion: Biggie could never face him alone without Poppy to assist and his bestest friend to watch his back and bolster his confidence.

"Poppy said you were handy with tools and wood, so I was wondering if you could help me make a few custom frames." Biggie nervously asked, staring anywhere but at Branch's frowning face. "It's for Mr. Dinkles!"

"Dinkles?" Branch crossed his arms, somewhat confused. He heard the worm died last year of old age.

"Right here! Mr. Dinkles Jr." Biggie held up the baby worm barely as big as his index finger.

"Mew." The tiny voice of the worm squeaked.

"I'm starting a photo gallery of all of Mr. Dinkle's best looks!" Biggie exclaimed proudly, growing bolder as he spoke about his worm. "I need just a few extra frames, but my cousin can't make them in time, and I already hurt my thumb trying myself!"

"You want me...to make photo frames...for a worm."

"Yes, exactly!"

"No. Go away, I'm busy." Branch left no room for arguing, turning away and picking up Puzzle from Poppy's lap.

"What are you even busy with?"

"Teaching Puzzle to speak, for your information. Now scram!"

"So that's why you were talking funny a few minutes ago!" Cooper happily concluded.

"Ooohh, let us help! You can make the frames while we teach him words!" Biggie excitedly offered.

Poppy beamed, "That's a great idea!"

"I just said no!"

"Here, Puzzle, say 'Mr. Dinkles!'" Biggie held out his worm, which was already squirming as far away from the baby troll as possible.

"Hold up," Cooper pushed Biggie slightly away, "Say 'Cooper' instead! Come on Little-P!" Cooper got away too close for comfort, forcing an irritated Branch to take a step back.

"Guys, guys, enough already!" Poppy waved the duo off.

"Thank you, Poppy." Branch let out a sigh of relief.

"He needs to start with simpler words!" Then Poppy shoved her face even closer, and Branch couldn't help the heat rushing across his face.

"Dada!"

"Poppy!" Branch gasped, taking another step back.

"Dada! Say it Puzzle!"

"That's enough!" He growled, walking briskly away from the meddling trolls. "I can teach Puzzle perfectly fine on my own, so go on your way and bother somebody else!"

"But what about my frames?" Biggie called out.

"GO!!! AWAY!!!" Branch hollered, making the giant troll flinch and tremble, close to tearing up. He quickly hopped down the mat's hidden entrance and closing it shut behind him.

"Whoa!" Cooper sprinted closer to get a better look. "That's his door?" Cooper tapped on the false mat, trying to figure out how it opened.

"One of them, at least." Poppy answered, before putting a hand on Biggie's shoulder. "Sorry Biggie, maybe let's ask around to find some old frames you can use instead."

"I guess, hopefully the sizes I need." Biggie was a little downtrodden now. He wanted the gallery done in time for the anniversary of the old Mr. Dinkle's passing; it still hurts to think about him sometimes. The newer pet worm helped him coped a lot, just as the first Mr. Dinkles had, so Biggie had this whole event planned to show the baby worm his appreciation.

Well, surely everything will come out right.

_______

"Where have you guys been?" Chenille asked the trio as they entered the twin's pod.

As always, fabrics of various textures, patterns and colors stacked high over their heads and covered nearly every square inch of space. Much of the twin's actual living spaces were hidden somewhere beneath the jungle of cloth, which only the pair could ever navigate through with ease. The twins themselves stood around a table in the middle of it all, hand sewing tiny scraps together.

"Sorry for the wait, we had uh...well, the frames are gonna be a setback."

The twins understood perfectly. "Branch said no, huh?

"As expected."

"But at least Mr. Dinkle's wardrobe-"

"-Is finally complete! Viola!"

The twins held up several tiny uniforms, identical to the old Mr. Dinkles's, but resized to fit the tinier worm.

"They're perfect!" Biggie nearly bawled at the wonderful, precious articles of clothing. "You guys outdone yourselves! Even the buttons are just the right size!" He held up the little lumberjack costume, noting the accuracy of every little detail.

"We know we're great." Twins high-fived themselves for a job well done. "While you get Mr. Dinkles to try them on, tell us about your day, darlings."

"Today was great!" Cooper immediately shared. "I got to see the outside of the bunker! Branch has a secret door underneath a mat. It's so cool!"

"Under a mat?" The twins grimaced, glancing at the pink princess, who nodded with confirmation. "Ew, how-"

"-Mr. Dinkles?" Biggie wailed, breaking the conversation.

"What's wrong, Biggie?" Poppy asked, worried.

"I can't find him!" The giant troll checked all around him as best as possible.

"He's probably on your back again." The little worm always stayed by Biggie's side, but tended to venture all over the troll.

"Nope, don't see him." Cooper looked over his friend, no worm in sight.

"Oh no! Did he fall off in the pod?" Poppy searched the area. "He could be anywhere!"

The twins quickly started digging through the mountain piles of fabric. "This could take us a while!" Satin shouted, muffled.

"If he's even here." Chenille added.

"Mr. Dinkles, where are you?!" Biggie sobbed.

_____________

Branch yawned, weary as he closed the little picture book; It had a letter of the alphabet on each page, accompanied with a word and drawing for every one of them. Unfortunately, Puzzle didn't try to replicate the sounds of the words as Branch called them out, simply gazing back and forth between Branch and the book, occasionally placing his tiny hands over the picture or words as Branch spoke.

He clearly understood, so what was wrong?

Everyone he had asked said their children started saying their first words around four months old, sometimes four and a half. Yet here was Puzzle at a little over five months, and still only babbling incoherently.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." Branch sighed defeatedly, picking up the sapling and placing him on his shoulder. "They should be gone by now."

Once more outside, Branch refocused his hearing to the surrounding area while making his way to the trail leading towards the village.

"Grass." Branch pointed out at the tall blades jutting from the ground. Puzzle looked, but remained silent.

"Try it, Puzzle. Graaass."

Puzzle started making noises. It sounded nowhere near like grass, but it was something!

"That's it!" Branch gave the barest smile. "You're finally responding!"

But Puzzle extended his arms downward while squealing, excited over something else entirely. A mere second later, Branch felt a tiny, wriggling, gummy-feeling mass on his toe.

"AHH!!!!" Branch yelped, leaping a foot away from whatever the thing was.

Just where he had been a moment ago was a familiar little oval-shaped creature, yellow and lime green colored. Cautiously peering closer, Branch noticed the pink stripes and little sailor hat.

"Mr. Dinkles?" Looking around, Branch could see neither Biggie, Poppy, or even Cooper in sight. Did the worm get separated from it's owner? Probably when Cooper pushed Biggie to the side a little too roughly.

The little worm squirmed closer to him, and Branch felt queasy over the idea of touching the gooey, gross pet. But Branch spotted the slightest movement a few feet away. A small green, iridescent, and carnivorous beetle, almost hidden among the grass blades, was slowly crawling nearer. It was just big enough that an itty bitty worm would look like a decent meal to it.

So Branch reluctantly lowered his hand to the ground and allowed the worm to crawl over it, shivering at the gummy sensation. Mr. Dinkles was still too young, and didn't have any sugary fuzz over his body yet; touching the thing made Branch want to gag.

And while Mr. Dinkles accepted the grey troll's help, it was pretty clear he still wanted nothing to do with the light-colored sapling in Branch's other arm, squirming and hissing as Puzzle kept trying to reach it. Well, at least it meant the little worm probably wouldn't start roaming around.

"I'm gonna have to take you to your owner, aren't I?" Branch questioned rhetorically, more to himself than to the two babies in his grasp. "The same guy I yelled at not too long ago, just great."

Today was not Branch's day.

___________

Reaching the village had been a struggle in itself. Puzzle did everything in his power to reach the baby worm. Mr. Dinkles did everything in his power to stay away from the baby troll. Both of them crawled and squirmed all over their carrier. Branch had to bear it all.

He could already see the group comfortingly circled around the giant troll who wailed and sobbed pathetically. It gave him a sort of...deja vu, but not exactly. It was more like...when he had marched to the village after Poppy had kidnapped Puzzle. Only he didn't take the stupid worm, he's bringing it back!

But Biggie had a look of despair to him, even surrounded by the hugs and gentle words of his friends. As if losing something like.......Well, like he had lost something very precious.

"Wh-when M-M-Mr. Dink-kles p-passed a-aw-away-y, I-I-I d-didn't k-kn-know w-what to d-do!" Biggie cried, blowing his nose on Guy Diamond's glittery hair, who pretended not to mind. "He-he w-w-was my o-only f-f-frie-friend f-for a lo-ong time. My-my p-parents p-p-paid mo-more att-attenti-tion t-to m-my si-sisters si-since the-they didn't k-know h-h-how t-to raise a b-big t-tr-troll-ll l-like m-me!" Biggie hiccuped and sniffled as he spoke. "M-M-Mr. Di-Dink-kles h-helped me c-cope w-w-with the-the l-lolin-ness."

Branch just stood there, unnoticed by the group, listening.

"Easy, easy," Suki patted his hunched back gently. "Remember what you always tell us: deep breaths and let it all out."

"I-I pr-pro-promis-ss-sed to t-take g-good care of-f the n-n-new M-Mr. Di-Dinkles, h-his o-own gra-ands-son-nn! I p-pr-promis-sed to l-l-love J-Jr. as m-much a-as I-I lo-loved h-h-him!" Biggie sobbed harshly, his blue coloring growing dimmer and darker as time passed. "I'm-m sorr-ry I fa-fa-failed-d!"

Like he had lost something very precious.

Like he had lost his own baby.

"Biggie?" Branch's almost hoarse voice caught the attention of some of the Snack Pack.

"W-what?" Biggie's voice cracked, not even looking in the grey troll's direction.

"Mew." The tiny voice of Mr. Dinkles called out from Branch's extended palm.

"MR. DINKLES!!!" Biggie excitedly barreled over his own friends and lunged at the grumpy troll without even a second thought. Branch placed Puzzle in the safety of his tough hair, bracing for impact as the giant troll painfully crushed his left arm in an embrace. Branch's feet dangled just out of reach of the ground.

"OH MR. DINKLES I'M SO GLAD YOUR ALRIGHT!!!" Biggie repeatedly kissed the baby worm still cupped in Branch's palm.

Branch stumbled for a moment when Biggie finally let go of his arm, only to be squeezed in a tight hug.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!" Biggie sobbed, drench the grey troll's torso in tears. "HOW CAN I EVER REPAY YOU?!?!?!"

"Stop. Hugging. Me." Branch choked out, losing his breath.

Biggie only hugged and cried harder. And of course the rest of the Snack Pack decide to join in, trapping Branch in his own personal hell.

Today was really not his day.

____________

"So, what are the dimensions?" Branch asked the giant blue troll now that things settled down and the Snack Pack chattered in the background.

"Dimensions?" Biggie questioned, not taking his eyes off the tiny worm now dressed as a lumberjack.

Branch huffed in annoyance. "For your frames."

"You'll do them?" Now Biggie turned his head to face the grump.

"Sure, whatever." Branch shrugged.

"Thank you!" Biggie cried out, nearly wrapping his arms around his companion.

"Do that and I'll change my mind!" Branch held his hands out in a stopping motion.

_____________

Poppy was too busy, so this time Puzzle's babysitter was Guy Diamond.

It didn't matter to him anymore who came, because Cooper couldn't keep his damn mouth shut about his bunker's location.

Puzzle actually didn't seem to mind the change in sitters, giggling every time the troll spoke in his rather strange voice, staring in awe at the sparkling, shiny glitter covering his entire body. Puzzle really seem to like glitter a lot, much to Branch's dismay.

Also to Branch's dismay, the two looked so much like alike in their coloring, they could easily be mistaken for father and son, the major difference being Puzzle's lack of glitter, and the teal nose instead of lime green. And he suppose the slight teal-blue glow Puzzle had on the tips of his toes, ears and fingers whenever he was feeling very happy was also rather unique to the baby troll.

He was overthinking this. So what if Puzzle hardly looked anything like him? The pod glowed for him, not anyone else in the entire village! And...he's pretty sure he used to be teal-blue before he lost his colors, so of course Puzzle is his.

"So is this what you do all day?" Guy Diamond asked out of the blue, taking Branch away from his thoughts. "Carpentry?"

"Hardly," Branch replied dryly, "I do lots of different things out here. Metal working, glass working, gardening, digging, planning, mining, writing-"

"-Mining?" Guy Diamond interrupted.

"I have an underground cave just below my bunker." Branch didn't know why he was so eager to share so much information, but he couldn't stop himself. "It's where I get my metal and some important minerals."

"Whoo-ooah!" Guy Diamond whistled impressed. Puzzle giggled and grabbed hold of the glitter troll's cheeks to make him speak like that again. "Whoooo-ooo-ooo!" Guy Diamond was more than eager to please the little sapling.

Branch gave a quiet chuckle under his breath at the silliness, refocusing on sanding the wooden photo frames properly.

"Where'd you even find time to do all that?" Guy Diamond questioned again.

Branch rolled his eyes. "I don't do all those things everyday. Besides," He leered with annoyance at the glitter troll, "I don't waste my day singing, dancing, and hugging."

"Nothing wrong with those things, bro." Guy Diamond replied. "It's what trolls do."

"Not this troll." Branch finally finished sanding the last frame, giving it a look over for any imperfections and blowing off the remaining sawdust.

He noted it was a lot darker outside now than he thought, the sky painted in several shades of red, orange and pink, the surrounding trees darkening. The crickets that usually chirped at dusk have barely made a peep, which was rather strange.

Branch wasn't too worried, he's been attentive enough to know the nearest large predator was an owl screeching in it's burrow a mile away in the south-west area. Even with the distance to cover, Guy Diamond should be able to make it back to the village safely before nightfall completely engulfed them.

Nope, nevermind, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared over the horizon.

"The storm already? Dandy said it wasn't until midnight!" Guy Diamond looked worryingly over his head. Well, that explains why the crickets weren't singing.

The wind quickly shifted and the tree gently rustled. Branch knew it would only get stronger, and pretty soon.

"Come on," Branch hurried over to the two trolls and the glowfly hovering nearby, the frames carried under one of his arms, "If you have to, you can stay in the bunker for tonight."

"Really?" Guy Diamond smiled, surprised and relieved. Rainstorms were rather dangerous for small trolls, and rain in general washed away so much glitter! "Thaaanks!" he sang happily.

"Just don't, uh, get glitter over everything!" Branch warned.

_____________

Guy Diamond did have to stay after all, making him the fourth troll to ever step foot in the "top secret," bergen-proof survival bunker.

He was surprisingly quiet during the trip to the nursery, staring at the passing rooms as they lowered deeper to the ground. And he waited patiently and somewhat amused as Branch wrapped the couch first in protective plastic film, and then with a bedsheet. And more film.

"But where will you sleep?" He finally asked as Branch fluffed a pillow, also covered in film.

"My hammock is up there." Branch pointed to the narrow staircase in the corner of the room, blocked only with a baby gate. Guy Diamond had noticed there were a lot of baby gates, everywhere.

"Uhh, will that also be where the kitchen is?" The glitter troll sheepishly rubbed his grumbling stomach.

Oh, right. House guests need to eat, too.

Guy Diamond waited patiently again for Branch to finish wrapping film over the kitchen stool.

"Should I feel insulted with all this film?" He finally sat down.

"I just don't like glitter. And you're naked." Branch replied curtly. "No offense. Do you like grapefruit?"

"None taken, and not really."

"Then all I have to drink is water." Branch poured two glasses full, handing one over to Guy Diamond, along with a coaster. "Is a parfait okay? I need to use up the rest of these mashed berries."

"I guess." Guy Diamond awkwardly sipped his drink as Branch prepped their dinner, Puzzle in a high stool chugging on his own bottle of the sour-sweet red drink.

"I have to say, Satin and Chenille would hate to be here right now, with all the dark, dull colors and drab furniture." Guy Diamond looked around the dingy, small kitchen. "No offense."

"None taken, and I could care less what they or anyone else think; the bunker isn't meant for style, it's for function."

"Just saying, it could use a little extra spark-"

"-No glitter. Ever."

"Fine. Too fab for you, anyway." Guy Diamond dramatically flipped his hair, giving the sapling beside him a wink. Puzzle giggled as a few stray specks of glitter sprinkled on him.

Branch was less amused at the mess. "Yeah, definitely getting an extra long bath tonight, kiddo." Puzzle pouted, crossing his arms to show his displeasure.

"You have your own bathtub?" Guy Diamond asked, astonished, as a bowl of yogurt parfait slid right in front of him.

"Bathtub and shower." Branch set a bowl of plain yogurt in front of Puzzle, holding the wooden spoon up to the sapling's face. "Why wouldn't I? If you haven't noticed, I don't go to the community bathhouse with the rest of the village."

"I suppose it makes sense; you live far and hate crowds. it's just, uhh..." Guy Diamond was not the type to be shy or keep his thoughts to himself, so he admitted it, "We kinda just thought you didn't shower." Guy Diamond hoped he wouldn't be kicked out for that. "No offense."

"Full offense." But Branch thankfully let it slide, busy feeding the sapling some yogurt.

"I mean, can you blame us? You live in dirt and wear patchy brown shorts."

"Packed dirt, and these shorts are naturally brown. And they're camouflaged, not patched." Branch glared at the troll, warning him silently to drop the conversation.

"Well, anyway..." Guy Diamond tried to think of a way to change the tense atmosphere. "Do you have hot water here, at least?"

"Of course, my heating system and water system are connected to the fireplace, which I always keep running." Branch gestured to the nearby fireplace.

"Ooooh!" Guy Diamond was genuinely impressed, though he didn't really understood what these "systems" were. "That's why you always collect sticks! You gotta feed that thing all the time!"

"Yep." Branch finished feeding Puzzle and began to help himself to his own bowl.

"That's incredible! You must be really smart!"

Branch paused and blinked, not used to hearing praise like that. "Um, thanks." His eyes lowered to the table in embarrassment.

"What else you got going on here?" Guy Diamond leaned closer, interested in learning all the secrets surrounding them.

_____________

"What, no way!" Branch exclaimed as he scrubbed Puzzle's ears with soap, the child squirming unhappily as he did so.

"I'm serious." Guy Diamond answered, sitting down on the film-covered toilet. "Dancing is my thing, and hugging is what everyone does. But I rather not sing if I can help it."

"But you like crowds, and attention; you're a walking disco ball! Why wouldn't you want to show off your singing?"

Guy Diamond shrugged. "Don't like my voice."

"...What?" That gave Branch some pause.

"You heard me." Guy Diamond sighed. "Before the Snack Pack, most trolls found my voice...unappealing. Some said it's not even true singing. And it never really worked with most songs. Actually, that's why I liked showing myself off." Guy Diamond stroked a pose. "They can't be bothered with my singing if the rest of me is so beautiful!"

He sat back down. "That's the past, though. My friends help make the music work with me, and I've been even more of a star ever since!" The glitter troll finger gunned in his direction, winking.

"Don't do that."

"I gotta be me!" Guy Diamond shrugged. "Even if things are better, I still sometimes don't wanna sing unless I'm harmonizing with everyone, 'cause I really didn't like the negative feedback I got in the past. So to answer your question: I probably would never do a solo like the others have."

"That's a shame." Branch picked Puzzle up from the bathtub. "I mean, not that I care for singing at all, but Puzzle here likes your voice just fine." He ruffled the sapling hair with a towel, ignoring the child's protesting whine.

"Glad to see I have a fan, at least." Guy Diamond smiled, then began to laugh loudly at the tiny troll's expression. "Haha, look at him! He's like a mini you!"

Puzzled, Branch lifted the towel up a little higher. The sapling had a pouty frown, arms crossed, glaring up at him with those big bright blue eyes, clearly showing his displeasure over the bath he was forced to take.

The rest of Puzzle didn't matter at that moment. Not the light silver skin or hair that nearly matched Guy Diamond better, nor the love for things shiny and glittery. Everything else screamed "Branch."

"He sure is." Branch chuckled, ruffling Puzzle's hair some more much to his annoyance.

__________

Branch listened closely, his right ear twitching downward.

"I'd like to make myself believe, that planet earth turns slowly." Guy Diamond sang to the sleepy child he was rooming with tonight. "It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep. 'Cause everything is never as it seems..."

The singing paused for a moment.

"When I fall asleep." The last part was whispered more gently, as if to not awaken the now sleeping baby, which was likely the case.

The next morning, Branch had to throw away the glitter-covered stool beside the crib. He had to!

But he was grateful when, a few days later, Guy Diamond offered a rather interesting gift.

"To my number one fan!" He winked, grinning ear-to-ear.

The material of the bouncy ball was clear, so you could see the mass of glitter that filled the inside. Puzzle loved it just as much as he loved his shiny pebble, his glowfly plushie, and his jigsaw puzzle. It was definitely the most sparkly thing to ever exist in the bunker, and it didn't make a horrendous mess.

The ball was signed by Guy Diamond, by the way, in shimmery marker. He's gotta be himself, after all.

And Biggie loved his custom frames. Branch declined attending the photo gallery, but he heard from Poppy they've been painted in bright, pretty colors.

And some with glitter, courtesy of Guy Diamond, of course. He's gotta be himself.

Chapter Text

The school teacher, Buttercup, performed a series of tests on the tiny trolling while Branch paced back and forth.

"I'm sorry, I'm just as baffled as you are," She handed Puzzle back to the grey father, "He seems to have a grasp on the alphabet, and he can identify colors and common objects."

"I know that, but that has nothing to do with why he's not talking!"

Buttercup shrugged. "Maybe he's a late bloomer? I really don't know what else to tell you, Branch. I've never encountered a problem like this in all my years of teaching."

Branch left the classroom quickly after that, with more questions and far less answers.

He reviewed the child development book for probably the hundredth time, searching or any little detail he might have missed, anything to help solve this problem. He kept one eye on the four children in the playpen; it was his turn to watch the young trollings while their parents, Violet and Mumsie, Amber and Russel, take care of some errands. While the three boys crawled all over the enclosure after Puzzle's glitter ball, two month old Rei just watched, occasionally laughing, not yet comfortable moving around outside her home.

Branch heard approaching footsteps, and in a few minutes Suki plopped down right next to him.

"Room for one more?" She asked, as friendly as she can be.

He shrugged, "Suit yourself."

"Thanks! This is the quietest spot I could find in the whole village!"

That made Branch raise an eyebrow. "I wasn't even aware you knew the definition of quiet." Suki? The renowned party-instigating disc jockey? Looking for someplace quiet? What alternative universe was he caught in?

"Of course I do!" Suki rolled her eyes and glared. "How else could I concentrate while I'm inventing songs?" She held out a blank journal in her hand.

Branch never even thought once that Suki actually created music as well as played it, but he shrugged and didn't pry any further, hoping she would take a hint and drop the conversation.

He reread the same passage several times, hoping for some hidden message to appear eventually, give him the answers he needed. But it all remained the same; nothing in the book indicated any sort of language-learning barrier. Maybe he should request a scan from Dr. Plum to see if something hadn't form properly in Puzzle's brain.

The very idea of something being wrong inside Puzzle made him tremble with worry.

Suki didn't notice her companion's fidgeting, busy with her own internal struggle. She incessantly tapped her pencil on her crossed knee, repeating the words in her head over and over. She wasn't aware that she started singing out loud.

"But enough about me
Let’s talk about you
Head down....head down...head down...UGH!!!" She threw her head up in frustration. "Why can't I figure these lyrics out?!"

Branch sorely needed a distraction at that moment, and closed his own book to peer over hers. The entire page was scribbled in lyrics for her new song, most of them crossed out with angry Suki-like heads drawn next to them. There was a short note at the upper corner that Branch read. Show em' whatcha workin' with, show us your moves, show us the real you, no fake just be true. It was a song about revealing your inner self, it seemed, for somebody whose hiding their true feelings?

Branch spent many nights and many years conjuring up poetry with the same kind of meaning.

"Hey!" Suki yelled when Branch suddenly snatched her songbook and pencil, and began writing down. It piqued her interest; she and the Snack Pack knew very well Branch wrote poetry, but never had he shared it with anyone, and honestly she always assumed it would be as depressing and boring as the grey troll himself.

Yet here he was, filling in the blanks for the lyrics with ease, even scratching out a few she thought were half decent. It wasn't long, though, before even he started to pause and tap the pencil in concentration.

"Hum the melody." He grumbled.

That made Suki blink in astonishment. "What?" Did Branch just...ask her to sing?!

"If I know the rhythm, I can write the lyrics easier."

"Oh, um, okay..." She started humming, watching her semi-friend for any indication that the noise would irritate him. But he listened instead without a hint of annoyance, and began writing more.

"Fern, don't eat that." He warned. The young trolling immediately threw the dirt clump in his hand away, feigning innocence. Suki was amazed that Branch actually managed to keep a watchful eye on the children, while listening to her sing and writing in her book.

A cough from her companion made her realize she had stopped humming. She continued, and by the end of her song Branch paused and looked over the work, making only a few minor adjustments before finally handing the songbook back over to the dark pink troll.

Head down, all blue
You should be singing like these
Yeah, something like me

She glanced down to another paragraph she had been stuck with

Take that feeling like it's something that you stole
It ain't about, ain't about, it ain't about what you not
So what you working with?

She was impressed; he even managed to fit her song title in a verse, something she had been struggling with since the beginning. Reading over the entire piece, she could see that the majority of the song was still her lyrics, with only a few word changes, and some verses moved to a more fitting place.

It was...exactly what she had been trying to convey!

"Wow, Branch, it's perfect!"

"Yeah, no problem," He grunted, "Just figured it would make you shut up faster."

That made her frown; he didn't have to be so rude all of a sudden.

But then she thought: if he wanted peace and quiet, why didn't he just tell her to leave?

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Branch jumped up and rushed over to the playpen, hopping over to the little trolls that were suddenly screaming. "Boys, no roughhousing!" He grabbed the much smaller Rei away from the fray, and tried to keep Puzzle a distance away. Not that he was worried Puzzle would get hurt by them, on the contrary; even if the two brothers were a little older, Puzzle packed quite the punch.

"I got 'em." Suki separated the quarreling, dirty brothers, holding onto each by the strap of their pants.

"Dummy!" Fern yelled. "You threw dirt on me, meanie!"

"Nuh uh, you got in the way!" Gully yelled back at his older brother.

"I don't care who started it, both of you calm down!" Branch ordered, but the boys continued to smack each other's hands, the only limb either one could reach.

"Hey there, stop," Suki kept her hold, "How bout I sing you a song?"

"A song?" Gully smiled up at her.

"I love singing!" Fern exclaimed, dropping his arms.

"But I like it more!" Gully glared.

"Nuh uh, I do!"

"That's enough; I'll sing only if you promise to behave!" Suki warned. The two boys quickly ended their argument, nodding their heads.

"We promise!" They said in unison.

"Alright then." Suki sat down cross legged, the two brothers and Puzzle following suit. Suki held her hands out towards Branch. Taking the hint, he handed over the little yellow troll in his arms. Once Rei was settled in Suki's lap, she began to sing.

"Why are there so many
Songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side
Rainbows are visions
But only illusions
And rainbows got nothing to hide"

This was different than Branch expected; it was a common song to sing to children, sure, but it wasn't the kind Suki tended to sing. It was slow, soothing, and soulful, and worked excellent with the teenager's voice. Heck, he had to admit she had one of the prettiest voices he's ever heard. He listened just as attentively as the pacified trollings.

"Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me
La da da, dee, da da do"

"La da da da da, dee da dooo!" The brothers finished in harmony. Puzzle squealed and clapped, but didn't join in, much to Branch's dismay. Rei sighed peacefully in Suki's lap.

"Um, thanks." Branch grumbled awkwardly, shortly after the other trollings had been picked up by their respective parents.

"I should be thanking you!" Suki smiled, "You really helped me with my song, just thought I could return the favor. Heck, I'd love to brainstorm with you more someday!"

"Yeah, well..." Branch paused and thought it over. He wanted reject her, but a weird feeling inside prevented him. "...maybe."

"Great! I'll hold you to that!" Suki parted ways from the two with a skip to her step.

After the goodbyes, she went straight to Poppy's to share the great news.

It certainly did not elude her to the fact Branch actually listened to her sing. Twice.

___________

Branch couldn't frown any deeper. "Creek."

"Branch." The purple troll curtly replied with equal hostility.

Cybil failed to mention her brother would be watching over her son today.

Puzzle only shot a quick glare at his least favorite troll before he was distracted by Rajiv making origami critters with colorful squares of felt.

The two adults in the pod were tense, for the first time ever alone together without any prying eyes. Gone was the cool and smug Creek that always held an air of calm stability in front of others; he spouted nothing of auras and didn't joke around about positivity and good vibes. Frankly, Creek held his nose up high and turned his head away, refusing any more to acknowledge the other troll.

Branch never thought silence could be so stifling, even as he watched Puzzle and Rajiv fold felt into shapes with innocent laughter.

___________

Poppy was a tricky, clever girl sometimes.

How many times had he found himself dragged into some kind of activity with other trolls, spurred on by the deceitful pink princess?

Okay, most of the time she just asks and he would comply without protest. Damn his secret feelings!

Ever so slowly, she's been trying to wedge herself into Puzzle's and his life, almost like she wanted to be...

A dotting aunt! That's it, nothing else!

Damn his emotions!

So while Poppy sprinted to the twin's pod, taking little Puzzle away, he was left alone in one of Smidge's excercise classes. Funny how he's always doing something because Poppy was there, and then she ditched him.

"One and two, and one and two. Come on, work 'em glutes n' hams!" Smidge hollered to her group, using her own hair as jumping rope. The regulars performed extra stunts, such as backflips and one-legged hops; other trolls panted and sweated, slowing down as time went on. Branch did neither, persisting through the workout without a hint of tiredness. Smidge took notice.

After a few more exercise routines, all that were left were the regulars and Branch, who had kept a distance away from the rest. He did a few finishing stretches, finally showing some signs of exhaustion.

"Well, well, look at Mr. Marathon here." Smidge joked. "Rugged living doing ya good after all, chubs!" She playfully smacked his stomach, making him wince. Her hair may be her strong point, but Smidge worked the rest of her body pretty well.

"I have to stay fit, ready for any emergency." He grunted, rubbing his now cramped stomach. "I kind of been slacking off since Puzzle bloomed, though. Don't think I've been to my gym even once since."

Smidge gasped. "You have a HOME GYM?! That's LIT!!!" Smidge's deep voice actually raised a pitch or two.

"Um, yeah!" Branch shrugged, and didn't think any further of it.

But Smidge did. Pods had a weight limit, which is why most trolls shared as a community and stored everything else in hollows. Smidge would've LOVE to have to her own personal gym...except she needed a bed, a kitchen, furniture...

Like any other troll, she thrives in a group, but she had her own personal reasons for wanting her own private place to work out. Namely, the fact she's treated like a baby sometimes.

So the next day, without any sort of warning, she barged in through the "GO AWAY" mat and jumped into Branch's home, ignoring his shriek of terror and the large pipe he defensively held.

"SMIDGE?!" He screamed, dropping his weapon.

"Sup fam!" She replied casually. "I'm here to babysit!"

"But I didn't-" He was already being pushed out his entrance.

"You n' Popps do your thing, I'll take care of your tyke!" She shoved him out and shut the mat, all within seconds.

Branch needed a moment to register what the hell just happened, spitting out the mouthful of dirt he got when he faceplanted on the ground. A pink hand appeared above his vision and he gratefully accepted it.

"What was that all about?" He got up, wiping dust from his front side.

"No clue," Poppy shrugged, "she dragged me over and told me to come up with something to do."

"Really? This isn't your doing, for once?" He crossed his arms, not believing it.

"Serious! But I do need help, actually." Poppy smiled sweetly. "I was going to help Karma with some gardening, and it's a lot of work. You're good with plants, so would you mind?"

He stared for a second before sighing in defeat. "Sure, just one second."

He pried his mat back open. "SMIDGE!!!"

"YEAH?" She yelled back.

"YOU BETTER WATCH HIM AT ALL TIMES!!!"

"K!!!"

"I'M SERIOUS, HE GETS IN THE WEIRDEST PLACES IF YOU DON'T WATCH FOR EVEN A SECOND!!!"

"OKAY OKAY!!!" Smidge yelled with a tone of annoyance. Poppy tapped her foot both with impatience and amusement.

"DON'T FORGET TO FEED HIM AT EXACTLY 3 O'CLOCK. AND PLAY WITH HIM, AND KEEP HIM IN THE PLAYPEN IF YOU CAN'T WATCH HIM!!!"

"YEAH UH HUH!!!"

"Times up, Karma's gonna worry." Poppy grabbed his arm and began to drag him.

"THERE'S MORE INSTRUCTIONS WRITTEN IN THE PANTRY!!!" He managed to yell just before the mat shut.

"FINALLY!!!" Smidge cleared her throat, realizing she didn't need scream anymore. "K, kid, let's go find that home gym!" She picked up the baby with her hair, and went exploring.

It didn't take long; the paranoid hermit had a few maps of the place scattered all over, clearly labeled. "Sheesh, this place is big."

But apparently, not the home gym.

"This is it?!" Smidge was severely disappointed by the size as soon as she knocked out the annoying barrier Branch had put up. She tried to push the wall in vain, as if they would expand further. "This won't do!"

So she got the twins and their mother Glam.

"Tut tut," Glam shook her head with disappointment. "Look at this place! My gumdrops, critique!"

"Dull." Satin sneered with disgust.

"Shoddy." Chenille followed.

"Absolutely dreadful." The trio spoke in unison.

"There's no flow to the living space-"

"And everything is so brown!"

"UGH!!"

"Yeah, yeah, whateves," Smidge rolled her eyes at the snooty drama queens, "But let's focus on the gym, it really needs an expansion!"

"We can't worry about some dingy gym with the rest of the place like this!" Glam exclaimed. "There's a stepping process to home renovation, darling. The mud room! Living room! Kitchen! All the things guests will see! Ladies!" Glam snapped her fingers. "Get some fabrics and decor, I'll start drawing up the blueprints. I want storage, lot's of it! All matching!"

"Yes ma'am!" The twins wasted no time, heading out the bunker to grab some supplies.

"Well fine, do things your way!" Smidge stomped her foot, a little peeved. "I'll be doing crunches till you get your heads screwed back on!"

___________

"Thanks for the help, Branch, Karma sure was grateful!"

Branch had actually showed them how to make a simple irrigation system with a hose and a few pipes punched in, which cut the workload tenfold. He and Karma hitched off afterwards, sharing tips about composting and other stuff that flew over Poppy's head.

She always knew they were both some of the smartest trolls around, so it made sense they'd get along well. Heck, she was glad Branch was actually making an effort to make other friends.

Yep...just friends...it's not like they were flirting with each other or something...and even if they were it didn't bother her one bit!

"It was okay, I guess." A deep, deep part inside Branch was genuinely thrilled that he was able to share something with another troll, and they actually listened! Maybe someday he can get through the rest of the village and they'll actually realize the dangers they put themselves though.

Those good feelings were swept away the moment he dropped down to his bunker.

"WHAT THE HAIRBALL ARE YOU DOING?!?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!?!" He screeched at the intruders, namely the older female in the center of it all.

"Oh, its you," The lavender troll with heavy make up leered at him as if he was something unseemly. "I, Madam Glam, have taken it upon myself to help to improve your...style. You're welcome. Anything for a friend of my daughters." She held her hand out as if expecting him to kiss it.

"Oh, wow, thank you SO much, for invading my home and messing around with my stuff." Branch's voice dripped with sarcasm. He rubbed his temple, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "Poppy, please get them out of here while I look for Smidge."

Poppy nodded. "Yeah, okay." She was equally bewildered by this turn of events, but approached the older troll cautiously and friendly.

Branch meanwhile passed by Glam, ignoring her as she criticized his rudeness. Before looking for Smidge, he did a quick check up to make sure his secret invitation shelf hadn't been tampered with, shooing Chenille away and thanking the troll spirits that the twins hadn't reach that far yet.

But Smidge was still no where in sight, and it took Branch a minute to think it over as to where she may be.

The fact that she barged into his home and declared herself babysitter...

...After she squealed over his home gym yesterday...

Sure enough, she was there, having broken into the sealed door. And PUZZLE was with her.

"NO, no! Smidge, are you insane?!" In a flash, he knocked the dumbbell away from his child and snatched the young troll up protectively.

"I was just showing him how to lift with his hair!"

"He's a baby! He's too little for something like this!" Branch snapped, furious.

Smidge was steaming herself. "Too little? I'm too little! We're nearly the same size!"

"That's different! You may be a kid, but you're at least old enough to make rational decisions and handle a weight. Puzzle is too young and could get seriously hurt!"

Smidge cooled down, thinking it over. "Oh."

"Oh is right. Now get out of my bunker and never show your face here again!" He growled meanly, pointing towards the doorway of the small room.

She left without hesitation. "Sorry." Was all she said, as softly as she could with such a deep voice.

__________

His headache was coming back. Could the village go one morning without singing a blasted song at the top of their lungs? They were going to attract predators, or Bergens!

Just before he went back inside the bunker to wait it out, a very familiar verse rang in his sensitive ears.

It ain't about, ain't about, it ain't about what you not
So what you working with?

Huh, the song he helped Suki with. Judging by the cheers, everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

Go figure: everyone liking something he helped make. The funny feeling in his stomach was returning.

Taking Puzzle out of his hair to return him to the playpen, Branch finally took a good look at the living room Glam and the conjoined twins managed to redecorate before he had them kicked out.

The mismatched storage units he hid all the glass containers and other potential hazards were replaced with matching sets in light grey tones. Glam took note of the fact that a child lived here, and used large vases made of woven dried leaves instead of ceramic, painted in multicolor stripes, with fake plants to add greenery. Some abstract art hanged on the walls, signed by the local art teacher Opal, sometimes with her daughter Harper's name added underneath. There were a few decorative and colorful objects in greens and blues scattered around, such as rugs and pillows. The dim light muted the colors that would otherwise had been too garish for Branch's liking. It was obvious they had intended to do a lot more work, but what they managed to do...

It looked a home.

He kind of liked it.

________________

To make up for yesterday's fiasco, Smidge invited him to a workout class that was child friendly and indoors, insisting it would be something he could learn to do at home if he decides he rather not join them more in the future.

As he made his way to the recreational area that was under a hollow tree trunk, Suki managed to sneak up and ambush him.

"Thanks again, everyone loved the song!" She hugged him in a tight grip, incited by the hug time bracelet that pinged at that exact moment. Poppy also joined in eagerly.

"Um, no prob." He muttered shyly, avoiding eye contact.

_________________

He had to admit, it was a surprisingly thorough work out. He didn't know exercise balls were a thing, and now he definitely wanted one at home. Puzzle had a great time as well, smacking the ball whenever Branch held it out during the routine.

It was after the workout and during his stretches that he finally recalled Smidge's words yesterday and it clicked.

She was lifting weights right before she helped set up for a feltball game; he was finishing up to join Suki and Poppy at the DJ's pod. A random troll approached Smidge.

"Sweetie, what are you doing? That's dangerous!" The troll warned the teacup girl with a baby-talking tone, the same kind Puzzle despised. The troll tried the pry the weight away from Smidge, only to be surprised when Smidge's hair tugged it harder, lifting the troll up with it.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you!" Smidge huffed in her very deep voice, further surprising the random stranger.

After the troll left with an apology, Smidge threw the weight with a loud clunk and approached Branch with an angry expression.

"Who did he think he is, treating me like that!" Smidge's kicked another weight. "I'm capable! I could bench press everyone here no sweat!" She started yelling louder as she vented on him. "I'm not fragile just because I'm small! The squad knows whats up, they treat me right!"

Apparently this was a common occurrence, because absolutely none of the other regulars seemed bothered by her tirade.

Smidge kicked the dirt with defiance. "Wish I had my own gym; nobody be buggin' me 'bout my size there."

It made sense; too bad pods couldn't handle the excessive weight of all that equipment.

But an underground bunker can.

"Hey, um," He bit his lip, "You can...use mine once in a while, with permission!" He added that quickly. "And someone to keep an eye on you; even if you're capable, you should always have a spotter."

She stared. "You said to never show my face there again."

"Yeah, well, changed my mind. Look, if you don't want to-ACK!!!"

Smidge was strong in body, so the hug she gave him squeezed his lungs almost as much as Biggie's had. "Thanks!" She was filled with glee now.

"A-anytime!" He managed to choke out.

____________

While Poppy pointed out the various bugs crawling everywhere to Puzzle, Branch and Suki sat on a bench outside the DJ's pod hunched over a few scattered papers; Branch hadn't been comfortable with so many beetles and her two crickets, Muse and String.

"That's alright," Suki chuckled good naturedly. "We'll take this outside."

While he was changing up lyrics and rearranging verses with her approval, he noticed something rather odd for any troll. "You don't have neighbors?"

Suki dropped the book to her lap. "Yeah...you're not the only one uncomfortable with the beetles and crickets." She sighed.

"Ah." It made sense: most trolls thought they were icky and dirty creatures, a stigma created because of a few members of the beetle family, mainly the Dungrollers. And crickets...he didn't really want to think of that, honestly.

"But you use them for your music, right?"

"Yep! I'm pretty much the first troll in a looong time to ever use their natural musical talents, can you believe that!" She seemed to light up as she spoke. "Seriously, charter bugs literally have drums on their backs!"

"It's thanks to Biggie, and also my dad," Suki continued on, "He's the main vet, you know? Biggie's family take their worms to him, and he cares for the bees in the greenhouse and the birds that give us eggs. But some vets wont handle beetles, so dad did, and Biggie's family cared for them, too, so we bonded over them and Biggie showed me how to play a beat on the charter bugs, and that was when I found my calling!" She smiled wide reminiscing the good old days.

"Huh." Branch knew Biggie cared for all the little critters, and his family bred worms and a few bugs, but this was the first time hearing about Suki's family, or how she came across her unique music style that everyone loved. But there was still a problem. "But people still don't like the bugs."

"Nope!" Suki forced a grin that dropped the slightest. "But that's alright, I have the best pals that don't mind at all, even help me. Poppy and Creek are pretty influential; I don't think my music would be as popular without their help."

"I see." Branch went back to scribbling on the scrap of paper in his hand, clamming up at the mere mention of Creek in any positive form. "So Creek helps by using a bug as his personal chauffeur." His tone dripped with disdain.

"Hey, chill, I know he's not your favorite troll, but at least try to be civil!" Suki defended her guru friend. "You two are so alike, in fact, I always thought you'd actually make good friends."

"Hah!" Him? Friends with Creek? That's a laugh. "Hey, how about making this 'look me in the eye, baby don't lie?'" He changed the subject back to their work.

"Hey, that works out even better!" Suki gleefully peered over, the conversation slipping her mind as she looked over the half-completed song.

_________

"Another fit!" Poppy squealed when the puzzle piece fused perfectly with the other.

The six pieces formed the image of a ladybug atop a dark green stem. Parts were still missing with this particular group, but they also managed to find all the top outer edges and some of the sky for the rest of the jigsaw puzzle.

Branch stared closely at the piece still in his palm. Puzzle, who was clutched to his head, made a grab for the object, recognizing it as a much smaller version of one of his toys.

"This is called a 'puzzle,' like you!" Poppy pointed out to the baby. "Say it with me: puzzzle! Puzzzzle!"

"Baba oa!" Puzzle babbled incoherently, deciding to chew on the piece much like he does with his own larger, felt-made pieces.

"Here, take this instead." Branch quickly snatched the puzzle piece away, replacing it with the shiny black pebble. Puzzle didn't mind one bit.

"Hey, we should just leave this out so we don't have to remake it every time." Poppy suggested, searching though the pile for more light blue pieces. "I really want to get this done someday."

"Whatever you want; it's your pod." Branch yawned. "It's getting pretty late though, I'd like to call it a night."

Sure, sure." Poppy proceeded to place the loose pieces back inside the box. "You know, I'm not sure if you've realized it, but you've been a lot more open with our friends, and even they're starting to notice."

Branch was silent for a moment. "It's...I just...I need to go." he refused to make eye contact.

Poppy tried not to feel too hurt; their own friendship hadn't really been improving more than it usually was, the only difference being that he yelled less often (at everyone), and he no longer ruined her invitations (because Puzzle would cry). Other than that, he hasn't been anymore open to her as always.

It was like her friends were starting to catch up to a book, and she was still stuck on the same chapter. Or something like that; Cybil had said it in her own spiritual way yesterday.

As she bid the two goodnight and closed the door of her pod, she couldn't help but lay back down and stare at the remaining pieces left out.

She didn't want to unravel the work they managed to do. He was like a jigsaw puzzle; she only had to keep going, piece by piece.

Chapter Text

Branch sighed deeply, twiddling with a spare crayon just within reach. Puzzle busied himself with another drawing, which Branch couldn't really see from his perspective, flat on his back on the colorful rug.

They missed story time with the teacher and the other trollings, and Branch was pretty sure Poppy had been knocking incessantly at his entrance a few hours ago. Puzzle had made it pretty clear what he thought about the sudden lack of social activity, huffing and pouting before moving on, trying to quell his own boredom.

Branch just didn't have the energy to leave today. It was another one of those very grey days, the ones where he just didn't care about anything.

He sighed deeply again.

They've been less frequent since he had Puzzle, but they never really stopped, and it was during these days where Poppy would be even more obnoxiously nosy than usual, as if she somehow knew he would try to stay in his bunker all day without her intervention.

Speaking of which, he could've sworn he just heard his "secret" entrance kicked open from the outside.

Whatever, let her come.

Puzzle appeared overhead, looking straight at him with a smile, practically vibrating with excitement. The kid knows he's finally getting the heck out of the bunker now, and was expecting him to be happier as well.

Branch sighed again.

With a pout, Puzzle grabbed his cheeks and stretched them, trying to force his fath-caretaker to feel some sort of positive emotion. He's even behaved very well today, not throwing anything or playing a trick on his guardian.

Branch sighed at the whirring sound of the elevator rising back up and again down to transport the intruders. He sighed again when Poppy kicked down his door with the grace of a stumpy mandrake. And again when she appeared above with a look of disappointment aimed at him, hands on her hips.

"Branch." Boy, not even greeting him properly; she must be fuming. "Do you know what time it is?"

Branch closed his eyes and sighed.

"It's past noon! You've been here all morning! You missed Buttercup's storytelling and now she's worried-"

Branch stopped listening, it was too hard to focus when he's miserable.

"-and because she's worried, you've made everyone else worried! I told you to come visit me at my pod, which you didn't-"

By the hair, she could go on forever.

"-and now Satin and Chenille are mad since I promised them you'd help-"

He should really fortify his entrance so trolls can stop barging in whenever they want.

"-to make up for kicking them out when they were helping...hey, are you listening? 'Cause I have a feeling you're not!"

How did she get in anyway? Smidge or Biggie should be the only ones strong enough to kick it down.

"I don't think he is, Popps." Smidge responded.

Okay, that answered the question.

He sighed for one last time before opening his eyes, "What do you want?" He asked lazily.

"You!" Poppy replied with authority. "Up!" With Smidge's help, she forcibly yanked his arms to haul the grey troll off the ground. "Outside!" She pointed sharply upwards. "Now!" Poppy plucked the all too eager Puzzle from the ground as well, and followed behind Smidge, who took it upon herself to drag the unwilling Branch with her strong hair.

Once outside he was let down on his own two feet, wobbling just the slightest. It wasn't long before he slumped right on the dirt and stayed there.

"Honestly, you're so difficult sometimes," Poppy ranted, "even Guy isn't as much of a drama queen!"

She grabbed his hair and lifted him right back up. Poppy had surprising strength when it mattered.

"You can't hole yourself up all day! Think about Puzzle! He needs his fresh air!" Poppy pointed at the young troll who was enjoying the warm rays of sunlight. She turned her attention back to him, glaring, daring him to argue with her.

He grunted in defeat.

"Glad we agree, Grumpy!" Poppy's demeanor changed back to her usual chipper self.

Seeing that they weren't going to get him walking on his own, Smidge proceeded to carry Branch the rest of the way. He had absolutely no energy to refuse, and simply allowed them to take him to whatever destination they had planned.

"Well, I'm headed to Suki's, you're good getting him to the twin's, Smidgeon?"

"No probs, Popps!"

Poppy saluted the two, with Puzzle mimicking her enthusiastically. Branch tried his best to at least wave, barely lifting a finger.

"Be nice!" The princess warned him, before walking away.

Before he knew it, he was standing right outside Satin and Chenille's pod.

"Here you go girls, one assistant for your big project. A little mopey today, so go easy on him." Smidge gleefully dumped the lethargic troll onto an awaiting chair. "I'm off to see Harps, so catch 'ya divas later! See you, grumps!"

"Bye Smidge, we'll see you tonight!" The twined waved their tiny friend goodbye before turning to their "assistant."

"Thanks for helping us out, Branch." Chenille smiled sweetly and politely. "I know Poppy probably dragged you here, though."

He grunted in response.

"Let's just get this over with," Satin huffed with annoyance, far less warmly than her blue twin.

"Satin, don't be rude to our guest! We have plenty of time to make the dress." Chenille chastised her sister. "Now do you want anything before we start, Branch? Tea? Cupcakes?"

He shook his head lazily.

"Good." Satin wasted no more time. "Then hold these for us, and don't you dare drop them!" She grabbed an enormous bundle of lacy fabrics from atop an even larger pile and dumped them on his lap, a little more roughly than necessary. She must be in a fantastic mood today.

"Sort them out by color and fold them properly, but not too much or you'll make creases!" Satin ordered sharply, while sifting through the twin's small cabinet of accessories.

"Don't mind her, she's just stressed about our first wedding dress." Chenille whispered to him before joining her sister.

Branch look down at the fabrics he was instructed to sort by color: they were all white.

But he wasn't too eager to get into a heated debate with the pink twin, so he folded them quietly. He had to squint hard to tell the minuscule differences in the shades, and did his best to arrange them by most stark white to creamier beige.

Meanwhile, the twins had gone in full fashion mode, chattering endlessly about matching trims and rhinestone placement, or something along those lines, all while throwing more into Branch's pile to sort out. Satin occasionally paused to criticized him whenever he got the color arrangements wrong.

"No, no, eggshell goes before floral white! Get it straight!"

Then when it was finally time for the duo to start, they argued around the mannequin.

"Don't be ridiculous Cheni, trumpet is better flowing than mermaid! She can actually dance in it!" Satin screeched over a sketched drawing of two wedding dresses...that looked exactly the same.

"I don't care if it's more summer, this lace had feather-shaped filigree! There's no feathers in the theme!" Chenille had undone some of Branch's work, grabbing the fabrics she thought didn't fit right.

"Tiara!" Satin held out a bedazzled tiara.

"Flower crown!" Chenille clutched the circlet made of tiny pale pink flowers.

"Tiara!!!"

"Why are we even debating this? She's a florist!!!"

Unfortunately, Satin was the more headstrong twin and got her way most of the time. It wasn't long before Chenille was in an equally foul mood.

"Whatever!" Chenille rolled her eyes, "You heard her, Branch, the heart-shaped lace in alabaster ."

Branch looked at the bundle in his arms, unsure which one that would be.

"Ugh!" Chenille walked over and tugged at the roll of fabric nestled in his left arm, grabbing a few pins they stuck to his hair some moments ago. She replaced them with a string of crystal beads Satin had rejected, meaning she wasn't yet done fighting over them.

"Stop fidgeting, you're going to drop something!" Satin snapped at him from over the mannequin.

"I've been in this chair for almost an hour, how about a break?" He snapped right back at her, newfound energy coursing through him. He'd been lethargic when he first got here, but the twins had flared his irritation so much he just needed to get up and move.

"Ha, as if sitting there is so hard!" Satin sneered. "Fine! I'm sick looking at this mess! Help me get it cleaned up!" She ordered them both while she shoved jewelry back in their cabinet, ranting about who the heck cares. They glared at her backside.

"Sorry," Chenille huffed, "She sucks today."

"Only today?" He grunted.

"We don't run around doing our best impression of you everyday." The blue twin smirked teasingly. "Only once a week. Winner doesn't have to do the dishes." He chuckled, not the least bit offended, considering the girl was trying to lighten things up.

While they were cleaning and organizing, Chenille distracted herself by humming something that Branch was becoming pretty familiar with now.

"Suki's latest song?" He raised an eyebrow.

The blue twin blushed. "Sorry, I'll stop."

He shook his head. "It's your pod, go ahead." It didn't bother him at all, and not because he could feel Satin's threatening glare from behind.

Chenille continued to hum the song until they were done, feeling a whole lot better now.

"I love it so much!" She sighed happily while Satin grabbed them glasses of lemonade. "I haven't stopped singing it since yesterday!" She has a faint blush and her eyes fluttered.

"No kidding, you whistled it in your sleep." Satin grumbled rather loudly, returning with the drinks. "Here. I got a chocolate truffle for you to give Puzzle as well."

"Thanks." He stashed the treat in his hair before gulping down the lemonade. He hadn't had a drink all day, so he was pretty parched.

"Where is Puzzle, by the way?" Chenille asked.

"With Poppy at Suki's, I think." He answered between sips.

Her eyes suddenly brighten up. "Suki's? Ooooh, maybe I can go visit the wittle cutie pie..." She glanced at her sister with a bright smile. The other girl crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but be back quick."

Chenille squealed and rushed out the door without a second thought, detaching herself from her sister's hair. Branch did a small double-take as they split.

It was an odd sight, considering both girls hardly ever separated, even choosing to stick together when Chenille had gotten severely sick, Satin refusing to leave her side and eventually catching the same thing. This was only the second time Branch had seen them apart, in fact.

"Guess she wanted to see Puzzle pretty badly." He mumbled, not realizing he even said that out loud at first. He started removing the crystal beads, pins, and other random objects the twins had stuck to his hair.

"Heh, you're kidding me, right?" Satin snorted.

Branch glared "Or maybe you're just too much for her that she couldn't wait to ditch you!" Okay, that was a little mean, considering he was no better most of the time.

She flinched at that, but held her ground. "You seriously don't get it?" She raised an eyebrow at the grey troll.

He shrugged, confused.

"Okay, I'm only telling you this since it's not exactly a secret within the group; Chenille likes Suki."

"Umm, okay? She's a friend, so why wouldn't she?"

"Wow." Satin face palmed. "Oh my god, wow. I mean she likes Suki."

Branch blinked.

Satin took a deep breath. "She REALLY likes Suki." For effect, Satin lifted one leg up, clasped her hands together and fluttered her eyes.

"What does all that," he gestured to her flirty pose, "have to do with...OH!"

"For someone Poppy calls smart, it sure took you a while." Satin kicked over a pile of bows grumpily. She's been doing a great Branch impersonation so far.

"Every time Suki has a new song or mash up, she gushes over it for a whole week! And ever since you've had your brat-"

"Hey!"

"-She's been trying to act all 'motherly' around Suks, trying to impress her." Satin scoffed.

"You don't...approve of Suki?" This was surprising to Branch, he thought the whole group cared for each other.

"That's not the problem!" Satin screeched, highly offended Branch would even think that of her. "I just don't see why Cheni needs to fawn over anyone like a lovesick ladybug!"

Satin shot a quick glance at the top of her hair, frowning deeper. Hers hands clenched and she abruptly turned away to rearrange some flower-shaped accessories in a box.

Now he gets it: they hardly ever separated, and the few times they've had they still stuck together like glue.

So inseparable they were, King Peppy had to make a special decree to never split them apart, after someone had tried to and they ended up hospitalized from their forced broken bond.

So if he was correct, Chenille must've been doing this often, ever since she first formed her crush. And Satin...

"This bothers you, doesn't it?" Satin turned to the grey troll, her watery eyes glaring holes at him, knowing exactly what he was gesturing to. "If it does, why let her go?"

She shook her head. "You have no idea what's it's like to have a sibling, one whose your best friend." Turned away from him again to hide the fact she had to wipe a tear away. "She'd be so sad if I make her decide between me and Suks, and I know she'll choose me."

Deep down, she wasn't entirely sure.

"How frequent has this been?"

"What do you care?!" She screamed at him. "Why do you suddenly want to care, huh?"

"Because it clearly makes you unhappy!" He was starting to tremble with pent up anger.

"And why care about my happiness? No one else does!" The slight glow all trolls have pretty much vanished from her skin as the words left her mouth. "Whatever! I need some chocolate right now." She quickly vanished into the jungle of cloths the twin's pod had become. And he's pretty sure it wasn't just for chocolate.

Oh hair frizz, it was like looking at a snobby, glamorized mirror.

He wondered if this was how he acts towards others, if the horrible feeling in his gut was the same that others felt whenever he spat out cruel words.

_____________________

Creek stared between the two. "You're kidding me, Poppy."

"Aww, don't be like that!" Poppy smiled sweetly at the guru troll, extending Puzzle out towards him. "Come on, I know he can be a bit fussy, but he's such a sweet kid once you get to know him."

"This is another part of your scheme, isn't it?" Creek asked, unamused.

"Well, duh." Poppy finally managed to shove the baby troll into Creek's hesitant and stiff arms.

Ah yes, Poppy's little scheme; for years she's tried to include Branch as an official Snack Pack member, and he had refuted her attempts countless times.

But Puzzle became a blessing in disguise, according to Poppy at least; Branch's greatest weakness, an asset to her latest plan.

Get Branch to make picture frames for Mr. Dinkles, Biggie's own precious baby, thus making the grumpy troll do a good deed? A bumpy road, and a few tears were shed, but it worked out in the end.

Pretend to be too busy and elect Guy Diamond as babysitter? She wasn't surprise Branch fell for the whole "Oh, is that a storm coming?" routine, considering she uses it all the time. Dandy's weather forecasting was flawless down to the minute, and Branch wouldn't ever leave a troll out in the rain.

Working out with Smidge so they'd find common ground? Not exactly how she thought it would turn out, but it's a start! And he even offered Smidge use of his private gym without any provocation!

And Suki, what a gal, took it upon herself to hang out with Branch, and made huge progress, helping him babysit. They even wrote a great song together!

She's absolutely sure he was getting along with Satin and Chenille by now. They're fashionistas, and he makes his own clothes! He's pretty bad at it, to be honest, but the twins could help him with that!

It won't be long before he starts to call them all friends, she just needs to keep pushing him into their circle 'til he gives.

But Creek hadn't shared the same enthusiasm as the rest of the Snack Pack did when she laid out her plan to them. Completely skeptical, actually. Even Cooper had been more optimistic.

No surprise, Branch had always hated Creek, for reasons she can't begin to understand.

So what to do? Get Creek and Puzzle to get along, of course! Kids are impressionable, right? If Puzzle liked Creek, Branch would start to see the purple troll in a different light.

Okay, so Puzzle might also apparently hate Creek, given how the purple troll is always knocked down by a certain shiny black pebble whenever he's within reach. Plus, Puzzle has taken up glaring like his father.

But they just need to spend quality time without Branch around to intervene. If Creek can just play along everything would work out!

"This will NOT work out." Creek kept the troll in his arms as far away from his as possible.

Creek will never, ever, ever admit that the kid terrifies him.

And for good reason. Little did Poppy or Suki know, Puzzle was giving Creek a nice, evil grin. Mischief sparked in his icy blue eyes. The baby troll has his victim right where he wants him. He may only have two front teeth right now, but it was more than enough for Puzzle to chew on his piece of candy.

Poppy always took care of young trolls, so she always had candy stashed in her hair for them to take freely. Bubblegum, for instance.

He just needs the right moment.

"Just hold him for a little, and try talking to him like normal; Puzzle hates baby talk." Poppy instructed, then left the two on their own to converse with Suki over a new mash up.

"Why me? The things I do for that princess." Creek grumbled, glancing at the tiny baby warily. Strange enough, Puzzle reached out for a hug. Everyone's hug time bracelets chimed just then, and the little abomination's gummy smile grew wider.

The child knew this was coming. He knew!

"Hug time!" Poppy and Suki embraced each other, and stared at the other two expectantly.

Creek gulped, and with a silent prayer reluctantly brought the child closer for a hug.

And as soon as the hug was done and over with, Puzzle immediately grabbed both of the guru troll's ears and stretched them, giggling madly.

"OW! Stop that! POPPY!!!"

"Puzzle, that's a no-no." Poppy made her way back over, Suki following suit. "Sorry Creek, he's probably trying to make them look more like Branch's." She wouldn't dare mention the fact Puzzle has never pulled anyone else's ears, though.

"I don't care, make him stop!" Creek winced as the tugging continued. Puzzle's grasp was tight, and both girls had a hard time trying to pry Puzzle's hands open.

"Oooooh noooo." Poppy gasped, and backed away along with Suki.

"What? Oh no what?!" Creek grew more worried at their reaction. He could barely see what the child was doing at the edge of his vision.

But it wasn't long before he heard, and felt it.

With a "pop," the bubblegum bubble Puzzle managed to blow exploded right onto Creek's hair.

His prized, beloved, precious hair.

"NOOOO MY HAIR!!!! NOOOO!!!!" Creek shrieked with horror, throwing the child away from him and right at Poppy.

"Creek!!!" Poppy thankfully caught Puzzle just in time, but was none too happy that Creek threw the kid in the first place.

"My beautiful hair!" Creek wailed, and Suki her best to clam him down.

"Naughty Puzzle, your dad's gonna hear about this." Poppy scolded the giggling child, carrying him over her shoulder. "CREEK, that was uncalled for! You cant throw a baby just because of a little mishap!"

"MISHAP?! That brat did it on purpose!" He pointed accusingly at the grinning baby. Suki backed away, astonished at Creek's anger towards a child. He's had the occasional freak out, a sharp contrast to his usually calm demeanor, but never so harsh or against anyone.

Poppy was equally surprise, and it made her even more furious. "So what? Puzzle plays pranks on Branch all the time, and he never yells or gets angry at Puzzle! He's just a baby! You should be ASHAMED!!!" She stomped her foot, a sure sign not to cross her any further.

Creek blanched, realizing he messed up really badly. "R-right....sorry." He looked away, feeling a ping of guilt.

Suki treaded closer to the guru, holding her little beetle Scissors, aptly named for his sharp pincers. Creek gratefully allowed the bug to cut away the mess of gum stuck to his hair.

Poppy couldn't help but think how badly Creek overreacted to Puzzle's little prank. No matter how harsh Branch had been, Creek always reacted to the grumpy grey troll calmly and wisely. Yet he went ballistic over little Puzzle?

Maybe Creek simply doesn't like kids.

What a shame; she adores children.

___________

Chenille finally made it to the pod, panting and slightly sweaty; she had started to run after her hug time bracelet pinged, not wanting to miss out.

Chenille entered the pod to a strange scene: Creek sulking on a chair as one of Suki's beetles snip away at some hair, with Suki hovering over him, and Poppy sitting on the cushy centipede Longjaw with the baby troll, back turned from the other two. The pod was bizarrely silent aside from Poppy quietly singing a rhyme to the child and a few chirps from the crickets.

"Um, did I miss something?" Chenille asked.

Everyone looked up when she spoke, finally noticing her arrival. "Oh, Chenille, hi! You're not with Satin?" Poppy smiled warmly, brightening up a little more. Suki left Creek's side to greet the blue twin with a belated hug, which Chenille accepted eagerly. Several of Suki's bugs also joined in, just as excited to see one of their favorite trolls.

"Nice to see you all, too!" Chenille lovingly patted all the beetles and crickets that swarmed her. "I left Satin and Branch back at the pod. Just dropping in to say hi to Puzzle!"

"Well here, Puzzle's happy to see you, too!" Poppy handed over the baby to Chenille once the girl came close enough. Puzzle hugged her happily; now that she stopped talking to him in the stupid baby voice, he liked Chenille a lot. Chenille in turn kissed Puzzle's cheek and gave him a raspberry, making him squeal with laughter.

"Aww!" Poppy commented. "You're so good with kids, Chenille!"

Unlike Creek.

"You think so? Maybe a little." Chenille grinned.

"You'd probably make a great mom someday." Suki added affectionally with a chuckle.

It had an immediate effect on Chenille; she blushed madly, looked down at the floor and shuffled her feet. "Th-thanks, Sooks."

Puzzle looked between the two. He put two-and-two together and came up with something clever. Still clutched to Chenille, he reached out for Suki, babbling.

"Looks like he wants to hug you, too!"

"He needs his own bracelet; he's probably not getting enough hugs, all cooped up in that bunker." Suki went over to hug the little guy. Puzzle still held on to Chenille, though, and once the DJ was within reach wrapped one stubby arm around the crook of her neck to bring her closer, hugging both girls at once. With a shrug, Suki wrapped an arm around Chenille as well, with Puzzle in between.

"Awwww!!!!" Poppy cooed, jumping off Longjaw. The three of them looked like an adorable family! Needless to say, Chenille was in absolute heaven.

Creek's eyes narrowed; the baby knew exactly what he had been doing. Smart little brat. Too smart.

______________

When Chenille arrived home it was very tense, the two grumpy trolls silently rolling up fabrics to kick back on the clutter the pod was in. "Did I miss something here, too?" What was with today and her barging in on awkward, gloomy moments?

"Hey." Satin greeted, not even facing her sister. Branch grunted.

"Ooookay." Chenille closed the pod's door. "Well, guess it's back to work."

"We'll finish tomorrow, Branch was just waiting for you." Satin glared at the grey troll before ignoring him once more.

"For me?" Chenille asked.

"Yeah, um, didn't know where Suki's pod was from here. Need to pick up Puzzle." Branch rubbed the back of his neck.

It was a lie, that much Chenille knew; with his navigation skills, Branch could find his way home even if you dropped him off on a deserted island blindfolded. But the way he looked at her told her it was more for Satin's benefit anyway, not that the pink twin was any less deceived.

"Oh, okay. I'll be back, Sats, promise!"

"You better." Satin glared threateningly at the grey troll. He gave her a peace sign, as out of character as that was. Probably a mocking gesture.

"So you're never going to guess what happened! Oh, you're going to love it, it's hilarious!" Chenille laughed as the two walked back towards Suki's pod. She explained the whole bubblegum incident according to Poppy. Branch smirked, clearly proud of Puzzle's little prank, but kept looking around distracted.

He finally grabbed her arm to stop her. "Hey, is there somewhere private around here?"

Chenille looked at him questionably.

"Just want to talk for a minute." He added quickly, realizing how weirded out she was.

"Uhh, sure, follow me."

They climbed up to the top of the tree. At this time, trolls were down below on the ground either grabbing a bite to eat, or singing and dancing.

"Okay, what's up? Satin wasn't being too mean, was she?" Chenille asked once they were sure no one was within ear shot.

He shook his head, "That doesn't matter." He kept looking around, anywhere but at her. He opened his mouth a few times to say something, only to close back up.

After a few moments of silence Chenille was fed up with his strange actions. "Look, if you have something to say, hurry it up! Satin's already being a pain today, I don't need her giving me attitude-"

"She told me you like Suki." He interrupted her.

"Oh." Chenille couldn't help the small smile gracing her face. Was that really all he wanted to talk about? "Yeah, I do, it's not a big deal, everyone knows, except her..."

Branch bit his lip, the words he really wanted to say at the very tip of his tongue. She noted his grey face was turning a darker color. Actual color, like a dark blueberry.

He took a deep breath. "I..."

I have a crush, too.

Chenille blinked. "You...?"

"I..." He choked up, not able to say it.

This conversation was so crazy and awkward, why did he think this was a good idea?

"I ...don't know what's it like to have a sibling, but I do know what it's like to care for someone....Puzzle, I mean!" He added quickly.

Where was this headed? Chenille was confused.

"And just because you like Suki in that way, doesn't mean you should be pushing away your family."

"Pushing away?" Chenille gasped. "Have I...I don't understand, did I do something to hurt Satin?"

"Not intentionally, it seems. I may have been holed up underground most of the time, but even I know you two are pretty inseparable. Yet here we are, without Satin around." He gestured upwards to her hair. "I think she's been grouchy because you've been neglecting her, and I'm guessing this isn't the first time you've split from Satin to chase after Suki."

Chenille stared at the time of her hair long and hard as he spoke. It looked...so strange without the usual loop that linked back to her other half. Now that Chenille was thinking about it, it felt a little empty.

"I'm not saying you can't enjoy Suki's company, or not to gush over her. You just need to think about Satin's needs, too, and find a better balance."

Branch may not have any siblings, but he has a kid. Ever since Satin yelled at him, he started to think how his actions had affected others: Poppy, the Snack Pack, the villagers, Puzzle...

This morning, he let his misery overwhelm him to the point where he didn't even care enough for Puzzle's needs. And while the kid took it with little fuss, he knows Puzzle was pretty unhappy that he didn't get to see his friends today.

He hadn't even thought about it.

He was not letting Chenille make the same mistake.

__________________

Chenille had the opportunity to see Suki again, show what a great troll she was, helping a friend out.

Instead she chose to return home; Branch could find his way.

"Hey Satin, I'm back!"

"Glad you're back." Satin didn't look up from her sketchbook, trying to come up with a new design for the upcoming party.

Both trolls felt a little more comfortable the moment the tips of their hair wrapped around each other, twisted, and locked in place. But Satin was still feeling stubborn, and continued on with her work without any further acknowledgment towards her sister.

"Chocolate?" Chenille placed it right on top of the sketchbook. Satin paused for a moment, before accepting the peace offering.

"Thanks." She mumbled, breaking a bit of it off.

"Hey, listen," Chenille closed the sketchbook. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Oh." Satin leered at the closed book in front of her. "Sorry I was so sour to you earlier."

"Thank you, Satiny," Chenille smiled sweetly, "But that's not it. I need to talk about how I've been behaving towards you."

Satin shot up, surprised. "You? But...you weren't the one acting like a grey troll all day..."

"True, but now I understand why," Chenille sat down on the other chair, "And I'm sorry."

By evening, Satin had spilled her bottled up feelings. It amazed Chenille how she could spend every waking moment alongside this troll, and not have realized her inner turmoil until it's been pointed out to her.

Satin hadn't wanted to be selfish, and admittedly was worried Chenille would hate her for good.

"You dummy!" Chenille had laughed, hand clasped with Satin's as they watched the bustling village from outside their pod. "If I can forgive you for thinking honeycomb hats were cool, what's so different now?"

"But this isn't about fashion style, Cheni; liking a troll is a whole different ballgame!" Satin looked down to her swinging feet. "It was bound to happen to one of us eventually, and if I made you mad enough for trying to keep you for myself, then you'll want to...well..."

"Be two different trolls?" Chenille finished for her.

"...Yeah, that."

"Girrrrl!" Chenile laughed again, shoving Satin lightly. "You're stuck with me for life, whether you like it or not! And anyone who tries to separate us isn't worth the split ends!"

"You...you mean that?"

"Twins forever," Chenille faced her palms upward.

Satin smiled. "Twins for the win," they began their special handshake not even the Snack Pack knew about.

"Two of a kind through thick and thin!" they ended with a tight hug, even though their charms hadn't pinged.

"By the way," Chenille broke the silence, "Honeycomb hats are still lame, but I always thought honeycomb shades would look fab."

Satin let go of her sister and stared right into her. "Shades?"

"Shades."

"...Have I ever mentioned you're a genius?"

"Guilty as charged!" Chenille waved haughtily.

"After we finish this stupid dress,"

"Let's get to the drawing board!" They squealed together excitedly.

____________

To make up for missing story time with Puzzle's friends, Branch dropped him off at Amber and Russel's for an impromptu sleepover, by Poppy's suggestion. And because Branch was worried about leaving him in the village overnight, he was going to stay at Poppy's.

"Just let me....rest there for a moment." Branch sunk his head onto the cushion of Poppy's couch. What a day; he almost wished he had stayed in the bunker.

The twins were tiresome, and he hadn't expected to be caught smack in the middle of their drama. Heck, he didn't even know why Satin felt the need to vent to him, or why he went out of his way to talk to Chenille rather than, say, have Poppy or Suki handle it.

"Really Branch," Poppy crossed her arms, "You laid around your home all morning, sat in a chair, and didn't even have to walk to the village; how can you be tired? You've hardly done anything at all!"

He didn't bother answering, only covered his head and let out a deep sigh.

"Oh don't start this again! Moping is not allowed in my pod!" She snagged the cushion from him.

She dropped it, anger washing away quickly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He sighed again.

Oh nothing, just that life is meaningless, I'm hopelessly unlovable, and the tragic story of my life is my own doing. And I like you, but I'm absolutely terrible for you.

"Nothing, just a little down."

"Well you know what always cheers me up?" She took out her mandolin.

"Noooo." He immediately covered his ears.

"Singing a happy song!" Poppy started playing. "I had a dream so big and loud."

"Noooooooo!!!!" Branch wailed, rolling around, acting like he was in pain. Drama queen.

"I jumped so high I touched the cLoUDDS! EEEK!!!" Poppy laughed hard when Branch suddenly swung and hit her dead on with the cushion. She ran to the farther end of her pod to escape his range.

"Get back here you pest!"

"WO-O-O-O-O-OH!!!" She continued singing, occasionally falling into a fit of giggles, as Branch chased her around. His teeth clenched in an attempt to hold his own laughter down.

They went at it until Poppy exhausted several songs and they collapsed into her couch.

She watched him as he snoozed the time away, knowing she'd have to shake him awake so he could check up on Puzzle in a few minutes.

What was she so worried about anyway? Their friendship was still going strong. Heck, if he gets along with the rest of the Snack Pack, that'll just make them even closer.

Everything was perfectly fine.

Chapter Text

It was early morning after breakfast when Poppy grabbed his vest to stop him. "Hey, it's Cooper! And his brother!" Poppy pointed downward. Sure enough, Cooper was with another trollimal, a blue haired one, several branches below.

"Come one, let's go say hi!" Poppy began to drag her companion along.

"H-hey, what happened to helping Fuzzbert?"

"There's plenty of time! I wanna see what's Cooper up to!"

“I don’t really want to spend my entire day here in the village, let’s just go help Fuzzbert so I can leave.”

“Oh Branch, nothings wrong with hanging out with our friends for a day, just chillax, grumpy.” She grabbed his arm to drag him down, hopping branch-to-branch. While he let out an annoyed sigh, he conceded with her request. It filled her with glee that he hasn’t tried to correct her for saying “our friends” like he usually would. In fact, he hadn’t even complained about the morning song, just hid inside her pod until it was over and done with.

Once they reached the right branch, Poppy sprinted right towards the two trolls. “Hey Cooper! Hi Hooper!”

Cooper turned his head in all directions looking for the source of that voice before finally noticing them right behind him. “Popsicle! What up, what up?”

“Popsicle what up what up.” Hooper echoed.

“Oh, Hooper, this is Branch, one of my best friends!” Poppy gestured to her grey companion.

“Hey.” Branch gave a small, lethargic wave.

“Hey.” Hooper mimicked the same gesture.

Branch raised an eyebrow. Is this guy making fun of me?

“So Cooper, ready for tonight’s sleepover?”

Cooper leaned forward, whispering. “Sure am, but are you sure we should invite this party-“

Poppy coughed to interrupt him. “CLOWN, party clown, and your right! Let’s skip the clown, hey Cooper, mind having a chat over there, just the two of us? Ok great, get a move on.” She quickly shoved Cooper to the farthest end of the branch, leaving Branch with Hooper.

“….Weird.”

“Weiiirrrrd.” Hooper echoed back right on his ear.

“Will you stop that?!”

“So Cooper,” Poppy whispered to her giraffe-like friend, in case Branch was still within hearing range, “remember what I mentioned last week?”

Cooper thought about it long and hard. “Last week…”

“About making a certain someone bond with the gang?”

“Hmm…” Cooper pondered; who could that be?

“Getting Branch to like everyone?”

“Ohhh, that!” Poppy shushed him as he got a little too loud. “Oops, sorry.”

“Exactly, that. Now, he’s gotten along so well with the others, I think when I invite him today, he’s finally going to say yes.”

“That’s great, Popps! I mean, he’s still a party-pooping downer, and will probably ruin the fun like all the other times, warning us abut Bergens, plus he hates singing, dancing, hugging-“ Poppy shushed him again.

“I know Coops, I know, just try to get along with him at the party, clear?”

“Crystal!” He gave her a thumbs up, as best as he could at least.

“Great! I can’t wait for tonight, this is going to be the bigge-wait, no, no, it’s going to be the smallest, quietest-“

“Most boring slumber party ever.” Cooper groaned.

“Creek is a no good, rotten egg.” Branch chirped.

“Creek is a no good, rotten egg.” Hooper repeated after.

“Nice.” Branch smirked.

It took him a moment before Branch could understood that, no, Hooper was definitely not mocking him, he’s just mimicking, much like talking flowers and bugs liked to do. It was strange; Cooper had been the only trollimal he’s ever met before, but apparently not all trollimals had the same speaking ability? If that were the case…Cooper would actually be a lot smarter than he once thought.

Cooper: smart. Ironic.

He hadn’t even noticed their return until Poppy was immediately by his side, clasping his shoulder.

“Sorry about that!” Poppy smiled brighter than the mid-morning sun, at least to him. “Glad to see you two getting along, but Fuzzy Wuzzy’s waiting and Cooper’s got his own thing to do.” She began pulling the grey troll away. “Bye Cooper, I’ll see you in a bit, by Hooper!” Branch waved back at the two trollimals as he was, once again, dragged around by the princess like a sack of rocks. Granted, he wasn’t putting up a fight anyway.

“So, not all trollimals talk like Cooper?” He had to ask, curiosity having him on edge.

“Hmm? Oh no, Cooper’s pretty much the only one. Not sure why.” She shrugged, before pressing on faster to their destination.

———————

“Another party? Really? Didn’t you have one a few days ago?”

“Four weeks, grumpy,” Poppy rolled her eyes, shifting the heavy box in her arms when it started to slide downward, “And slumber parties are different; they’re for best friends only, they’re always indoors, they’re not so noisy…perfect for you, in fact!” She nudged his arm, not so subtly.

“Any party is too noisy for me.” He grumbled.

Poppy bit her lip, turning her head away. Hadn’t stopped you from going to other troll’s parties lately.

But she mentally picked herself back up and washed away the negativity faster than you could say “Hug time!” She began to sing, much to Branch’s annoyance, quickly followed by the barely audible Fuzzbert, and every passing troll, until the whole village was in full blown song.

Branch remained stiff as a board, and angry one at that, as Poppy, once again, skirted over her duties and got lost in some obnoxious, overrated pop song for the twelfth time this week. Fuzzbert at least had the decency to stay put on the same branch, though even he, too, danced along with the other trolls. He was considered one of the best dancers, after all.

“YEAH!” The village finished their extravagant performance a few minutes later, Poppy at the very top of a massive troll-made pyramid, large enough that she could hop right back onto the branch that her two companions waited on.

“Done yet? Got that out of your system?” Branch asked unamused, arms crossed.

“You could’ve joined us!” She twirled around him, still as upbeat as ever. “You do know how to dance, right?” The three trolls continued onward to Poppy’s pod, carrying their boxes full of party essentials.

“I’ll have you know, I’m an amazing dancer, I just don’t.”

“So how would you know you’re an amazing dancer if you don’t dance?”

Instead of answering, he walked just a little bit faster, grumbling all the way.

———————

“I don’t get how you’re friends with any of them,” Branch conversed with Fuzzbert while they inflated balloons, “they’re the loudest trolls in the entire village, have their heads up in the clouds, and never think of anything but partying.”

Fuzzbert set aside the air pump.

((You don’t remember?))

He may be hard for most trolls to hear, but for Branch’s more in-tuned ears, Fuzzbert was clear as day.

((You helped me make friends with them!))

“I did?” Branch was so flabbergasted, he let go of the balloon in his hand, letting it fly off haphazardly around the pod.

((Yeah! When we were in the Coronation Anniversary Committee!))

The Coronation Anniversary Committee? That was five years ago. It was the committee created to plan out the party for Peppy’s 15 years as king of the trolls. He recalled that it was another one of those group things Poppy forcibly dragged him to against his own free will. Come to think of it, that was when he noticed the little fuzz guy popping up with the rest of them.

“Enlighten me, I don’t exactly remember what that had to do with you becoming friends with the Snack Pack, or how I’m involved.”

((Sure thing!)) Fuzzbert bounced happily, eager to tell a story to a willing audience. Poppy continued on scrapbooking from her desk, but kept an ear out to listen as well.

((So when I heard a committee was made to plan out a party, I decided to join up immediately to share my own ideas…))

————————

((You want to join the committee?)) Frizzle asked her son.

((Of course! I’ve got all these ideas I’m sure the other trolls would love to hear!))

((Oh Fuzzbert, you know better,)) Frizzle sighed, shelving up the books that were returned for the day, ((It’s hard for a fuzzling to be heard in this village, what with us being muffled by our hair and all. That’s why we stick to the background and just enjoy it as best as we can))

((But I don’t want to settle for that!)) Fuzzbert stomped, ((I don’t want to be a scribe like dad and uncles, or a secretary like cousin Hairball, or a librarian like you!))

((Well I never!))

((I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that!)) He corrected himself. ((Just that’s it’s sooo boring!))

((Well you can be bored in your room until you learn not to speak so rudely to your mother.))

((Aww, but the committee!))

((Room, now!)) Frizzle directed towards the stairway leading to the smaller rooms above the library pod.

((Fiiiine.)) Fuzzbert conceded.

Luckily for him, fuzzlings were adept at using their hair to swing tree-to-tree even at a very young age, and it wasn’t long before he jumped out of the pod’s upper window and latched onto a high branch, towards the king’s royal pod where the committee was taking place. While other trolls his age were still getting the hang of moving around with their hair, often with a few falls, Fuzzbert managed it like a pro.

Just in time; other trolls that volunteered for the committee were just entering the pod. There wasn’t a need to worry about Peppy himself coming in at any moment, as he was usually in his office inside the tree during the day, sometimes even sleeping there in a second bedroom.

Fuzzbert did his best to squeeze through as soon as possible; it was easy for a small fuzzling to be overlooked, so if he wasn’t at the forefront of the group, then he’d never be heard!

Surprisingly, there were other kids here as well, even the princess herself. For some reason, she was tied to a weird teen troll with black hair and a mean look.

He stood off to the side of the gathering when an older troll spoke up from a makeshift podium. “Settle down, settle down, everyone. Now before we start, I have some wonderful news! For the first time ever, our beloved Princess Poppy will be leading a committee!” The trolls started to cheer. So young, and she was already learning to lead her village! “So please give a warm welcome to our princess! Come on up, sweetie!”

The welcoming was far more than warm. Fuzzbert could only stare in awe as this young girl no older than him managed to gain such a loud applause. Better yet, with just the wave of her hand, the trolls settled down to listen to her speak. For a moment, he wished he could be in her place.

“Hi everybody” Poppy cheerfully waved from behind the podium, barely peeking out even with the use of a stepping stool. The weird black-haired troll was still tied to her, crossed-legged on the floor.

“Hi Princess Poppy!” The trolls eagerly waved back at the adorable young girl.

“Today, we are here to make a party for my daddy! I love parties, and I love all of you!” The pink troll spoke pretty clearly, even with a missing front tooth.

“We love you, too!” The crowd awwed.

“I know what we need for a party: cake, ice cream, candy, cookies…” She started listing things off with her fingers, seemingly forgetting her audience. The older troll from before had to cough to regain the princess’s attention. “Oops, sorry! Anyways, today we need to make a theme for the party, and then everyone will pick things to do for the party! So does anyone have ideas?”

Rather than take out a pencil and paper pad like any sensible troll, the princess instead took out a bunch a colorful felt scraps and some scissors. That had Fuzzbert somewhat worried; who doesn’t carry pencil and paper to jot down important notes? He would do it, but now was his moment to share his plans, and he can’t do that if he was too busy writing down everyone else’s!

((I have an idea!)) Fuzzbert yelled as best as he could, jumping up and down, ((We could-))

“Oh, how about we do a masquerade?” A troll from somewhere else spoke up, interrupting Fuzzbert.

((My idea-))

“Or lets do a karaoke competition! Everyone in the entire village can compete to see who has the best voice!” Another troll shared.

((Excuse me, can you let-))

“Oh, oh! Listen to my idea!” Another troll, once again, spoke over the poor little fuzzling.

Pretty much every troll shared their idea, without giving the little green haired troll on the side a chance. But as soon as the crowd settled down and the ideas dissipated, Fuzzbert took the opportunity to speak up once more.

((Okay, my turn! First, how abo-))

“Any other ideas? Anyone?” This time it was the princess to interrupt him.

((Me! I have one!))

“Well, okay then! Everyone can take a break while my friends and I look at all the ideas. Everyone come back after the next hug time so we can vote and assign jobs!”

The trolls began to exit the pod, leaving behind the princess, her friends, and one very sad fuzzling.

((But I didn’t get to say anything…))

“Isn’t this exciting guys!” Poppy squealed among her friends, dragging the unhappy black-haired troll with her. “My first committee! My first step in becoming queen someday! And it’s a party, too!”

While the young kids began to cheer for her, except the black-haired teen, who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Fuzzbert sighed, unnoticed by them.

“We’re so proud of you, Poppy! I’m sure you’ll do a great job with your dad’s party.” One of the girls connected by the hair said.

“I sure hope so, you guys know I don’t have the best…track record…”

They understood perfectly. The pink little princess may love parties and had them all the time, but she wasn’t the best at planning them. Terrible, actually. They always managed to have fun regardless, but Poppy still wished she could make the perfect party.

“But I’m sure theres someone whose really, really good at planning parties, and they can help me with this one!”

That’s it! The moment Fuzzbert’s been waiting for! He’s really good at planning stuff, he even has a daily planner. He could offer to help, and then share his ideas to them! So he shuffled over to the group of friends.

((Excuse me, I can help you! You see, I’m really good at-))

“Okay then! Time to look at all the ideas and sort them!” Poppy held out little scrapbook cards, having made one for each idea she heard. “So these ones were for music, and these ones were for the theme-“

“Hold up, are you sure? That one looks like it’s for the cake flavor” One of the kids point at the card Poppy dropped in the theme pile.

((Hey, sorry but-))

“Of course I’m sure, see? This is a blue spotted…uhh, you know, maybe it’s blueberries, you’re right, Guy.” She dropped the card into a new pile. “Okay, this one for sure is a flapper theme!”

“Or jazz music.”

“Who listens to jazz anymore?”

“Hehe, maybe scrapbooking the ideas wasn’t the best thing to do. But that’s okay!” Poppy set the rest of the cards down. “We’ll just ask everyone again, and write them down, somewhere…”

((There’s a chalkboard over there in the corner)) Fuzzbert directed with his hair tip.

“I don’t think any of us brought something to write.” The kids shrugged.

“Branch, do you know what to do?” The princess asked the black-haired troll tied to her by the waist.

He gave a lazy, disinterested look. “Why don’t you ask the little guy you’ve been ignoring for the past five minutes?”

“Huh?” The Snack Pack stared confused.

The teen, Branch as he was called, pointed directly behind them.

They turned to face Fuzzbert, finally noticing him.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t even see you there!” Poppy apologized to the green-haired fuzzling.

“I thought you were a weird moving plant!” A giraffe-like troll blurted out.

“Cooper!” The group of friends shushed him.

((That’s okay, I’m used to it by now))

“Huh?”

“What?”

“I think he said something, but I couldn’t catch it.”

“Can you repeat that, please?” Poppy asked, leaning closer.

((Nevermind. Look, I can help you, I’m great at organizing and planning, and I got some good ideas no one has told you yet!))

But the group just blinked at him, and leaned even closer.

“Umm, one more time?”

“He said he’s good at organizing and planning, and has some ideas to share.” Branch spoke up, tired of their stupidity. “Can I go now? This is a complete waste of my time.”

“Branch, you can hear him clearly!” The princess gasped.

“Duh.” He pointed specifically at his twitching ears. “You can, too, if you tried.”

“Show me! I wanna learn how, promise!”

“Seriously? Not when I wanted to teach you important Bergen-tracking survival skills, but now?”

“Yes, yes, now!”

He gave her a long, hard stare. “Give me the scissors, and I’ll show you.”

Poppy blinked. “What? Oh…fine.” She knew what he wanted to do with them, but it was either give him what he wanted, or not be able to hear her new friend.

As promised, Branch showed her and the Snack the exact position to move their ears, just a little higher up and more forward than usual.

“Okay, new guy, tell us your name.”

((I’m Fuzzbert.))

“Guys, I can hear him! Hi Fuzzbert!” The rest of the group greeted him as well.

((Hi guys!)) Fuzzbert was just as excited; he can actually have a normal conversation with the other trolls!

“Great, wonderful, okay,” Branch clapped sarcastically, “hate to ruin this wonderful moment, but I’d like those scissors now.”

“Sure thing Branch,” Poppy smiled warmly, handing them over.

“Finally!” Branch wasted no time, cutting the thick rope that attached him to the princess. “Well, I wish I can say it’s been fun, but it wasn’t.” Branch mockingly saluted them before heading for the exit. Poppy stepped in front of him.

“Branch wait, you forgot something!”

The grumpy teen scoffed. “What, a goodbye?”

Poppy’s smile grew very wide. “Your hug!”

“What!?!”

The hug time charm rang just as she extended her arms. “Hug time!”

The Snack Pack didn’t waste a second trapping the reluctant Branch. Fuzzbert joined in as well with his new friends, although at best he could only press himself against them.

((Thank you so much!))

“Get off me, all of you!” Branch managed to scramble out and sprinted for the door as fast as he could.

With him gone, Poppy and the Snack Pack turned their attention back to the fuzzling.

“So Fuzzbert, you say you could help us?”

((Sure can! I can help you plan the party! I mean, i’ve never done a party before, but I’ve read my great-grandma’s book, Fizzly's Guide To Perfect Party Planning!))

“There’s a book!?!” Poppy gasped.

((Of course! Section 2-P in the library pod))

“There’s a library!?!” Cooper gasped. “Wait, whats a library?”

((Um, I’ll show you someday. Also, I have a great idea for the party!))

“Tell us!”

“We want to hear it!” The princess and her friends were practically vibrating with excitement.

Wow, they actually did want to listen to him!

((Well, King Peppy really likes choreographed dancing, so I thought we could have the entire village do a flash mob for his party.))

The Snack Pack gasped, astonished.

((Oh, you don’t…like it?))

“Like it? Heck, no! I LOVE IT!!!” Poppy screamed, jumping up and down. “It’s the best idea ever!”

“But wait!” A troll with headphones spoke up. “We don’t know a thing about dance choreography, we’re barely able to organize a party ourselves!”

((Oh I can help with that, too, I’ve taught my entire family some dance moves I made up.))

They stared at him even more shocked.

“By the hair, you’re like super talented at a million things!”

And showed them he did. In just a few minutes, the Snack Pack were dancing in as a group together. They hadn’t even noticed the other trolls return until they applauded the group for their performance. Needless to say, when it was time to vote, Fuzzbert’s idea was one of the ones that won, and King Peppy was very delighted with the flash mob.

After that, Fuzzbert taught Poppy how to plan the perfect party, showed Cooper what a library was, shared every new dance move with the Snack Pack, and made every song even more unbearably obnoxious to Branch.

———————

“Huh.” That was all Branch could say at the end of the story. He never realized what a big impact he had on Fuzzbert’s life.

((I always considered you a friend afterwards, even though you acted like you hated me and the others. I would’ve given up if you hadn’t helped like you did.))

Poppy was equally stunned silent; even she hadn’t thought about how much that one little event meant to Fuzzbert. He was just the fuzzling that happened to be there in her time of need, and became a great friend that always had a new dance or brilliant idea to share. Never did he mention how sad he was for being ignored when they first met.

She couldn’t pretend to be scrapbooking anymore, she ran right up to Fuzzbert and gave him a nice, tight hug. “Oh Fuzzbert, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you back then! If I had just let Branch show me how to do that stupid ear-tuning thing in the first place-“

“Hey!”

“I would’ve been able to hear you back in that meeting!”

((That’s okay, everything worked out in the end anyway!))

“Still, I know sometimes you have to repeat what you said because we weren’t listening close enough. I’ve always appreciated you, and I’m so glad you went to that committee!”

((I’m glad, too! It was so worth getting grounded for three months!)) Fuzzbert laughed underneath his hair.

———————————

Branch decided to let the let the two talk more in private while he checked up on Puzzle at the daycare. On his way back to Poppy’s pod, he spotted Cooper again, this time without Hooper. The giraffe-like troll was hauling a cart of berries away from the growing field, with one of the berry pickers guiding him along by a rope. Funny, Fuzzbert just finished telling his story, and Branch remembered how Poppy had tied herself to him with a rope to make him tag along with her. It hadn’t been fun.

Maybe he should see what Cooper’s up to.

“Alrighty, stay right here while I unload the baskets.” The farmer instructed, patting Cooper on the back.

“Yeah, sure thing.” Cooper nodded, and waited patiently. Branch trudged up right alongside.

“Not that it’s any of my business, but…what are you doing?”

“Oh hey B-bro!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You know, just helping out the farmers. Trollimals are pretty handy at hauling heavy stuff.”

“So, you just do this?”

“Well yeah, Fritter says I’m best at this!”

“Is that who that troll is, Fritter?”

“Uh huh.”

Cooper said no more than that, simply smiling goofily. He wasn’t good at holding conversations.

“…Okay then, so you around.”

“See ya at the party!” Cooper waved, before realizing his mistake. “I mean, did I say at the party? Poppy isn’t going invite you to any party at all!!” He let out a sigh of relief, not realizing his second mistake.

“Please, I know Poppy’s planning to invite me already. You guys are not subtle.” Branch rolled his eyes. “Not that it makes a difference; I’m still not going, no matter how much you guys try to be all buddy-buddy.”

“You know about that!?!” Cooper gasped. “I mean, I don’t know nothing ‘bout what you talking ‘bout!!!”

“Oh really?” Branch smirked. “That’s a double negative; you’re telling me you do know something, huh?”

“Uhh…” Cooper was sweating bullets now. He wasn’t good at keeping secrets, nor could he keep his mouth shut for long. For all he knew, he already revealed something important without realizing it.

“Hey ye!” The berry picker had returned, and tugged at the rope tied to Cooper. “Ye can feed the trollimal later, he’s werking now.”

“Uh, excuse me?” Branch stared, bewildered at what the troll just said.

“Come on ye mule, time’s wastin’.” The berry picker tugged harder at Cooper, who looked conflicted; deal with Branch, or Fritter? Which one was less worse?

“Hold on,” Branch held to Fritter’s hand, the one pulling Cooper, “His name’s Cooper, first and foremost, not mule. And we were having a little talk. You can afford to give Cooper a break.

“Hah, talk! Ye really are as crazy as I heard, huh Bergen-guy?” Fritter laughed. “These here trollimals ain’t no differen’ than them critters and flowers; sangin’ like any troll, but can’t say a lick more than what they hear, ye hear?” Fritter smacked Cooper’s side rather hard. “Come on ye!”

“Hit him one more time, and we’ll see how ye like it.” Branch growled menacingly, boiling mad at Fritter’s disrespect towards a fellow troll.

Fritter held his hands up, backing away from the angered troll. “Sheesh, ye really are a savage!” The berry picker decided to just grab a basket and make his way over to the next place himself, hoping the grey troll would be gone by then. “And we leave that poor kid with ‘im…” Branch heard Fritter mutter under his breath, but decided to let it go. For now.

“Awesome! Some free time!” Cooper was more than happy to take a break from hauling. At least up until Branch got in his face.

“What was that?!”

“Oh, that was Fritter, pretty sure I told you.”

“I mean why did you let him treat you like that?”

“Chill, that’s just how Fritter does,” Cooper waved off Branch’s concern, “the other berry pickers are much nicer to us trollimals!”

“And you’re okay with this?” Branch demanded.

For once, Cooper remained silent for a moment, thinking.

“…No, I hate it.”

Branch honestly didn’t know what answer he expected, he hardly knew Cooper at all, but the words just didn’t seem to fit the trollimal.

“I ain’t as smart as the regular trolls, I know that, but I ain’t like my brother, and even I don’t know why…” Cooper shook his head; negative thoughts are a bad and should be ignored.

“Okay, Im stopping you right there.” Branch spoke up. “First of all, there’s no “regular” trolls; you’re just as much a troll as I. Second of all, that kind of behavior Fritter pulled isn’t right, even towards another trollimal. And lastly,” Branch glared at the retreating berry picker’s back. “Between you and him, you’re ten times smarter than that jerk.”

Cooper immediately brightened up. “Wow, Branch, that was real nice of you to say, I didn’t think it was possible for you!”

“Gee thanks.”

“And I wanted to bring it up with Fritter lots of times before, but…you saw all that.” He nudged towards the troll. “He’d never take me seriously, don’t think he even listens when I talk.” He shook his head again.

“Why are you shaking like that?”

“Oh! Creek says bad thoughts are toxic and need to be shaken off! So that’s what I do when I have bad thoughts, like how mean you and Fritter are!”

Branch facepalmed. “Creek.” He cursed under his breath. “Okay Cooper, I’m about to tell you something I don’t think you’ve been told before. Are you ready?”

“Sure!” He nodded enthusiastically.

“Having bad thoughts…isn’t always so bad.”

Cooper gasped, covering his mouth with one of his front limbs. “But, Creek said they were!”

“I know what Creek said. I’m telling you he’s wrong!”

“But how?”

Branch had to think over that. How does he explain something this complex?

“Well, think about it this way: you had a bad thought about Fritter, right?”

“Yup!”

“And then you told me, correct?”

“Exactly!”

“And then I said…things that could be mistaken for me being nice to you.”

“You said I was smarter than Fritter!”

“And I wouldn’t have said it if you had shaken off your bad thought, instead of sharing it with me.”

Cooper blinked, his head reeling. This was a new way of thinking he hadn’t thought of before.

“Huh…you’re right…”

“Bad thoughts can be bad, don’t get me wrong,” Branch continued, “believe me, I know a thing or two about it. Sometimes, though, sharing your bad thoughts with a friend means they can help you get rid of the bad thought, and make it go away for good.”

Not that he’d use his own advice.

Cooper stared at him strangely for a little longer than comfortable. “You called me your friend!” He perked up immediately.

“Did…is that seriously all you heard?”

“And you’re going to help me with the Fritter problem!”

“Wait, I never said that!”

“Sure you did! You said ‘friends help make the bad thoughts go away for good!’ And Fritter is a bad thought, so you’re gonna help make Fritter nicer!”

Branch thought that over. Huh, so Cooper understood that after all. “You really are smarter than I thought you were.”

“So what’s the plan, Grumpy-lump?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I know, I’ll tell him ‘I don’t work until you respect me!’” Cooper used a strange, deeper voice, despite the fact he was speaking as himself.

“I thought he doesn’t listen.”

“Oh right!”

“How about I threaten him with a black eye?” Branch put up a thought guy act, punching his fist with the palm of his other hand.

“Didn’t you get community service last time you did that?”

“Your point?”

Cooper pondered some more. “How about…we find a deep, round cooking pot…and push him off a nice big hill…and light up the pot on fire…him still inside it…with a big stupid smile on our faces.”

“….Um, okay, wow, I…didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Had what?” Cooper tilted his head, smiling down at his friend.

“…Nevermind.”

“I know, a rap-off!” Cooper blurted rather loudly.

“A what?”

“An rap-off! Fritter and I could both rap, and whoever disses the other better wins!”

“Is singing the only answer this village has to a problem?” Branch asked no one in particular.

“Fritter’s pretty decent at rapping, but I’m a whole ton better!”

“How modest.”

“And when I win he’ll have to respect me, and then we set him on fire!”

“No, no, no fire at all!”

“But I like fire.”

Fritter returned a few minutes later. “Yer’re still here? Got nothin’ better t’do?”

“Fritter, just the guy I wanted to see,” Branch gave the best fake smile, the one he usually reserved for Poppy’s invites. “Cooper and I have been having a nice little chat, and we’ve reckon we interest you in a sort of challenge.”

“Ye still tryin’ t’talking to that dolt? Boy, ye need therapy!” Fritter laughed heartily. “Alright, I’ll humor ye, what we dealin’ with?”

“A rap-off, between you and Cooper. If he wins, you have to treat him a lot more respectfully, and acknowledge that he’s smarter than you.”

“HAH!!! Hahaha! Smarter than me, good one!” Fritter let out a tear. “Rap-off? Boy, this here mule may rap like bees swarmin’ a hive, but he can’t think on the spot. This is a piece o’ cake, fer me!”

“Then I suppose you’ll accept?” Branch smirked. Gotcha.

“And what’s init fer me? I already got the dumb beast haulin’ fer me.”

Cooper huffed, but didn’t say anything.

“You could always use a second pair of hands. Heck, maybe take a day off while someone else does your job.”

Fritter raised an eyebrow. “Yer offerin’ what I think yer offerin’?”

Branch shrugged. “I’m used to rough living. A little berry picking is a walk in the park for me.”

“Well, you’ve got herself a deal! Boy, git ready to werk real hard today!”

“Let’s do this then, right here, right now!” Cooper confidently faced the farmer, who stepped back slightly surprised when Cooper spoke up.

The two trolls squared up. Branch noticed the other farmers and trollimals, including Hooper, circling around to watch the commotion.

“Age before beauty.” Cooper taunted.

“Ye taught ‘im some cute werds, Bergen-guy, but it ain’t gonna be ‘nough.” Fritter smirked at Branch, still not believing Cooper could think for himself. Fritter snapped his fingers. “Rudy, git me a beat! Now!”

“You could say please,” a red troll muttered, then began to beat box.

Fritter might have the advantage with Rudy beat boxing for him, Branch thought.

Ye troll think yer all that, ye ain’t dope
I run circles over ye, got ye in my scope
Can’t be talkin’ trash if you ain’t got no brains
So back down now, or ye gon git slain

Branch recoiled in disgust; was so much spitting necessary?

Troll I’m better then ye
Don’t deny I’m smarter then ye
No need to cry ‘cause I rap better then ye
And I’m gonna pull this one over ye

Fritter finished right in front of Cooper’s unflinching face. Cooper smirked back at the berry picker. Branch have never seen this brave, bold side of the trollimal, and it was pretty refreshing.

“Tch, weak.” Cooper taunted. “Branch my man, can I have a beat?”

There was stunned silence from the crowd before Fritter and a few farmers broke out in laughter.

“HAHAHA, Branch beat boxing? He don’t even sing!” Fritter slapped his knee.

Realizing this fact he should’ve known already, Cooper hung his head shamefully. He was defeated before they even started. They didn’t disallow help from anyone, so Fritter got another farmer to work with him, while Cooper just has…a song-hating sourpuss…

“Cooper, I got your back.” Branch whispered.

Cooper raised his head up. “You do?” He got a nod from the grey troll. With a wide smile, Cooper sprung back to life and shouted confidently. “B-bro, give me a beat!”

The laughter, however, died down quickly when Branch started to beat box. Several mouths hung open, it was actually very good! Cooper wasted no time getting right up to his opponent’s face, confident and on the edge. He took Branch’s advice about bad thoughts, but in a completely different way.

Yo Fritter! Smack all you want, ain’t afraid of your taunts
Nothing dope from yo pie hole, in my zone now I’ll eat ya whole
Say I got no brains, my B-man says I got ‘em ten times more
Run tell that, don’t disrespect, we gon’ ground you to the floor
Only one slain ‘round here are yo ears when I smack-talkin’ back
You ain’t whack, got no jack up your sleeves, just a lotta crack

Fritter was backing up by now. Even without the height advantage, Cooper was intense enough to make a troll feel pretty small. Fritter fell right into a mud puddle, but Cooper continued on relentless.

Ye, ye, ye, that’s all ye say like a broken track
Well ye nothin’ but a dirty low-brow hack
Gonna fight back, tried of yo crap
Make this show run for me so go take a nap
Run it, check it, I’m winnin’ this rap
Lay in yo mud-hole, time for everyone to clap

Peace!

Cooper turned away from Fritter, not even reacting as the onlookers hollered and clapped for him.

“Wow, you really had it in you.” Branch commented.

“Aww mannn, you never tell me you were good at beatboxing!”

“Yeah uhh, don’t mention it. Ever.”

“B-bro, pump it!” Cooper raised a limb, scrunching it up into a fist as best as he could.

“And don’t call me that.” But he returned the gesture.

——————————

They made their way to Poppy’s pod, now that Cooper had the rest of the day free. Fritter of course kept his promises and even praised Cooper for his rapping skills, still somewhat disbelieving Cooper came up with all of that on the spot until some of the other farmers put their two cents in about Cooper. Fritter’s apology was enough for now, though Branch decided he’ll be sure to remind Fritter to behave with Cooper, just in case.

Poppy was pretty confused when they entered her pod, both chuckling and…shoving each other? She quickly made her way over to stop what seemed like a fight. Having Cooper around Branch was troubling enough!

“Whoah, stop it you two! Whatever’s problem is going on between the both of you, I’m sure we can resolved it with nice words and lots of hugs.”

They stared between her and each other, a little amused.

“Tell her?” Branch asked, chuckling.

“Relax, Popsicle, Branch and I are tight!” The giraffe-like troll gave the other a hard smack in the back, making Poppy gasp.

“Cooper!”

“It’s alright Poppy, just two friends hanging out. That’s what you wanted after all, us to be friends.” The grey troll patted her shoulder before making his was to help Fuzzbert with the snack table.

Poppy dragged Cooper away until they were just outside the pod. “What did you say? What did you do? I thought you didn’t like him that much!”

“Well sure, he’s a total party pooper,” Cooper shrugged, “but he ain’t too bad if he can beatbox like a champ.”

Poppy got too quiet, so Cooper took that as a cue that the conversation was over and ran inside to offer his tast-testing abilities.

“….Beatbox?”

—————————

Poppy let that incident slide; it was good thing, after all. Either way, the rest of the Snack Pack arrived just as Fuzzbert was going through his checklist, with Branch’s assistance. She had the card ready, no glitter this time. She has her friends ready, THEIR friends, he can’t deny it any longer. Aside from the Creek issue, everything has gone smoothly, there was absolutely no possible way he would say no, or crush the invite, or insult them. The party was small, it was quiet (for troll standards), and it had plenty of chocolate and safe places to hide.

Today was the day the impossible becomes possible: Branch was going to a bonafide Poppy-approved party of his own free will.

Poppy took deep breaths while her friends whispered positive words in her ears.

“You can do it, Popps!”

“Chin up and look him in the eye!”

“Mr. Dinkles will look his extra cutest just for you!”

“And even if he says no you still have us!”

“Cooper! Oh, wait, actually it's not you for once; Smidge! I'm surprised at you!”

“Well it’s true!”

“Okay,” Poppy took one last deep breath, “here we go.” The group walked towards him in unison, with Poppy right in front.

He was already staring at them, leaning against the table, uninterested. As if he already knew what was about to happen. Fuzzbert quickly made his way to join his friends.

“Branch-“

“Nope, not going.”

“…but…”

“Oh come one, you haven’t even given her a chance!” Satin shrieked from right behind Poppy.

“Darling, show him the invite!” Chenille rubbed the princess’s back reassuringly.

There was no glitter shower, but the card had a smiling Branch hugging the entire snack pack above fluffy clouds and a crescent moon. Mini-Branch was teal-skinned this time, instead of the green from the last two.

“No glitter; you’re catching on quick. But still no.” He shook his head. The Snack Pack immediately began to protest, for once not spurned on by Poppy, but because they genuinely want Branch to come. In fact, it was starting to becoming a little hard to stand his ground.

“Please! Think of the great talk we had back at the bunker!”

“And Mr. Dinkles is still so grateful when you helped him!”

“We can write more songs together!”

“I always wanted to hair-wrestle you!”

“We’ll make you new comfy pajamas!”

((I’ve got more stories to tell you!))

“Yeah, and we can team up and do a rap-off against the others!”

“What!?!” The Snack Pack fell silent, and immediately looked to the giraffe-like troll, confused by what he just suggested. The only one not surprise was Poppy. In fact, all she did was stare back at Branch with pleading eyes.

“Umm, Cooper?”

“I don’t think Branch would like that.”

“Okay, you win, I’ll go.”

They gasped, and turned their attention right back at Branch. Poppy even dropped the card.

“If, you know, I find a babysitter, and have time to grab some things-“

In seconds, he was gasping for air as the group squeezed him to death with a not-hug-time group hug.

Honestly, he was planning to say no, regardless of how much they begged and pleaded. Because as much as they managed to grow on him, he still tried to remind himself it was better to stay distant, and not get attached to anyone. He’s already made one exception to the golden rule in his life with a baby, two if he counts the relentless and naively hopeful force that was Poppy.

But Cooper was just enough to make him change his mind. After all, if the troll that always bemoaned him as a party pooper wants him to come, maybe it was time to take a chance.

Without further hesitation, Poppy quickly got King Peppy himself to watch over the baby in his pod. Poppy’s old room was still fit for a small child, toys and books included, and Branch could pop in as often as he needed.

——————————

Creek stared at his reflection, for once not happy with what he saw. His skin was glowing, his freckles were glittery, his hair still perfect and prize-worthy.

His aura…not so nice.

Poppy had come over for just a minute, just to tell him she succeeded in her mission, and to please be on his best behavior with Branch tonight. She didn’t look him in the eye, didn’t greet him as warmly, and sprinted away as if her oven was on fire. He knew why, too.

Okay, so he made one little mistake! One! The brat was okay! Not a single scratch on him! Maybe he shouldn’t have thrown the kid away, but it was pure instinct! He has no experience with children! Surely Branch didn’t start out like a good little daddy on the first few days!

But no! That wasn’t good enough for Poppy! He wasn’t good enough for Poppy! A flawless reputation, and one little mistake was the end of the world for her. Meanwhile, she could trip over the countless cruelties the grey idiot inflicted on her, and she’d still have high hopes for him!

Creek was good at hiding the turmoil raging inside him, but he couldn’t help it this time when his fist clenched enough to draw blood.

It wasn’t fair, the high pedestal other trolls had set him on! All he wanted was to be liked, and popular, and maybe catch the princess’s interest enough to be a head councilman, or the royal advisor. Heck, he even fancied himself king of the trolls sometimes! And one little mistake was enough to destroy all he worked for?

It wasn’t his fault! Not at all!

It was…Branch’s! Everything wrong with his life was Branch’s fault.

And the princess’s! Her and her expectations for him!

And the brat’s! For making the princess hate him!

And Cybil’s! Why was she born a gem troll, and not him?

And his parents! They never loved him! That’s why they tried to replace him with Branch! Replace…

…him.

Because he was replaceable.

Chapter Text

King Peppy jumped just a little bit when the massive, stuffed baby bag hit the floor with a loud thump, shaking the entire pod.

“Okay, this should be everything Puzzle needs for tonight.” Branch opened up the bag to set some things out.

“Oh, just tonight?” King Peppy and his daughter shared a look, but Branch either didn’t catch it or just ignored it.

“Here’s a few extra diapers, his changing powder, his pebble, sanitation wipes, his toys, some acorn pudding and orange juice if he gets hungry,” Branch rattled on as he unpacked, “glowshroom lamp, his favorite book in case he wont sleep, collapsible baby pen, some extra podlocks, his blanket, tissues and a nose plunger, a few onesies, another blanket, socks and mittens, a telescope for predator watching, Pepper daisies to ward off spiders, emergency first aid kit, a few different allergy medicines in case you find an allergy, and of course,” Branch reached into his hair to take out a glowfly, “Nightlight to guard him.” The little bug yipped enthusiastically. “AND his water bowl, food bowl and food; mint leaves, mind you. And also,”Branch reaches into his bag again to retrieve a book which he hands over to Peppy, “step-by-step instructions on what to do for every single possible outcome, alphabetized by the type of danger, categorized as either environmental, medical, emotional, chemical, or miscellaneous. Step one for most of them is to call me immediately.”

“My, my, you really are prepared, my boy.” Peppy’s head was still spinning from the onslaught of information. Poppy simply tapped her foot impatiently, already having gone through this when Branch left Puzzle at Amber and Russel’s last night.

“I’ll come to check on him every hour, on the hour, to give him a thorough health inspection. You can find an extra copy of the checklist on page 145 in the red coded medical section if you need to perform an emergency check up yourself,” Branch instructed.

Puzzle rolled his eyes at his father’s overbearing nature.

“Okay Branch, I think my dad’s got this down pat. He did raise me, after all!”

Branch gave Poppy a look once over, “Every hour, on the hour,” he repeated, “please follow the instructions, and thank you for taking him in.”

“No problem, my boy, always happy to help my fellow trolls,” Peppy gave a hearty laugh, “Even if you’re so recluse, you’re like a son to me anyway.”

A son, Poppy thought. Does Branch ever use that word?

It took a few more minutes before Poppy managed to drag the paranoid grey troll away from his child.

“Goodnight dad, love you to bits!” Poppy embraced her father. “And goodnight to you, too, little precious.” Poppy planting a peck on the giggling baby troll’s forehead. Branch looked away and tried not to think about how maternal it looked.

“Goodnight, King Peppy, sir, I’ll see you in an hour,” Branch bidded formally, “you, too, kiddo,” He ruffled Puzzle’s hair, who smiled warmly back at him before hugging his hand. Branch made no moves to stop the little trolling, but didn’t return the affection, either.

Huh, does Branch ever hug him? Poppy couldn’t recall a single moment when the grey troll did. Hold him carefully and gently, yes. But hug? Not really…

___________

By the time Branch and Poppy returned to her pod just a foot away, the party had already started, Poppy’s friends dancing to music, though not as loudly as they usually liked. By Branch’s standards, it was still pretty loud. Before he could ask her to make them lower the volume, she immediately sprinted her way over to the group and danced along with them.

Branch stood there awkwardly by the doorway, unsure what his next move should be. His vision ventured over to the pod, now slightly different than before. Tables were set up for the snacks, games and music, while one section of the pod was covered in large fluffy pillows. Poppy’s usual clutter still lingered in the background; clothing that barely reached the laundry basket, scrapbooking materials atop her desk, dishes piled up not only in the sink but on her small counterspace. He even spotted the jigsaw puzzle still set out on the end table where they last left it.

Branch didn’t feel comfortable. This was different than the birthday parties he attended, mostly for trollings. It was even different from the blooming shower he went to months ago. He was a tadpole out of the water, very uncomfortable and unwilling to join in their fun. What was he doing here again? He doesn’t belong, he never had. Just because they want him here doesn’t change that fact. They seem distracted, so if he just turned around and walked out, maybe King Peppy would humor him and let him crash the floor…

He came face-to-face with Creek, who kept a neutral, calm expression on his face.

“Branch.”

“Creek.”

The eye contact lasted only a second longer before Creek tilted his head to peek behind the grey troll. “Hello, my good friends!” Creek wasted no time squeezing himself past Branch to join the rest.

“Creek!” The rest exclaimed happily. Except Poppy, distracted by the fact Branch was still hovering by the doorway. She made her way past Creek, barely giving him much of a nod, and firmly grasped Branch’s wrists. “Come on, Branch, dance with us!” She dragged him over to the center.

Creek pretended that didn’t hurt.

Branch remained stiff as a board while Poppy held on, trying to get him to dance along. She refused to let go, determined to make him loosen up. The too loud music and the erratic movements were giving Branch an irritating headache, so much that he couldn’t focus and things began to blur.

Oh no, not even a minute and already on the verge of a panic attack!

“I need the restroom,” Branch quickly croaked out just loud enough for Poppy to hear. She had no choice but to let him go now.

She mentally scolded herself. Of course Branch was uncomfortable, he’s probably never danced before, and the party is too loud! We’ll need to change things up…

He spent a few minutes washing his face, taking a few deep breaths, calming himself down.

Thankfully, fate seemed to be on his side as the music died down and Poppy’s voice echoed the pod.

“Okay! Who wants to make brownies with me?” Several voices responded cheerfully.

Branch was relieved and headed back out to join them. Baking! That sounds relaxing and quiet!

__________

It wasn’t.

“Eat glitter, Smidge!” Guy Diamond threw a ball made of thick brownie batter and copious amounts of glitter, smacking the side of Branch’s hair. “Oops, sorry Branch!”

Branch’s response was to mix his own bowl of batter a little more vigorously.

“Gotch’ya!” Suki whooped as her brownie-and-nut ball curved and hit Cooper dead on. Cooper laughed it off and shook off the batter, some of it sprinkling on Creek, who stood there mixing his bowl as quietly as Branch did.

“Cannonball!” Smidge jumped off the fridge right into Biggie large bowl. Batter full of marshmallows and cookie dough splattered everywhere, including on the two trolls silently missing their own batches.

“What’cya putting in yours, Branch?” Poppy appeared by his side, covered in batter herself.

“Nothing.” Branch replied.

“Aww, come one, Branch, that’s no fun!” Poppy protested.

“I’m putting a little bit of salted caramel in mine,” Creek responded.

“Here, Branch, I’ll help you with the add-ons!” Poppy offered, grabbing the toppings that were left.

“No thanks-“

“How about some pretzels?” Poppy dumped the entire bowl into Branch’s batter. No one ever chose the pretzels anyway.

“Peanut butter!” Biggie spooned a huge dollop right on top.

“Stop.”

“You can’t go wrong with chocolate chips!” Satin and Chenille added on to the mix.

Branch gave up.

Creek kept his eyes downcast to his bowl in lieu of openly glaring.

___________

In the end only Branch’s and Creek’s brownie survived long enough to be baked.

“These are sooo good Branch!” Poppy complimented as she stuffed her mouth with another square. The Snack Pack couldn’t agree more. Except Creek.

“Quit gorging, Poppy, it’s your turn!” Suki chastised.

“Oh right!” Poppy looked over her cards, placing one atop the stack in the middle of the group.

“This is pretry swell, I wonder why we’ve never played card games before.” Smidge spoke as she waited her turn.

“Because it’s not dancing or singing,” Cooper answered back before placing a card down.

“Cooper, it has to be the same color or the same number as the one on top.” Branch groaned, explaining for the fifth time.

“Oh, right!” Cooper returned the card back to his stack and peered over his options. “Hmmm…”

“Play the yellow two.”

“Ok! Thanks B-bro!” Cooper exclaimed happily.

They could all see each other's cards since Biggie didn’t like keeping secrets from his friends. It wasn’t how they were suppose to play the game, but what does it matter anymore?

“Go ahead Chenille, play this card,” Satin pointed at a particular one.

Chenille gasped. “No way! That’ll make you draw two more!”

“That’s okay, Cheni, I’m a big girl. It’s the only one you can play right now.”

“Absolutely not! I rather draw a card!” And so she did.

“Aww, then I will, too!” Satin drew her own card on her turn.

After a few minutes, they came to a strange and interesting dilemma.

“Hey Branch, you read the rules; so what happens when all the cards are in everyone’s hands?”

Creek silently grumbled; it was his card game, why not ask him?

Branch simply dropped his stack, “Game over, can’t play.”

“That’s means everybody wins!” Poppy happily shouted, throwing her cards in the air, followed by the rest.

________

Poppy was waiting right outside the pod when he returned from his hourly check up. Strange loud noises came from inside.

“Do I want to know what they’re doing?” He groaned.

“Pillbug Putt-putt.” She answered.

“…Indoors?” He could only imagine the damage.

“Don’t mind that!” Poppy laughed, “Just…Branch, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving us a chance,” she answered with a big smile, “for putting up with us, for staying; it means more to us than you realized, and I do mean us, not just myself.”

He said nothing.

“I know you might not be having as much fun as we are,” she continued on, “and you probably have a different kind of idea of fun. But we’re all friends now, right? If you’re willing to share with us what you find fun, we can all join along, too. It’s not the things we do that matter, but how we enjoy it with others.”

“…I see.”

“Come on you!” She laughed again, “let’s go inside and see if we can still join in!”

They had to dodge a wayward pillbug that flew over their heads, courtesy of Guy Diamond’s bad aim.

“Aww, miss again!”

“That’s okay, Guy, it’s not like we’re keeping score anyway, just try again.”

“I dunno, I’ve already went fifteen times…” Guy shifted uncomfortably. They were still in hole one because of him, after all.

“Have you tried hitting it a little softer?” Branch offered. “And maybe not posing impracticality?”

“You mean,” “Guy Diamond gasped, “play without dramatic flair?!”

“…Yes?”

Guy blinked, and did as Branch suggested. This time it came close enough to the red circle they used as a hole indicator, that with a second slight tap the pillbug stopped right at it’s destination. They clapped and whistled for him.

“Wow, thanks Branch, that really worked!” Guy Diamond happily exclaimed. “And now I work it!” He went right back to posing as if he was on a photo shoot, which thanks to the flashing of Biggie’s camera, he sort of was.

Creek crossed his arms, unimpressed. I could’ve told him that.

Except he didn’t, because…he didn’t know how to play himself, and couldn’t help.

Creek’s golden rule was to offer advice only when he was absolutely sure he was right; otherwise, if he was wrong it would hurt his reputation.

It doesn't matter; he’ll catch on soon, then they’ll be thanking him!

____

They had so much fun playing Pillbug put-putt that it lasted for hours. Even Branch took a swing, although it took him a while, trying to get the right angle for the perfect shot. He missed though, and decided the game was too stressful for him and elected to pick up after the mess the game made while the rest continued on.

“I never got thank you for helping Satin and I the other day.” Chenille quietly approached while he was cleaning up a spill, taking something out of her hair.

He shrugged, “I just happened to get in the middle of it.”

Chenille giggled, Branch was so bad at lying sometimes. “You could’ve left like you usually do, and left us to deal with our issues, but you didn’t, so thank you for that.”

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

“Still a grump, though,” she shook her head, amused. “If you ever want, feel free to swing by our pod for tea. And here,” She held her arms out to offer two pieces of folded clothing, “from both of us.”

He didn’t respond, but accepted the items. She expected that, and excused herself to join back in the game.

Creek heard enough.

“What’s the deal with that? Branch doesn’t help other trolls, he just ruins the fun with his negative vibes!” Creek muttered mainly to himself, but loud enough for Cooper to hear.

“Naw man, Branch is tight, he helped me deal with Fritter today!” Cooper answered.

Creek eyes narrowed. “Did he now?”

“And get this!” Cooper looked around to make sure no one was listening, leaned over and whispered. “He taught me, I gotta share how I feel, even the bad thoughts.”

Creek did a double take, horrified. “What? No! Bad thoughts are toxic, you should never mull over them!”

“But Branch said different, and he was right,” Cooper nodded goofily, “Now don’t tell anyone I said that, I don’t wanna hurt Cr….” Cooper paused, realizing who he was talking to. “Whoops.”

Creek stomped his way to a corner to clam himself down.

Giving advice now, love? Who does he think he is? And both Cooper and Chenille listened?!?

Creek seethed on the inside. Who else did he poison with his nonsense? They should've come to me with their problems…

Well okay, Satin did and he told her to hold it in, which would've work if Branch hadn’t clouded the air with his own negativity. Maybe. Eventually.

He didn’t like this.

First you try to replace him, now you’re trying to replace me, eh mate? I don’t think so…

There has to be a solution to this mess, and soon.

_______

Branch fingered the buttons of his new pajama set Chenille had handed him. The material was new to his skin, softer and snug.

They were taking turns telling a story, by his suggestion. He’s surprise they went for it. Poppy started off with a character named Princess Rainbow Sprinkles who lived in a…something, he didn’t pay too much attention. Biggie added on a pet caterpillar, Guy Diamond started some kind of plot that involved going to a meadow.

And now it was Smidge’s turn, the one troll in the group who loved a good horror story, from what he heard.

“And suddenly, she hears a ping! Her bracelet!” Smidge whispered dramatically. Most of the group gasped and held onto each other, trembling. Biggie held back a few whimpers and snuggled to Mr. Dinkles protectively.

“She looked around, to the left…to the right…behind her…even up above…” Smidge paused for affect, and the rest drew closer to each other. Satin chewed on Suki’s nails to avoid chewing on her own.

“…But she was all alone…with no one around to HUG HER!!!”

“Noooo!!!!” The rest cried, Cooper hiding under a blanket.

“Pfft!” Branch rolled his eyes. Was this really meant to be terrifying?

“Your turn,” Smidge casually addressed Branch, as if she hadn’t just traumatized her cowering friends.

Branch yawned, bored, “And that was the least of her troubles; little did Princess Rainbow Sprinkles realized, she was about to face the harsh reality of the cruel, unforgiving, untamed woods-“

“No! Stop! Please! It’s too much!” Biggie cried, now supporting Cooper who had fallen to a faint.

“…I hadn’t even started with the scary part.” Branch paused, cleared his throat and began again. “Just above her naive little head, lurking in the shadows of the trees lived a monster-“

“AHHHHHHHH!!!” In a flash, the pod cleared up and the frightened trolls ran out without so much as a second thought. Only Smidge remained.

“It was a wingdingle!!!” Smidge gave a challenging look towards Branch. If anyone was going to be the scare champion, it’s her.

Branch narrowed his eyes, silently accepting her challenge. “But not just any wingdingle, this one was ferocious and evil-“

“-with one eye missing and a crooked, curved beak.”

“Outcasted by it’s own kind for it’s violent tendencies-“

“It seeks out the small critters of the forest-“

“And tears into it’s victim’s flesh.”

They fell silent into a sort of staring contest for a moment before Smidge finally broke eye contact.

“Bruh, L-O-L!” Smidge threw her head back in laughter. “I never get to tell stories like that with the squad! That was LIT!” She punched his shoulder good naturedly.

He winced, rubbing over the bruise Smidge left. “Couldn’t agree more. But uhh, we might need to find the others before we continue.”

Peppy had been prepared to take care of a baby for the night, not several shaken up teenagers clutching onto to him like a lifeline.

_____

Branch sort of didn’t want to admit it, but the slumber party was…okay.

They were circled around now, some braiding each other’s hair, others making a dent on the snack supply. Creek silently meditated just slightly to the side, and Poppy decided to plop herself next to Branch.

It started with a simple question: who came up with “Snack Pack?” Branch had known them for nearly all his life, and yet had never actually known them, other than as the obnoxiously loud group that existed solely to annoy him.

“So it was before we’ve met Smidge, Guy or Fuzzbert,” Poppy started, making felt roses to weave into her hair, “we were having a picnic together on that big smooth boulder by the lake.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that!” Chenille added, “Satin and I made the big blanket for that.”

“It was awful!” Satin snickered, “We couldn’t agree on checkerboard or stripes. So we went with both and it came out a mess!”

“We had so many snacks, it was taller than me!” Cooper chuckled. “We couldn’t finish it all!”

“And don’t forget Biggie’s special experiment,” Suki teasingly nudged the giant troll, “what was it again?”

“Don’t remind me!” Biggie hid his face in embarrassment. “Cherry soda cupcakes sounded good when my sister Tootie suggested it!”

“And they were! The firecracker sprinkles on top though,” Suki shuddered, “I never should’ve eaten so many…”

“But anyways…” Poppy paused, side-eyeing the guru troll for a split second, “We had this nice speech about friendship and everything, so Cooper said-“

“As I recall, I gave that speech.” Creek interrupted to comment.

Poppy pursed her lips, “Right,” she nodded, and continued on, “so Cooper…actually, you say it, Coops!”

“The pack that snacks together stays together!” Cooper yelled proudly. They clapped and whistled. He took a bow, as best as he could.

“Huh, and I figured you were just advertising yourselves to predators.” Branch felt a little foolish now, mistaking them for complete morons at the time, never bothering to even ask before.

“Neat story, huh?” Poppy gleamed at him. While he was distracted, she managed to weave a few of her flowers in his hair. She knew he wouldn’t protest anyway, he actually liked hair accessories.

“Yeah…I guess.” They were now staring at him strangely, and he couldn’t help but try to avoid their gazes, uncomfortable with the attention. He shifted from his cushion.

“Sooooooo,” Poppy leaned in way too close, “I think it’s time you open up to us now.”

The rest agreed, and scooted closer.

“We’ve asked you before-“

“But you either glared at us and told us it was none of our business-“

“Or ignored us-“

“WHY ARE YOU GREY?!” Cooper asked bluntly, loudly.

…oh.

“Cooper!” The twins hissed.

“We were getting to that!”

“Well?” Poppy persisted.

“Umm…” Was it getting hot and stuffy in here? This was a nerve-wrecking situation. Why would they want to know?

He was just starting to tolerate them; they’d hate him if they knew the truth.

“I…can make more brownies if anyone wants them.” He hastily tried to get up, blocked by Poppy’s hand on his shoulder.

“Please Branch, we’re all best friends here!”

Creek silently scoffed.

“And don’t even try to deny it! Like it or not, we know you!”

He avoided Poppy’s hard, determined stare. The rest glanced at one another, having second doubts. Maybe he wasn’t ready just yet.

“I,” he choked, trying his best not to freak out, “I can’t”

“Branch, come on!”

“Leave him be, Poppy,” Creek spoke up, having been unusually quiet for most of the night. He opened one eye to stare at the two, a small smile just barely poking out. “He’s not ready to share his feelings quite yet, if he ever will be.”

Branch glared. “Thank you, as it wasn’t obvious enough.” He replied sarcastically, gritting his teeth.

Creek smirked. “Most certainly welcome, Branch. I’m only looking out for your well being, you poor, delicate thing.”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“Really?” Creek chuckled haughtily, “And quite a job you’ve done so far.”

Branch started to shake with anger. The Snack pack glanced between the two in utter confusion, concerned for the hostile atmosphere. Realizing a potential fallout, Poppy sprung up, holding onto the grey troll’s arm.

“On second thought, we could use more brownies!” She sang chipperly. “To the kitchen we go!”

“Just a minute, Popps.” Branch stood his ground, glaring at the smug guru troll. “I feel like someone needs a reminder of who exactly has been living on their own for the last fifteen years.”

“Ah yes, indeed.” Creek nodded, “In your homely little underground hiding hole, safe and sound from the bogeymen.” He chuckled, noting with disappointment that Biggie and Cooper didn’t join in as they usually would have.

“From very real dangers, that are still out there, searching for us!” Branch seethed.

The Snack Pack took a step back.

“Forget brownies!” Poppy clapped her hands together, “How about cake? Let’s go make cake!”

“Oh Branch,” Creek shook his head, feigning a concerned expression, “Isn’t it time you stop worrying about silly little nightmares and start a more normal life? Think about your child, after all-“

“That’s enough Creek!” Poppy snapped, shocking her friends. Suki flinched. “Don’t even bring Puzzle into this!”

Creek’s smile widened, a wild idea running into his head. Oh but Poppy, certainly you’ll agree once you see this.

It would be worth the black eye, if it got Branch in trouble and made the Snack Pack fear the grey troll’s wrath.

“You’re right, my apologies, I understand it’s a sensitive topic, “Creek smiled warmly and extended his arms out. “Hug? For friendship’s sake.”

Branch crossed his arms uninvitingly, and made no movements, so Creek moved forward to initiate the contact. Just as well; it makes me look better this way. And I’ll look even better after this.

As soon as Creek smushed his face with Branch’s, he went in for the kill.

Whispered something in Branch’s twitching, sensitive ear.

And braced himself for impact.

…

…

…

Creek wasn’t as good as detecting auras as he always claimed to be, but without even needing to look at the troll, he could detect the absolute rage enveloping Branch, stronger than anything he’s known before.

“YOU BASTARD!!!!”

Before Creek could even think about whether or not he’s made a terrible mistake, he soon found himself lifted up, choking as onyx hair squeezed tightly around his neck.

“Creek!”

“Branch no!”

“Oh my god!”

It took everyone to tear the furious grey troll off of Creek, but soon enough Creek was on the group, gasping and breathing in heavily. Fuzzbert patted the guru troll comfortingly.

“LET ME GO, I’M GOING TO SCALP HIM AND CHOKE HIM WITH HIS OWN HAIR!!!” Branch thrashed as Smidge tighten his bonds. With that declaration Creek shrieked and hid behind the fuzzling.

“Please don’t, I’m sorry, I thought you were fine with it!” Creek pleaded.

“OH YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN I’M FINISHED WITH YOU!!!”

“Branch, it was just a hug-“

“JUST A HUG?!?!” Branch screamed. “THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!!! HE THREW MY BABY!!!”

The Snack Pack were stunned silent, and Smidge accidentally let go, giving Branch the opportunity to lunge at Creek, who squealed in terror and continued to hide behind Fuzzbert.

“What?! I would never! How could you say that?!” Creek faked his horror at the accusation. Both Poppy and Suki immediately glared at him.

“LIAR!!! YOU JUST CONFESSED!!!”

Creek held his hands up in bafflement. “No one heard me say such a thing at all, right guys?” He inquired the Snack Pack, who began to have their second doubts.

What Creek didn’t expect was a slap in the face from Poppy, of all trolls.

“You told him that just to get a rise out of him, didn’t you?!” Poppy was boiling mad herself. “You promised you’d behave tonight!”

When Branch made another lunge for Creek, Poppy got in between as quickly as she could.

“Wait, Branch! I know you’re upset, but Puzzle didn’t even get hurt! I caught him just in time! And I’ve already scolded Creek for it-“ She stopped when Branch’s fury and anger quickly turned to hurt and betrayal.

“You…knew?”

Poppy looked down shamefully.

“And what of your promise to never mention it.” Creek hissed at her. If he was going down, he’s taking as many as he can down with him.

“It’s true?!” Biggie sobbed, reminding everyone of their other audience

“Oh. My. God.”

“Creek, not cool. Not cool at all.” Guy shook his head sadly.

“I didn’t mean it! It was an accident! The blasted brat attacked me!” Creek did his best to defend himself, trying to recuperate some of the damage his confession has done. But how do you justify harming a child? You can’t.

“Branch,” Poppy spoke softly, “I’m so sorry, I know I should’ve-“

He stormed his way out the doorway, grabbing his vest along the way.

“Branch wait!” Poppy ran off after him.

Her father was already outside his own pod with worry, holding onto the young trolling, likely having heard the commotion from earlier. Branch was just a foot away from reaching the two when Poppy managed a hold to his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

“Branch please, I wanted to tell you, but Creek made me and Suki promise not to say a word.”

“Why?” He didn’t even look at her as he spoke. “Why would you do that?”

He didn't even sound angry, and yet that was somehow more terrifying.

“Because…” She shook, on the verge of crying. She hugged his arm much like Puzzle had done some hours ago. “I-I just w-wanted us all t-to be fr-friends.”

He said nothing.

“N-no bad vibes, just l-l-love, you see?”

He barely shifted his head.

“I figured h-having fr-friends would m-make y-you happy-“

“Stop.”

She did.

“Never speak to me again.”

She said nothing.

“Don’t try to hug me, don’t invite me to parties, don’t ever bother me again.”

He moved forward, and her grasp slipped away. With very little explanation he grabbed his baby, and his belongings, and left for home, despite the pitch black night shrouding over them. Peppy quickly went over to embrace his daughter, and she held onto him as she sobbed uncontrollably.

For as long as he’d known Poppy, Branch has fallen in and out of love with her. He fell in love for her charm, her determination, her kindness. He fell out of love from her naiveness, her recklessness, her selfishness. But he always fell back in every time she proved him wrong, or overcame the impossible, or showed her inner strength.

Tonight, he fell out of love. And it might be the last time.

____

She promised her father to come right back to him as soon as she dealt with the mess she’s left behind back in her pod.

And a mess indeed.

Creek was still trying to defend himself, specifically to Smidge who looked ready to finish what Branch started. The rest gave him varied looks of discomfort, disappointment, or absolute hatred in Satin’s case. Biggie and Cooper huddled in a corner, with Biggie obviously crying his heart out.

“Suki…” Chenille stared horrified at her secret crush, who looked down shamefully. “I…I don’t believe…” It looked as if Suki shared her own side of the story while she was gone.

“Please Cheni, don’t blame Suki,” Poppy immediately approached, gently. “Creek made us both promise not to say anything, and then I asked her to let me handle it. If you have to blame anyone, blame me.”

“Blame Creek!” Satin hissed and shot a glare at the offending troll.

“Poppy is just as much to blame!” Creek accused, “If you’ve never given me that demon in the first place-”

“Enough Creek,” Poppy sounded defeated, “I own up to my mistake, and so should you. I don’t even want to talk to you right now.”

But Creek was relentless. “One mistake!” He stomped furiously. They’ve never even seen him so angry. Gone was the composed, calm troll they’ve always known. “One! Little! Mistake! And it’s enough to make you hate me?! After everything I’ve done?! After all we’ve been through together?!”

“Drop it, Creek!” Satin shouted back.

“I won’t!” He yelled back. “One mistake! Versus the countless he’s made! How many times has he thrown away your hard work carelessly? Insulted you? Couldn’t care less about you? And yet you crawl back to him insisting you can fix him! You…you…now I see…”

Poppy looked straight at Creek in the eyes for the first time in the last few days. Bitterness colored his face, but he stood still and stunned as if he just came into a revelation.

“You favor him,” the guru troll seethed. “Because you’re blinded by infatuation for him, aren’t you?”

“What?!” Nearly every head either turned to Creek, or Poppy, disbelieving what he just said. Poppy’s own eyes widened and she gasped.

“You heard me!” He pointed accusingly at Poppy. “Why else would you go through so much trouble, and forgive him so easily? You LOVE Branch!”

That was the last sentence he managed to spout out before Smidge grabbed hold of him and threw him straight out the pod.

____

The party was over. What was suppose to be a fun night was gone. Everyone left home to sleep it off, and hope for a better day. Their long-going, strong friendships hanged on a fragile thread now.

She was in her old, untouched bed in her dad’s pod, hugging and oversized plush toy she’s forgotten she owned. She stared out the window that not-so-conveniently faced her own pod.

Chenille was upset with Suki, several of the others were upset with her, and everyone hated Creek now.

And Branch...

You LOVE Branch!

She wanted to find Creek and tell him he’s wrong. He was only saying those things to deflect the blame onto her. She couldn’t believe one of her best friends, her first friend…

She trusted him so much, put all her faith in him, and all of a sudden he became someone else.

You LOVE Branch!

But that was wrong, wasn’t it? Creek always had a quick temper hidden beneath his cool, collected head. She’s seen it, and dismissed it, it wasn’t the real Creek, after all. Right? The real Creek was nice, and gave good advice, and was popular and loved by everyone, including her. The Creek from the last few days was an entirely different troll.

Except maybe it wasn’t…and she’s always been blinded by her crush…

You LOVE Branch! 

She knew her crush on Creek had been fading lately the last few months, at no fault of his own until recent events. She didn’t want to believe he was right, but if that was why she lost so much tolerance for him…

She remembered the feeling; her crush on Creek was butterflies in her stomach and rainbows in her brain, and only when she had described those feelings to Satin and Chenille did they help her put a name to it. At the same time, Branch gave her a throbbing heart and flustering daydreams of his rare smiles, things she overlooked because it wasn’t the same kind of feelings that she had with Creek.

It wasn't the same, because it was more.

“……….I love Branch.”

And he hates her.

Chapter Text

Now rumor has it she ain't got your love anymore

Trolls were happy, carefree, loving creatures in general.

But they were also nosy gossipers.

Especially, and most particularly, regarding the princess and her infamous squad.

So when the neighbors heard a bit of a commotion a few nights ago, and seen a certain angry grey troll stomp away, and Creek literally thrown out the tree, and the most well known tight knit group of friends avoiding each other in public, well…

You just KNOW something juicy is going on.

“Did something happen between you guys?” The more concerned trolls asked each of the Snack Pack members. And each of them gave their own curt reply: they’re just taking a break, they’re just too busy, theres nothing to worry about.

Honorary members such as Harper and Aspen got some of the story, but kept their lips sealed shut.

Poppy and Suki showed up once in a while for songs together, but inconsistently, and the moment the song was over disappeared to who knows where.

And Creek…well, he especially didn’t want to talk about it. He left his pod altogether, with a note saying he was going to meditate in his secret retreat for a week or two, meaning yoga class was canceled and any troll that needed life guidance should ask his sister Cybil for assistance.

But just before the guru troll could make it out of the village square with his knapsack full of supplies for the trip, one of the twins shot him a glare that could rival the gray troll’s usual scowl.

And that was when the really nasty rumors began.

“I bet that grey troll was jealous of Creek’s popularity and told a deep dark secret to get him kicked out of the group. Daisy heard Biggie crying over a friend keeping secrets.” One friend whispered to another over brunch.

“No way! He may be a grumpy guy, but no troll is that terrible! And besides, what could so bad that Creek would be thrown out the tree?”

“Well you know what I heard?” A third troll interrupted the duo, seating herself beside them.

“Creek was shouting about ‘loving him’. Alice thinks two of them liked the same troll and had a fight.”

“Really?!”

“No way! Who?!”

“Five cupcakes says it’s Guy Diamond they fought over; he’s the cutest after Creek.”

“Or maybe they were fighting over Creek all along! And they kicked him out when he wouldn’t choose either one.”

“Ooooh, good theory!”

“That explains Satin’s glaring, I bet she’s one of the girl’s that confessed!”

“You guys got it all wrong!” A fourth troll made his way over, hearing enough of their conversation to share his two cents. “It’s obviously Chenille.”

“Chenille? Why Ethe?”

“Because Satin is protective of her twin, and Chenille completely ignored Creek when they passed by, but she had a really pained look on her.”

“But I thought she was interested in the DJ.”

“And besides, I heard the princess stayed with her dad that night! Girls’ got an obvious crush on Creek, and the Snack Pack are super protective of her!”

The more this small group of trolls gossiped, the more other trolls heard. Theories were spread left and right, and many held on to what they believed was the truth. Some say the princess exiled Creek for not accepting her love, some think the group was petty fighting over who threw the best parties. There was even a rumor that Suki caused the rift, and that’s why the princess was only talking to said girl, as Poppy was always trying to help those who need it most.

No matter what trolls believed, it was an ugly mess, and it wasn’t long before the Snack Pack heard a good many of the rumors themselves.

“Okay,” Satin slammed her fist on the table, “this is out of control. A troll just straight up walked up to us asked if both of us were dating Guy!”

“It was so embarrassing!” Chenille covered her face. “Mother even lectured us forever about sharing the same boy! Like, gross!”

“And someone really hurt Biggie’s feelings, accusing him of throwing Creek out the tree!” Smidge patted the big guy next to her. “Straighten them out myself. Biggie wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”

“I dunno, it’s not too bad on my end,” Guy Diamond leaned back. “Did ya hear about the one where all of you guys were brawling over my affections? I knew I was so irresistible, hehe.” He fell backward when Smidge harshly kicked the leg of his chair.

“So,” Biggie sniffled, holding onto Mr. Dinkles like a lifeline, “Are Poppy and Suki coming?”

“Who knows.” Chenille rested her head on the table, strumming. “Suks said she’ll talk to Poppy. She still feels so bad about everything, she hasn’t even done story time with the kids yesterday.”

“And Cooper?”

“Trying to get Branch out. Popps does it better, but of course she's avoiding him, too.”

Silence lingered for a minute.

“Hey…do you really think Creek was right about-?“

“Heck NO!” Satin angrily interrupted. “He was just saying whatever it took to save his sorry behind. The nerve of him, trying to pull the blame on Poppy.”

“Jerkface.” Guy Diamond agreed.

“Snake.” Smidge grumbled.

Fuzzbert mumbled something not appropriate to repeat.

Despite their harsh words, there was an underlying tone of sadness.

“Don’t forget two-faced, lying cretin.” A voice said by the door. Both Poppy and Suki had entered the pod quietly.

Suki smiled sadly. “Knock-knock.”

“Hey guys.” Poppy forced a smile, but kept her gaze downcast.

Imagine her shock when the whole lot sprung out of their seats to hug the two girls.

“We missed you!”

“You’re alive!”

“Are you eating healthy? How many fudge sundaes have you had last Sunday?”

Poppy stood quietly for a moment, then gave a weak laugh. “I missed you guys, too. And five, for your information.”

“D-d-don’t’t ever l-leave ag-gain!” Biggie sobbed, crushing them all on one big embrace.

“I told you they weren’t mad,” Suki leaned towards the pink troll knowingly.

“Yeah, you did.” Poppy nodded.

Once they’ve all settled back down, Poppy spoke up again. “So…rumor has it there’s been a lot of talk.”

“Girlfriend, you think?” With a snap of their fingers, Fuzzbert spat out a whole journal that slid right in front of the princess. She skimmed over the pages, noting it was filled to last page, with extra loose leaf pages stuck to the back cover. “Yikes!”

“Yikes, indeed. At least half of them involve you and Creek.”

Poppy read over a random passage. “Poppy exiles Creek when he tries to break off their relationship to run off with his secret lover…” She couldn’t say that last name, it was too soon. “Seriously?”

“You have lousy neighbors, Popps.”

“I don’t like the idea of sharing our private lives with the whole village, but when can fix this if we, you know, tell them the truth.”

“I dunno, Creek’s not here. It’d be like talking behind his back.”

“Serves him right! Picking on babies, lying, and blaming everyone but himself! Let’s drag him to the ground!”

“That’s really mean, guys, maybe he feels bad. And besides…he’s right about me.”

“Poppy!”

“Im just saying, I favored…Branch too much, I pushed Creek into doing something he wasn't ready for, I made-“

“Don’t. Even. Popps, if this is about what he said, it’s obvious he was trying to get to your head, to make you believe it’s your fault.”

“Yeah, just because you fell out of your crush on Creek, he’s got some crazy delusion it means you’re paying more attention to Branch ‘cause you’ve moved on!”

“Yeah, you’re only trying to help the guy, that’s just how nice you are. Creek must've been jealous and reacted pretty badly from it.”

While there words were meant to be reassuring, it only made the inner turmoil inside Poppy stronger. She had been so certain she had fallen for Branch that it hurt her just to think how much he despises her now. She hadn’t gone grey from it, but she certainly didn’t feel a happy glow anymore.

I’m so confused now; do I really love him, or am I just being nice? Is it just Creek getting into my head to make me feel bad? I mean, sure I put in extra effort to try to make him happy…And he makes me feel strange things inside…

Snapping back to reality, she realized their worried stares. She'd been in la la land while they’ve been expecting her to say something.

She reached into her hair and took out a note she had received the morning after their sleepover.

“What’s that?”

“An apology letter from Creek.” She glanced through the words she had read many times over by now. “He’s feels really sorry; I wish I could talk to him about this.”

“Let us see that!” The twins held out their hands, and Poppy handed it over to them.

They analyzed each word in great detail.

“Find it in your heart to forgive…” Chenille read out loud.

“Didn’t mean to speak such accusations…”

“Meditating over my inexcusable actions…”

“Give us all time to cool off and calm our auras…HAH! Some apology letter!” Satin angrily crumbled the piece of paper.

Poppy gasped. “Satin! I know your upset-“

“Listen Popps, the only thing I see he’s sorry for is that he got caught, and that he lost his chances with you!” Satin spat.

“I agree! Nothing here about hurting an innocent child-“

“OR actually saying ‘sorry’-“

“OR showing remorse for lying-“

“OR forcing you and Suki from telling the truth-“

“Not even any regret for anything he said to Branch!”

“This ‘apology’ is absolute garbage!” They said in unison.

"Well...maybe he wrote it in a haste and couldn't say everything he wanted! Maybe he's waiting until he can think straight to talk about it! Maybe...maybe..." Poppy trailed off; she's sure that despite Creek's attitude lately, there's something more going on beneath the surface, something he's not saying. He deserves that chance, at least. "Look, let me confront him when he gets back first, then judge him all you want."

"Hmph!" Satin crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. "As far as Im concerned, he better be ready to grovel to change my mind." Chenille followed suit with her sister, although reluctantly.

"Me too!" Smidge agreed, followed by the rest.

While they chattered on about how they're lives were going, Chenille decided to approach Suki.

"Hey Sooks," the blue twin's voice was nervous and barely audible enough to catch the DJ's attention, even with her headphones down.

"Oh, hey." Suki greeted just as nervously.

An awkward silence fell between them, until Suki managed to speak up again.

"So..." 

"So...glad to see you again!"

"Me, too." Suki chuckled.

Chenille looked down, shuffling her feet. "Umm, maybe we can talk about something...privately." She whispered the last part.

Glancing towards the others, who were busy discussing various topics, Suki nodded.

They left the pod after Chenille asked her sister if they could separate for a while.

"Where are they going?" Smidge nudged Fuzzbert.

(One word: confessing.)

"You think?" Smidge gasped. The fuzzling nodded.

(Definitely.)

 ______________

Branch was just minding his business, making his new bunker, when suddenly a shout from behind him made him jump in fright.

"Ahh!" Before he could react, someone collided with him. Thankfully, it was smaller than him, and clearly young, so he knew it couldn't be a predator, or at least not a very smart one.

"Ow!" It was another troll, in fact. She had toppled him over and ended up on his back.

"Sorrwee!" Scrambling off the other, the girl troll crouched down to get a good look at him. Lifting his head up, he saw that their noses were now practically touching.

"Haven't you ever heard of personal space?" He snapped at her, pushing her away. 

She gave another squeak as she landed on her back. She laughed it off, as if this was some sort of game.

Back on her feet and wiping specks of dust from her dress, she looked back up at him, and he looked at her. She was all pink, the dumbest color in existence. She had a red dress and a headband with a small blue flower. "Hey, you're Branch!"

His eyes widened, his face flushed. "You...you know my name?" Who was this girl?

"Uh huh, I'm learning everyone's names!" The pink brat proudly said.

"That's not possible." He grumbled.

"Yes it is! And as a princess, I want to make everyone happy and help them when they have problems, so I'm gonna learn everyone's names and birthdays and favorite cupcake!"

Princess? Princess Poppy! What was she doing out here in the forest? Better yet, why was she here in his new bunker?

But he didn't voice these questions. Instead, he scoffed. "Yeah...good luck with that."

She smiled at him, then remembered where she was. "Hey Branch, did you fall into this hole, too?"

"No, dummy, I made this hole!" He showed her a shovel that he has dropped on the ground when she came barreling in. "I was digging it up until you hit me!"

"Oh, that's good, so we're not stuck then!"

"Tch, of course not! Like I'd ever put myself in danger like that." He pointed towards the dirt slope that she had rolled down from. "There's the exit, I got a lot of work to do, so scram!" He went back to shoveling dirt into a wheelbarrow.

But she didn't leave, instead approached closer to him. "Watch'ya doing?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "If you must know, I'm gonna make a bunker."

"A buuunker? I never heard of that!"

"Of course you haven't" He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Not like some empty-headed brat would understand how to protect themself from the dangers lurking out there. Watching, waiting, listening. His ears twitched when he said that, making her giggle at the funny action.

Then she remembered something. "Hey Branch."

"Go away."

"Is this why you ran away from the orphan pod? To make a uh, a uh, buuunkeer?"

"I did NOT run away!" He snapped, dropping his shovel to face the young girl. "That place was a cage! Everyone was always trying to hug me, or play with me, or adopt me!" He recoiled in disgust at the thought of the last one; he didn't need a new family! He doesn't want one!

Poppy tilted her head. "You don't like to hug or play?"

Was that really all she heard, all she cared about?

"Absolutely not!" He glared at her, hoping to scare her off.

"How about singing?" She didn't seem fazed, unfortunately.

"If you even think about singing in here I'll throw you out right now." 

She put her hand on her chin in thought. "So you don't like hugging, or singing, or playing...maybe dancing?"

"Nope, none of that either."

"Then what do you like to do for fun?"

"I don't have fun."

She gasped. "You don't?!" She made it sound like it was the worst possible thing in the world.

"Nope."

"But then what do you do with your friends?"

"I don't have friends." He replied curtly, and once again went back to shoveling.

Poppy was stunned. "No friends?! That's awful! Everyone needs a friend!" Then she had a brilliant idea. "Hey Branch, I'll be your friend!"

With a deep sigh, he stoped digging once more, faced her, grabbed her wrist, and began dragging her towards the exit.

Once outside, he let go of her and stepped back. "Go home, you've bothered me enough!"

But when he turned around to leave he felt a tugging on the strap of his overalls. "Branch, didn't you hear me? I said I'll be your friend!"

"I heard you the first time; no thanks."

"No...thanks?" The bratty princess didn't seem to get it, as if it was impossible for him to reject her. "But you'll be lonely!"

"Exactly!" He nodded. He tried to leave again, now that she finally got the idea, but still she clutched on. "Let go of my shorts."

She held on firmly. "Not until you say you'll be my friend!" She wasn't used to rejection, apparently. What a spoiled, selfish princess!

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know that word!"

"Let. Go. NOW"

"No! I'm gonna be your friend so you'll have at least one!"

"I don't want one!"

"Then two! My friend Creek will be your friend, too!"

"Get off me dummy!" He tried to escape, but the princess still held on and sat down so he would be forced to drag her entire weight.

"I'm your friend!" 

"Fine!" He snapped. "You're my friend, but just you! Now let go of me!"

"Okay!" She happily released her hold on him. He yelped and tumbled a little.

"Happy now?" He grumbled, spitting out a mouthful of dirt.

"Yay! I have a new friend!" Poppy exclaimed happily. The idiot clearly didn't seem to understand that you can't force another to be their friend. But whatever, hopefully she'll forget about this if he stayed away from the village long enough. After all, it would probably be a few more years before the trolls stop trying to capture him to bring him back to that death trap of a village, so he had no plans going near the place until then.

And just then, a ping came from out of nowhere. He recognized it as the sound those super tiny flowers nearby made every single hour. But last he recall, he made sure to place his bunker away from those noisy, trouble-making flowers.

"It's hug time!" Poppy practically screamed with joy. Without hesitation, she jumped on his back to hug him. He had just got back up and now he was lying on the dirt again.

_______

Branch held the felted rose Poppy had weaved into his hair a few days ago. The color was just like that dress she wore the first time she invaded his bunker and declared him her friend. No matter how hard he tried, his mind went back to Poppy. Everything reminded him of Poppy. The garish green vase she once gave him as a birthday gift to liven up his bunker, a quilt she made when she realized he didn't own a blanket, a pretty shell she brought from her first trip to the lake.

Poppy, Poppy, Poppy.

Don't get him wrong; the agonizing, torturous feelings of love was gone and good. But still...

He missed her.

Sure there's been times when he doesn't see anyone for weeks on end, especially on his trips for rare plants. So he was used to not seeing her for long periods of time.

And it was absolutely necessary to cut her off from his life, as he could only cause her trouble in the long run, and vice versa. But still...

He missed her.

Puzzle decided he has enough of his caretaker’s moping and gave the grey troll a good hard whack with his pebble.

“OW!!! The heck, Puzzle?” Abruptly brought out of his thoughts. Branch rubbed his nose and glared at the trolling, who defiantly crossed his arms and glared back.

It lasted a minute before Branch gave up the battle of glares and sighed. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m just…not ready to go out.” He felt pretty awful, he knew he was neglecting Puzzle’s needs to socialize with other trolls, again, given the recent turn of events.

Puzzle eventually uncrossed his arms and held them out to be picked up. Once Branch had the trolling in his arms, he resettled back onto the worn couch, quietly enjoying the comfort the child offered, but again feeling like he’s failing as a parent; he should be one providing a shoulder to cry on, not the other way around.

“You deserve better than me.” Branch sighed again, holding the child gently. Puzzle shook his head and hugged tighter.

As true as it was, the idea of giving away Puzzle to a more loving family just didn't seem right to Branch now. He was emotionally attached and couldn't bear the thought of losing his kid. Especially not after hearing how CREEP handled Puzzle. Damn that treacherous troll!

He needs to move on; it was time to forget about Poppy; she has a much brighter future ahead of her and doesn't need his constant negativity anyway. And he could focus solely on raising Puzzle to a perfect, well rounded troll; sociable, happy, but also cautious and fully capable of surviving the dangerous world out there.

Branch decided he had enough moping around, he had enough hiding in his bunker. He missed his appointment with Dr. Plum and needs to go see her pronto. He needs to find a new, reliable babysitter to replace Poppy, preferably an experienced caretaker that wont go handing off Puzzle to bad trolls like CREEP.

And he should probably answer Cooper’s insistent knocking.

Branch got up and gave the trolling a small smile. “Come on, how about a walk around the village?” Puzzle was immediately bursting with excitement. Finally they were leaving the stuffy bunker again!

Meanwhile, Cooper lied exhausted by the doormat, pulling all his efforts to raise his leg up, letting gravity do the rest of the work to slam on the entrance with a bang. He’s been doing this for the last few days, at least three times a day, with no response. 

“Branch…if you’re…in there…answer…the door,” Cooper panted. He wish he could ask Poppy how to get Branch to come out, but Poppy and the Snack Pack have been giving each other space, refusing to hang out or talk, avoiding each other in public. It’s driving Cooper nuts!

Branch hadn't realized Cooper would be right on top of the mat, so when it opened underneath the other troll, it lead to them bumping heads.

Rubbing his sore spot, Cooper shouted happily. "Finally! You're out!" He jumped for joy, he managed to get Branch out!

"Hey." Branch grumbled, shifting Puzzle back to his hip. "Sorry, was there something you needed?" He felt a little guilty leaving Cooper knocking on his door for days. 

"Nah, just checkin' on you. I know our last party left you bummed and we we're worried."

"We?"

"Your friends, duh!"

Branch wondered if they were really friends or if Cooper didn't realized the gravity of the situation. After all, they were Poppy's friends first, and now he's no longer on speaking terms with her. "Cooper...I don't think...we should consider ourselves friends."

Cooper's happy, goofy smile faltered. "But we had fun before!"

"I know, but...look, I'm going through some things, and I really need space." By the hair, was this really happening? Was he really forced to explain this?

Cooper whimpered as if someone had just kicked his behind. "You're breaking up with us?"

Branch facepalmed. He did not just say it like that.

"No, look, I appreciate that you care, but I'm still upset and maybe it's best to keep my distance until..." He paused. Surely the Snack Pack were told about his and Poppy's falling out, but maybe Cooper hadn't understood before. 

"Until Creek comes back and apologizes?" Cooper suggested.

"No, l mean - wait, where'd Creep go?"

So Cooper explained everything he knew; about the Snack Pack keeping their distance from each other, about Creek leaving to meditate for a week, about the rumors going around the village. And of course, how sad Poppy is.

"She didn't say nothing about what she talked to you about when you left, and now no one ever sees her anymore." Cooper exclaimed as they walked through the village. 

And of course, Branch's sensitive ears picked up a good amount of the gossip around them.

"Those two are together..."

"Then Creek is definitely out of the group..."

"But Branch? Sure he's been a little nicer lately, but..."

So the village heard enough to come up with their own conclusions, but didn't know the full story.

"Haven't you heard the rumors."

What a mess.

And one he didn't have time for.

______

Cooper bid goodbye to find his friends and tell Suki his mission was successful, while Branch entered the lavender pod that doubled as Dr. Plum's home and office.

"Oh Branch! Goodness, I've been hoping you'd show up!" Dr. Plum looked more than pleased to see the grey troll and his child.

"Hey Dr. Plum Plimsy, sorry I missed our appointment." He mumbled, and thanked her after she took out a chair for him. Puzzle bounced on his lap, happy and curious.

"No worries, my boy, better late than never!" She smiled sweetly, and from her hair immediately took out a pad of various stickers. Puzzle squealed happily and accepted the gift. "Of course, I've been itching to tell you something since the results came in."

"The results!" Of course, that was the whole reason he was here for! "So was is it? Is everything okay?" He was worried, especially if Dr. Plum had been wanting to get a hold of him.

"Calm yourself, Branch. In fact, Puzzle is in perfect health. No abnormalities at all inside him."

Branch blinked. Nothing is wrong? "Okay, that was all you wanted to tell me?" And it didn't even solve their dilemma.

"Nope, and I know what you're thinking, so I'm here to tell you: I believe I know why Puzzle hasn't spoken yet."

"You do?!" Branch nearly shot from his seat, a strange giddy feeling rumbling in his chest. Puzzle was too distracted decorating his and his caretaker's faces with stickers.

"Indeed." Dr. Plum nodded. "If you'll just wait a moment, I have a few things I need to grab before I discuss anything further with you."

"Of course, I'll be right here."

"Great, I'll be back in just a moment." Dr. Plum left her pod, leaving Branch swimming with thoughts.

She's found something! And she doesn't seem concerned! That's good, right? I hope it is, I need answers but I don't really want any bad news. Branch nearly got his eye poked out when Puzzle tried to place a blueberry sticker on his eyelid. He patted the kid on the head absentmindedly.

Dr. Plum returned from the pod that stored patient documents, holding a bright teal journal containing Puzzle’s records, as well as a few other similar books.

“Puzzle is developing perfectly: healthy weight, good reflexes and hand-eye coordination, excellent hearing, a little stronger than usual, no abnormalities at birth. Overall, in perfect health.”

“Except he’s not speaking,” Branch reminded her, “He should’ve said his first word a month and a half ago, but he hasn’t said anything coherent.”

“And as I’ve heard from Buttercup, quite intelligent for his age, despite his inability to speak.” Dr. Plum nodded. “Which leads me to what I wanted to speak to you. As I recall, you’ve mention reading up on child development.”

“Thoroughly, and repeatedly,” Branch confirmed, “but nothing explains this!”

“Perhaps for a rainbow troll, but every subspecies of trolls have minute differences.” She drew out one of the books she had brought over, skimming through the pages. “Giant trolls, for example, are born larger, take slightly longer to fully develop in the pod, and require more nuts and oils in their diet. The textbook should go into detail for each type.”

“I’ve read those passages, just in case.” Branch had no clue what Dr. Plum was getting at. “But I know for sure Puzzle isn’t a giant troll, or a teacup, a glitter, a gem, a fuzzling, or a trollimal. What else could he be but rainbow?”

“Have you considered the possibility that he’s an entirely new subspecies we've haven’t seen before?”

That had Branch pausing for a while, staring at his child bewildered. Said trolling stared up at him as well, sticking a ladybug sticker on his large purple-grey nose.

“A…new subspecies?” No, Branch had definitely not even thought of that. “I don’t understand, how is that possible?”

“It’s just a theory, I don’t have any absolute proof to back it up. But it would make sense; If Puzzle is a subspecies belonging to the central village tree, it perfectly explains why the tree was able to create him without…you know, you needing a partner or a seed to plant him. That was only possible in our original troll tree.” She skimmed though another book. "Not to mention, it's not the first time we've heard of a new subspecies before; the llama trolls that the trollimals originate from came from another tree, after all."

The more Branch thought about it, the more imaginable it was. “I…don’t believe it.”

“And,” she continued, opening up Puzzle’s teal medical book and scribbling something. “It could mean slight differences in his development as well. The nutrition journal you’ve been keeping up with shows a higher diet in nuts, the same thing that giant trolls need to form stronger limbs, which might explain his unusual strength.”

“He…loves acorn and chestnut pudding, and almond-based milk over soybean.”

“Well there you go; he knew what he needed before even you did. If he's a different subspecies, and he sure looks the part, he might have differences in development. It’s probably safe to say he’ll be speaking soon enough.”

Branch’s eyes widened. “All that worrying then…for nothing?”

“Sure thing, ol’ chum!” Dr. Plum nodded. "Well, now you might have to worry about documenting his growth."

He shook his head. “No, you don’t get it; I thought something had to be wrong if he wasn’t talking, that something didn’t form right, or he was sick, that it could affect him for life!”

Dr. Plum began to worry when the tears started rolling down. The sudden laughter, so unnatural coming from the grey troll, made her jump in fright. "Um, do you need help with anything?"

"No," Branch smiled with a face covered in stickers, "Everything is just fine." He hugged Puzzle firmly. The trolling was more than happy to recieve.

"Keep in mind, it's still a theory with very little to support it," Dr. Plum reminded the grey troll, but he was too far gone in the strange, brief feeling of relief and happiness.

Quite the puzzle they both were.

______

By Dr. Plum's suggestion, he seeked out Karma for assistance. After all, if anyone could figure out Puzzle, it would be her.

“Remarkable!” Karma inspected Puzzle with her magnifying goggles. “I’ve theorized that he must be an albino troll, but what Dr. Plum believes fills in all the gaps in my logic perfectly. THIS IS AMAZING!!!” She lifted up the young troll high before Branch could stop her, swinging him around. “A brand new subspecies! This opens a whole new venture to discover!”

“Careful, give him back!” Branch snapped, grabbing Puzzle protectively as soon as he had the chance. He had to back away when Karma leaned far too close for comfort.

“Think about it Branch! We could learn so much from him, answer so many questions about our own origins! How troll trees come to exist! How different species form! There’s so much we could uncover with enough research and observation! Oh, I HAVE to get my uncles in on this! They’ll be so excited!”

Without warning, she embraced the grey troll, and he was immediately uncomfortable, it wasn’t even hug time! Puzzle was a giggling mess, taking a liking to the funny troll.

“Let go. Now.”

“Woah, sorry!” Karma jumped away and laughed. “Sometimes I go overboard when I find something new to discover.”

“Well, let’s get a few things straight,” Branch began to list a set of rules. “First of all, no unnecessary hugging or singing, got it?”

“Oh yeah, sure, no worries,” Karma nodded, “I’ll be way too busy taking notes most of the time.” For emphasis, she took out a fresh notepad.

“Good. Second of all, no dangerous experiments. And third-“

“Define ‘dangerous.’”

“Third of all, I must be present at all times, approve of everything beforehand, and have the final say on all matters. I will decide whats dangerous and whats not.” He was already starting to get a little worried about dealing with this troll.

“Sure, sure, no worries, I promise not to get out of hand!” And with the click of a pen, she was ready to write. “So starting with a few easy questions: what personal and intimate engagements did you partake in before Puzzle’s conception and where?”

Branch was regretting this.

__________

Creek returned in the break of dawn when most trolls were still slumbering away. For good measure, he took the long route to his pod, and made no effort to greet any passerbys to avoid bringing attention to himself.

Funny how he spent most of his life wanting to be in the limelight, and now he’s avoiding it.

Meditating by the waterfall hadn’t done a lick for him. He found it too hard to concentrate; different scenarios of what he should’ve done instead played in his mind on repeat. Yoga was just as fruitless; his troubled mind made him stumble through even the simplest poses to the point of frustration.

So he left earlier than planned, and hoped things have quieted down that he doesn’t have to worry about certain trolls trying to wring his neck.

He nearly had a heart attack when he opened his entryway and there was his sister floating in the center of his main room.

“Cybil!”

“Welcome home, little brother.” She continued to meditate in the air, not even giving a passing glance to the troll below. Her usual calm, peaceful smile rested into a thin line. The fact she purposely hid her aura solidified her intentions of greeting him when his mental walls were down.

He could practically hear the disappointment.

Defeated, he approached until he faced her, sitting cross-legged, and mimicked her stance. She met him on the ground, the floating effect having done it’s purpose to remind Creek of her status above him, and was no longer necessary.

They sat there silently for a long period of time. The message was clear: he must bring up the issue himself.

After nearly an hour of silence, he finally said, in a whisper: “I made a horrible mistake.”

“That you did.”

“I was reckless, I let my anger get the better of me, I let my fear of judgement and my ego rule my actions, I-“ He began to choke, his voice cracked. “I hurt trolls I care about.”

Cybil ended her meditation, and finally looked at her brother. His shoulders haunched, his face dirty from living outdoors for the past few days, and wrinkled from worry lines and baggy eyes. His hair that he prized most of all had been kept neat, but frayed from the lack of access to conditioner.

"As far as I'm aware, I have not heard the full truth of the matter." Cybil paused for a moment. "What happened, Creek?"

There was no point in lying to Cybil, ever, even if he had wanted to. Which he didn't, he could trust Cybil more than he could ever trust himself.

So he told her everything.

Everything. 

"Oh Creek," Cybil sighed. "I thought you were over this."

Creek glared. "No, I just hid it better."

"The bitterness in your heart-"

"Is Branch's fault!"

"Is misdirected onto a troll too wrapped up in his own demons," Cybil gave him a sad look. "He's not even aware that you-"

"Please." The gravity in Creek's voice shut her quick. "Just...don't say it out loud."

"You have to let it go someday. Mother and father-"

"Don't care." He growled. "They never did." 

"Let it go, Creek. This hurts you more than it will ever hurt him. You've already isolated your friendships, the village speaks ill of you even without knowledge of the situation, and he has a child to raise."

"Matters not." Creek stood up and approached the windowsill. "I'll fix this mess soon enough. Everything will go back to normal, all will be forgiven, and I won't be replaced."

The mere thought of young Branch, blue and happy and smiling seemingly innocent at the both of them, was enough to leave a foul taste in his mouth. "I won't let it happen again. I am NOT replaceable."

"Oh Creek." There was nothing Cybil could do to convince her brother otherwise; she would need a new tactic before things get out of hand.

Creek didn't seem to hear her, too focused on his own thoughts.

"Bless your soul you've got your head in the clouds,

You made a fool out of me,

And, boy, you're bringing me down,

You made my heart melt, yet I'm cold to the core."

Now rumor has it she ain't got your love anymore.

Chapter Text

The greenhouse was a large, mostly glass building that housed a variety of plants for the village’s use; a few of them tropical or exotic fruits that they’ve managed to miniaturized for convenience, such as coconuts. It also housed a few singing flowers that were typically planted all over the village and outskirts to act as background vocalists for the trolls, which Branch personally believed was both a waste of space and a beckoning signal to predators.

Housed at the back of the building was a decent-sized room that was primarily used as a laboratory, and occasionally for herbalist lessons. The Treehugger family in particular used this space to breed hybrids and study new vegetation. It was here that Karma set up a large whiteboard full of pictures, diagrams, and detailed notes, all for the lecture she was about to give.

Branch of course was a little too focused on the enormous stack of books that nearly covered every inch of the long table. He opened up the cover of one to confirm his suspicions; eight weeks overdue. “Does the librarian know you have all these here?”

“Off subject, but not to worry, she’ll only ban me for a week once I’ve return them.”

That was definitely not the main concern here. “Which will be...?”

“Moving on,” She used a long cane to point at the top left corner of the whiteboard, an imagery off trollimals and llama-like trolls around a tree with orange leaves. “As you know, trollimals derived from a traveling group of llama-like trolls from another tree, some of whom remained behind. However, it took nearly fifty years before they’ve developed a steady rate of pods that would bloomed in our original Troll Tree, which led us to believe the tree tried to reject foreign pods that were planted, and eventually accepted them as native the more the trollimals integrated to our society and formed a stronger connection to our tree.”

Branch blinked slowly, already bored and unimpressed. “Why is this important again?”

“We’re trying to prove a theory, Branch!” Karma exclaimed, a little to excited. “It’s in fact the very basis of which we decided to escape our Troll Tree in the first place; no one wanted to leave if we couldn’t prove we can thrive in a new tree, and it took years of scouting the entire forest to find the right set of trees that could do so!”

“...Okay.” His eyes were drooping at this point.

“Now picture this,” He didn’t really need to, she had drawn out for him on the board. “When our original Troll Tree was still a very young sapling, we grew our newborn pods on the tree, but couldn’t live amongst them ourselves. So where did we live?”

He sighed, knowing the lesson by heart, just like any other troll that heard the tale of The Little Sapling. “In mushroom-“

“Mushroom houses!” Karma jumped excitedly, “around the base of the tree!”

He yawned, “And fungi form a mutual relationship with tree roots providing nutrients that are absorbed, therefore creating the connection between tree and troll as well.”

Karma blinked. “Thats...exactly right. You’ve read Flora and Fauna of Rainbow Woods by Professor Peppermint?”

“I’ve read a lot of things in my life,” Another yawn escaped him. “So the point of this history lesson again?”

“Well thanks to Dr. Plum, I believe to have come up with a theory to explain the exact origins of the very first Blank Troll!”

“We’re not calling him a Blank Troll. Period.”

“Karma Troll?”

“And were not naming him after you.” He shot a warning glare.

“...Brama?”

“...”

“See it’s both our names mush-“

“No.”

“We’ll discuss the matter later.” Just then a paper airplane twirled around the air before fluttering straight into Karma’s hair. Taking it out, she unfolded the piece of paper and gasped. “A page from Troll Gardening Magic!” She leered at the culprits. “Dude!”

Puzzle snickered mischievously. Branch groaned, reaching inside his hair before finally managing to get a hold of not just the book in question, but a few origami flowers and bugs as well, made entirely from the pages of said book.

“He...learned it from Rajiv.”

“You’re returning that one to the library,” She grumbled.

-

Karma smoothed the creases as best as she could and carefully taped the pages back in position; it wasn’t seamless, but should hold in place. By her request, Branch dropped off Puzzle at the daycare as she did so.

“Continuing on,” she began again, “My theory is that, despite your previous insistence that you’ve never formed such a connection to the trees in the village itself, you must have been living among their roots all along, given that you live underground.”

“That makes sense, except my bunker is a good fourty feet from the tree, there’s no way the roots reached all that way.”

“You never know, some tree species can extend pretty far. But we’re going to find out, one way or another, thanks to these!” Karma took the top off a large blank box that had been sitting next to her the entire time. From out of the box she revealed a pair of gloves with claw-like spades in each digit, as well as a few gears and buttons with functions Branch could not imagine. “Ta da! These are, in fact, the very same gloves that helped us create the tunnels under the Troll Tree! My uncles fixed these last night after I told them my plan. The claws are designed like a mole’s. They should dig out a tunnel in no time! They’re automatic with the push of a button, so all we have to do is hold our arms out and let the claws do their job!”

Oh.

Uh oh.

He did not like where this was going.

“You’re not planning...?”

“So to prove my theory, we must first find the root leading to your bunker, by digging it out!”

“No!” Branch stood up from his chair. And slammed his fists on the table.

Karma blinked, nearly dropping the gloves. “What do you mean ‘no?’”

“We are NOT turning my home into swiss cheese for your stupid theory!”

“Bu-But,” At this point, she looked downright heartbroken, “No, no, you can’t say no, we’re so close!”

“I can, and I will, and if we’re done here I’d like to go get my kid back, so goodbye.” He spun around.

Karma got in front of him, pacing backwards so they wouldn’t collide. “Y-you don’t understand, I need this, Branch! This is the discovery of a lifetime, and I can’t let it slip through my fingers!” She tried to insist.

“Tough luck. Find some other way to prove your theory. We agreed I’d make the final decisions here, and I’m not letting you even a foot near my bunker. Good. Bye.” He circled around the green haired troll and walked off, who stared flabbergasted at his backside.

-

She tried to pester him even more about the tunnel.

When he visited the daycare, reading to Puzzle and a few other trollings.

While he was chatting with his acquaintances about the upcoming flower fever season.

After the daycare closed and he volunteered to handle a few of the kids.

“Can’t you see I’m busy with other things in my life?” He snapped at Karma as he shifted Mulberry in one arm while Gooseberry struggled for freedom in the other, all while both Puzzle and Rei poked out of his hair and Fern and Gully ran circles around him shaking tambourines.

“Look, I know we got off the wrong foot, but come on Branch, this is Puzzle’s whole future we’re talking about! What if something happens to him that you can’t solve because you were too scared to take chances?”

“Like what?”

“Like...flower fever season!” She pointed out with a gasp, trying her best to sound horrified, “What If Glowy Trolls are severely susceptible to one the allergens?”

“Puzzle’s daddy,” Gooseberry tugged on the grey troll’s vest, “what’s a Glowy Troll?”

Branch sighed. “Nothing, it doesn’t exist, this is just a crazy troll spouting nonsense and she shouldn’t be trusted.”

That made the two brothers stop in their tracks. “Thats what everyone calls you!”

“Yeah, crazy!” Fern snickered, making a face at his caretaker, before dashing away towards the tree.

Branch gritted his teeth, chasing after the boys before they run off too far.

“I can’t believe it,” Karma sighed, staring down at the ground as she made her way back to her pod, “My one opportunity to put my name in the books and I’m left in a pickle by the most stubborn troll alive.” When her hug time bracelet dinged, she hugged herself rather than search for another troll to do so.

Just before she entered her pod, one of her uncles popped out the one right next to hers, “Hey kiddo, so how was it? If those gloves need any adjustments, let me know!”

“Hey Uncle Mesa,” She greeted without even glancing his direction, then closed the pod behind her.

“Er, I guess not so good?”

She jumped straight into bed, letting a frustrated scream right into the pillow. After a moment, she rolled over to her back. Without missing a beat, she reached out to the nightstand beside the bed and opened it’s lone drawer, taking out the book that was inside.

Flora and Fauna of Rainbow Woods, by Professor Peppermint. A first edition copy even. It was her most prized possession. She opened the cover to the first page; a note addressing all contributors to the book. The page was yellowed with age, and somewhat stiff. She always had to take great care not to damage it too much.

“We honor this publication to those who worked tirelessly and made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of the unknown. Their accomplishments will forever help all troll gain a better understanding of the world around them. This book is dedicated and credited to the late Professor Peppermint, whose field journals played a large role in its creation.” Another passage and a list of other names followed, but it was only Professor Peppermint’s that Karma cared most about.

“Oh mom...” She hugged the old book tight.

-

Poppy sipped the tea offered to her, a blend of orange peel and hibiscus. “This is fantastic, Creek!”

“Why thank you,” Creek set a plate down in front of her. “Care for a few sandwich squares?”

“Don’t mind if I do!” She grabbed three and scarfed them down in one go. Creek took the opportunity to refill her cup as she set it back into it’s saucer. “Thanks, bud! Mmm, is this strawberry and rhubarb jelly with a slice of watermelon?”

“Your favorite! Boop!” He poked her nose, causing her to smile back at him.

It was just like before all the drama; casual, friendly, calm, soothing. The incense that wafted through the pod certainly helped to wash away Poppy’s worries.

“So Poppy,” Creek twiddled his thumbs, avoiding her gaze shyly, “I just wanted to, once again, give my most heartfelt apologies for my inexcusable behavior the other night.”

Poppy slowly dropped the sandwich she had been midway from eating. “Yeah...that’s okay, Creek, of course I forgive you!”

He practically beamed at her. “Oh, I knew you would! Thank you Poppy!” He got up his chair to give her a warm embrace.

“But,” Poppy stopped him just before he go any further. “You’ll still have to make the others forgive you. Satin and Smidge especially.”

“Of course,” Creek nodded, smiling, “I understand they may have their reservations, but I hope to mend our bonds when they feel ready to.”

And sweep this whole thing under the rug.

“And,” He kneeled down next to her, tenderly taking one of her hands in both of his, “I can not forget to personally apologize to you for my rather cruel accusations.”

“Oh,” Poppy giggled nervously behind her other hand, “no worries about that.”

“I mean it, of course it was silly of myself to think you’d favor that...good ol’ friend of ours. It’s in your nature to put in so much effort on someone so...on those who need it most!” He corrected himself. “Why, the very thought I’d be so jealous that it had clouded my judgement is downright embarrassing!” He laughed it off.

“Haha, yeah...”

“But not to worry, love,” He let go of her hand, “I promise never to be so selfish as to come between you and your charity cases ever again. After all, a good princess spreads kindness to all her people.”

“Of course.” She nodded automatically.

His smile waved just a little. “Is there a problem, my dear friend? You’ve hardly said a thing this entire exchange.”

“Oh! I’m peachy!” Poppy cleared her throat, “And hey, while we’re on the subject of Branch...”

He had to downright force his smile to stay present.

“You do know you’re gonna have to apologize to him, you know?”

And there went his smile. “Oh, well...that may be quite complicated.”

“You’re gonna have to, Creek.” She repeated.

“You know how difficult he can be, I’m sure if I keep my distance-“

“Creek,” The tone Poppy used was low, deep and serious. He felt sweat drip down his brow and his mouth dry up just from the intense stare alone. “I mean it. You’re going to have to tell Branch you’re sorry, and you’re going to have to be sincere. If not, then the others wont forgive you, and I’ll take back everything I said.”

He gulped. “My...that’s quite the dilemma.”

Even if he wanted to apologize to that no good, life-ruining beast of a troll, he knew Branch would probably be itching to finish what they started.

She huffed, “There’s no dilemma here. Just apologize, simple as that.” Though honestly, she knew it wasn’t exactly that easy, given the fact Branch hasn’t warmed back up to her either. “Unless you actually don’t mean a thing what you say...”

“Of course I do!” Creek placed a hand on her shoulder. “Poppy, of course I’m willing to try and fix this, not just for my own sake but for our friendship! We’ve been through so much, I’d hate to see it all crumble!”

“I’d...hate that, too.” Poppy just couldn’t imagine going on without one of her best friends by her side. She’s never had to end a friendship before; how do you even do that? Pretend they’re not around? That sounded cruel. “I’ll tell you what, Creek, I’ll be right by your side the entire time, and we can both tell Branch we’re sorry together.” She gave the hand on her shoulder a squeeze.

Creek calmed down, happy to see that things were going right after all. “Thank you, Poppy, this means so much to me.”

There was just a moment of silence before Poppy spoke up again. “So...now?”

Creek, blinked, and the flutter of nerves flared up again. “Now?”

“Yes Creek, the sooner the better!”

“Well, erm...” If Creek had a shirt, he’d be tugging at the collar, “I suppose, if he happens to be around town. We wouldn’t want to disturb him in his charming little home, would we?”

“Then let’s find out!” Poppy jumped to her feet and held on to his hand.

“Wait, love! The villagers! Everyone will see me!” He protested, to no avail, as he was dragged out from the privacy of his pod.

_

Branch felt like every time he set foot in the village, he’d get suck into some kind of sinkhole trapping him there for longer than he ever wanted. Whether it was play dates, babysitting, or the various activities his acquaintances suggested, every moment got Branch closer and closer to the breaking point.

He’s still yet to find a balance, after all, between what he needed to do for his child’s sake, and what he actually wanted to do.

Well, he was actually enjoying something, for once. The local artist Opal was a very good instructor for the adult trolls, though he found the specific activity they were doing wasn’t worthwhile for him. Meanwhile, her young daughter Harper went around helping the other kids with their freeform finger painting projects. Puzzle himself was carefully creating a circle of fingerprints.

“Very good, Puzzle! Learning your shapes, I see!” Harper ruffled the sapling’s short shock of hair. He whined as she did so. “Wow, your hair is kind of glossy, I’ve never seen something like it.”

“Mph!” He pouted, shielding his hair from any further intrusions.

Harper gave similar compliments to the other trollings gathered in the center of the room, then made her way towards the back to drop off dirty towels and pick up some clean ones. Making her way back to the kids, her gaze raised upward to Branch’s own easel. “Wow, you’re a great sketcher!”

He grunted a thanks. Rather than the lakeside painting everyone else was doing, he had been redrawing the entire bunker with a new set of future expansions: a storage room just for nuts, and a possible underground garden, though he has no idea how he’ll accomplish that one just yet.

He usually does this at home, but it was quite a different experience in front of other trolls, yet the same. Here was his drawings, exposed to the judgement of other trolls that already thought him insane, yet everyone was too distracted by their own artwork to concern themselves with his own project. Nobody was stopping or criticizing him, and it felt pretty liberating.

“Ahem!”

Well, spoken too soon.

“Mr. Branch, please follow instructions properly.” Opal shook her head before turning the sheet over to a fresh one, then returned to the front of the class. “Now, for the sky we should mix a little of our eggshell blue with the pure white...” She droned on.

“Someday, I’ll have my own art school,” Harper whispered, peeking from behind the easel, “And then everyone can do whatever they feel in their heart.” With that said, she skipped her way over to the children once more.

Now wouldn’t that be something. Branch spent the rest of the class staring at a blank paper.

-

“See you around Branch!” Russell helped his young daughter wave to the grey and white trolls, whom returned the gestures.

Not even a minute passed before Cooper was once again glued to his hip like a parasitic twin. “Yo, bro, what’s up? I didn’t even know you were chillin’ ‘round town!”

“Hey.”

“Bro, wanna check out the skitterboarding scene? Aspen shreds like it’s nobody’s business!”

“Who?”

“Aww man, you’ve haven’t met Aspen? Dude is tight, lemme tell you. He made a move, ‘The Double Rainbow,’ where he leaps tree-to-tree twice in two perfect arcs. He’s also climbed the highest tree peaks in the village. Dude’s an adrenaline junkie, man, you’d like him.”

Branch doubted that, but left Cooper to continue on chatting.

“There he is!” Poppy stopped just short of the middle of the village, dropping Creek like a sack of rocks. “Great, he’s with Cooper. That means he’s still being friendly to the others.” Poppy felt relief, this may be easier than she thought.

“Or Cooper is too stupid to take a hint.” Creek grumbled in the dirt, too low for Poppy to catch. Remembering that they were in public, Creek instantly got up, wiped off the dirt, and combed out the stray strands of hair until he was good was new. From the few stares and whispering among the passing crowd, there was no doubt their presence was causing a scene. It won’t be long before Branch noticed as well.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees that Poppy stood in place, as if frozen in time. “Poppy?”

Poppy returned to reality. “Oh! Yeah, um...you know, why don’t you go first?”

The purple troll nearly took a leap backwards. “Are you kidding, my head will roll! I thought we were in this together!”

“I know, I know,” Poppy rubbed the side of her neck nervously, shooting glances at Branch’s back. “Look, I’ll be right behind you, and if Branch tries anything out of line, I’ll come swooping in, promise!”

“I dunno,” Creek tried his best to compose himself; he was in public, after all. “This can not end well...”

“It will be fine,” Poppy gently shoved him forward, “When have I ever been wrong?”

Every time you try to invite the sourpuss to a party. When your little scheme didn’t pan out perfectly. When you handed me the demon spawn. When you tried to make us friends years ago. He kept these comments to himself, prayed to the troll spirits, and marched straight to his presumed death.

Immediately a dark cloud of pure hatred surrounded Branch’s aura, and Creek secretly hopes with all his might that the crowd of witnesses would keep the grey troll at bay long enough. Instead of running away like the other trolls usually would, most of them stood there, drifting away from the two trolls with a good amount of space, but close enough to listen in. It’s gotten so quiet, in fact, Creek couldn’t remember a time the village was this silent save for when everyone was fast asleep.

So focused on the other trolls, Creek hadn’t noticed just how close he’d come to Branch until the troll gave out a warning growl, like some ferocious beast ready to attack on a whim. This further proved to Creek what a savage this troll is.

The space left between them was the amount of three adult troll widths, yet the edge of Branch’s aura barely grazed the tip of Creek’s nose, the wave of negative energy daring him to be consumed. It was no lie that he found the other troll’s presence to be quite toxic, though he may over exaggerate the truth a little too much. After all, only those taught to read auras would actually feel them this intensely.

Creek let out a deep sigh. “Hello Branch.”

“What do you want?” Branch grunted menacingly.

Geez, can this guy at least try to be civil in front of others?

“Yes, what I want...” Creek cleared his throat, wanting to be heard loud and clearly, “To apologize, for my...unacceptable behavior. I plead your forgiveness on behalf on your little family.” He really did, after all, feel bad for his actions with a child. It wasn’t the kid’s fault his father’s horrendous attitude was rubbing off of him. A proper troll to correct the behavior and set the child on the right path would do the trick.

“Apology not accepted.”

Creek rolled his eyes; like he didn’t expect that. “Of course not,” He clicked his tongue, “Well, can’t say I haven’t tried.” He was just about to turn away and approach Poppy when Branch spoke up once again.

“Apology not accepted, because I can’t exactly recall what you’re apologizing for.”

Dread was already filling up Creek, especially when a very sinister grin graced Branch’s face. The grey troll comically shrugged his shoulders, feigning his lack of understanding. “It’s been a few days, care to remind me what exactly you did wrong?” Branch’s grin spread wider.

“Uh oh,” Cooper backed away. He wasn’t too stupid to not know what was about to happen.

“Oh, well, uhh...you know, we’ve never gotten along before...”

“And why would that be, Creep? Oops, I mean Creek!” Branch snickered under his breath. The fake smile he had plastered to his face fell quickly. “You’re sorry for...?”

“For...” Creek was about ready to choke. The crowd he had hoped would be his saving grace from a mauling turned out to be his downfall. They were already whispering, not even with the decency to keep their comments to themselves.

“Come on, say it,” Branch’s gaze bore into him like never before. “For the whole village to hear.” Had the grey monster always have icy blue eyes? They looked as cold as the troll’s soul.

“For...for...you know it was in a nice cushioned pod, he’d get hurt easier just sneezing himself silly in that dreadful bunker of yours!”

“I couldn’t care less if he was padded head-to-toe in cotton candy; no one messes with my baby, Creek,” Branch’s eye’s narrowed, and whispered the next part so only the guru troll could hear, “And I’m gonna hit you where it hurts the most.”

Creek had to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life: his friendships, or his dignity and reputation? Not apologize and have the Snack Pack hate him, or fully apologize and have the village distrust him? Branch will continue to despise him, either way.

He took a chance glancing over his shoulder, hoping Poppy could take the hint and save him from this wreck. Her head barely peeked our of the small bush she had hidden herself in. She gave him a thumbs up!

Some help she is!

He’s panicking, and he makes very irrational, very STUPID mistakes when he’s panicking! Doesn’t she know that by now?

“Well, Creek?”

The gulp of air Creek had to take in probably made him look like a fish, probably.

“Fine, I’ll admit it!” He spouted off angrily, reputation be damned at this point. “I’m sorry I threw your kid, I’m sorry I made Poppy keep it a secret, I’m sorry I lied in front of the Snack Pack!” The whispering increased in volume. “But you know what, it’s your fault all of that happened!”

“My fault?” Branch growled, arms crossed.

“Yes, you! You’re the meanest, cruelest, most terrible troll in the entire village, and everyone knows that!” Creek spat. There was no going back, there was no meditative exercises to keep him composed; he was going to say what he waited so many YEARS to say. “The others cannot see it, but for a spiritual troll, your aura is so toxic it could hospitalize someone with it’s poison!”

Branch rolled his eyes. Hah! Again with the aura nonsense!

“You’ve mistreated my friends, you’ve mistreated Poppy, and they’ve still had it in them to forgive you, but I’m not so weak hearted! I’ll never forget the time you punched Guy Diamond, or when you mocked Suki for her stutter, or threw every. Single. Invitation. Back at Poppy’s hurtful face.”

Poppy did her best to make her way to the two trolls, but it was no use, the crowd decided to circle around them, and were so entranced they couldn’t even part ways for their princess.

“Your despicable, you’re horrendous, and your heart is as shriveled and ugly as that thing you call hair!” His sneering turned to laughter, delirious at this point. “You’ve ruined my entire life long before I’ve ever even done anything to you! And you know what, Branch? You’re going to lead your brat to the same terrible path you’ve paved, and as long as he’s poisoned by your existence, he’s going grow up sad, lonely, and bitter just like YOU.” He bopped the grey troll’s nose for emphasis.

Creek blacked out as the punch landed straight for his jaw.

Chapter Text

“Delinquent! Lawbreaker! Hooligan!” Creek bemoaned, hand dramatically over his forehead, clutching a few misplaced strands. “Put in chains, trialed and persecuted! Never to know sweet freedom again!” He had set down his broom while he cried woe-is-me.

“It’s. Fricking. Community. Service.” Branch rolled his eyes, wiping off a berry stain from the mushroom stalk. At least he hopes it’s a berry stain.

He could feel the seething glare Creek likely shot at his back, followed by the sounds of sweeping.

Cleaning up after a party? Worse punishment possible for any troll.

The icing on the rotten cupcake was that he was stuck with Creek for the next two weeks doing work just like this.

“I’ve been mistreated, I’ve been abused,” Creek began to sing. Again. “I’ve been struck downhearted, baby-“

“One more verse and I’ll show you the true meaning of abuse!” Branch threatened with a growl.

“We’re in this mess because you couldn’t control yourself in public!”

“Says the prick that was screaming his head off! And backhanded me after regaining consciousness!”

“Oh, enough of this banter!” Creek dismissively swatted his direction before returning to his duty. He mumbled another song with a whisper. “I hear somethin’ sayin’, that’s sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang.”

“Creep, I’m warning you!”

“Or you’ll what? Punch me again? Perpetuate your stance as a violent offender? Let’s hope there’ll be a muzzle added this time.” Creek went right back to singing and sweeping, or tried to until that sneering, cold gray face was suddenly engulfing his entire vision.

“Say that to my face, pal, I dare you.” The low growl sounded rather animalistic to Creek’s ears, and the troll instinctively backed a step, trembling.

“Poppy!” Creek shouted over to the pink troll.

She rolled her eyes, setting down the fashion scrapbook Biggie and the twins had created to help quell her boredom. “Both of you idiots need to shut up.” She raised her magazine back up, not caring at the fact Creek took offense at her name calling.

Even though Poppy’s role in the fight had been minuscule at best, and typically didn’t warrant punishment, someone had to keep watch and separate the two trolls when they start butting heads. She didn’t blame her father, really.

It’s just...she hadn’t been ready to face Branch. She felt so dumb for bum-rushing through the situation, and look where it left the three of them.

Of course, keeping the two in line turned out to be a major chore in itself.

SNAP

“Whoah!” Poppy hurriedly set her book down again. “Branch, go cool off for a few minutes!”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Branch threw away the two pieces of the broom and stomped off, baring his teeth at the purple troll one last time.

“And he gets a break, why?” Creek protested.

“I got most of the work done!” Branch shot back. “Not my problem you’ve never so much as lift a finger in your sheltered life!”

“Well, not all of is live like uncivilized barbarians.”

“Forget the break; Branch, go home.”

“Poppy!”

“We’re almost done anyway, Creek will finish the rest.” She held her hand up in a ceasing motion when Creek tried to protest further.

Branch grinned back at the fuming troll, mockingly saluting him as he made his way out. “Have fun, Creep.”

As soon as the grey troll was a good distance away, Creek turned his attention to the princess, who once again returned to her book. “If you hadn’t ditched me we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Poppy rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”

For a minute, it seemed Creek was planning to remain silent from then on, finishing up the remainder of the streamers and glitter that had been on the floor of the tree hollow they were in. He had to haunch over with just half a broom to work with.

“What do you even see in him?”

“Oh. My god!” She chucked the scrapbook away. “What’s the matter with you?! Do you, or do you not think I’m in love with Branch?!”

“Of course you obviously are!” Creek shot back.

“Then what was that back in the pod, huh?”

“Haven’t you realized?”

“That you’re being fake? Yes, I’ve noticed. Who are you anymore, Creek?”

“I could ask you the same,” Creek had the audacity to look hurt. “I’m not the only one hiding behind a mask, princess.”

“UGH!” Poppy huffed and turned away from the purple troll; he was right of course, but did he really have to point it out? She wasn’t the one that blew up in front of everyone and planted seeds of doubt. She hummed while ignoring her companion. Her humming however stop when Creek started to sing his own song.

“I know that I can treat you better than he can.” He took out a mop and a bucket of soapy water. “And any girl like you deserves a gentleman.” He dumped the mop head into the bucket and sloppily moved it back and forth on the mushroom stage. “Tell me why are we wasting time, on all your wasted cryin’, when you should be with me instead-“

“You’re suppose to squeeze the excess water first.”

Creek silently cursed to himself, realizing how soaked the stage was now. 

She sat up from the table she had been splayed out on, her legs dangling on the edge “I’m sorry, Creek,” she still couldn’t face him, “I liked you, a whole lot. You were my first crush, and who knows what could’ve happened. But people change, and so do feelings. I still care about you, but you need to accept that I don’t have the same feelings anymore.”

She expected him to say a lot of different things; how he could change for her, how they could give it a shot, that Branch doesn’t deserve her, that he’s the best she could have. She knew what to say no matter which of those came out of his mouth. But she hadn’t been ready for what he actually said.

“I...I should get used to being replaced, then.” He started long and hard at his feet, then resumed mopping.

They both remained silent for a moment, her rendered speechless as she slowly but surely processed those words; him unable to say anymore.

“Replaced?” It made sense to her now; he’s started acting out of sorts now that their entire group of friends spent more and more time with Branch, even before everything that’s happened. “Creek, we’re not replacing you, at least that’s not what we meant to do!”

“But thats how it goes, doesn’t it?” He laughed drily. “No matter what I strive for, I’m always in his shadow. Trolls may fawn at me, you may have fawned at me, but at the end of the day, it’s ‘poor miserable Branch, let’s make him special invitations for parties; let’s go out of our way to hug him, let’s try to make him smile,’” Creek paused to squeeze dirty water into the bucket. “Let’s adopt him and love him more than our real son.”

The last sentence was left to linger for a few minutes longer in the silent room.

“...Do you want to talk about it?”

Creek didn’t answer. He walked from the end of the stage towards the bucket, picking it up so he could dump the liquid on his way out. “I’m done mopping.” 

And he left.

-

Bored out her mind, Poppy counted sprinkles in a jar while the two organized them by color and shelved them into place. It was unnecessary work, but King Peppy had to come up with two weeks worth of punishments, and coming up with ideas ate away at his noon time napping.

The jars were large and surprisingly heavy when full, so it didn’t take much for Creek to lose his balance and trip. Blue sprinkles mixed with a purple pile that hadn’t been stored yet, and as he scrambled to get back up, the two colors mixed further.

“Now look what you did!” Branch yelled at the down troll. “Can’t you do anything right?”

“I’m not used to this labor and you know that!” Creek shot back, absolutely fed up that Branch got triggered every five minutes over the smallest things.

Poppy rubbed her temple to ease the migraine that kept returning. “Branch, please, just stop.”

“Maybe if he could get this one simple job right, I would!” He angrily shot back at her. He was cranky and in no mood for any sort of cooperation.

“Forget this!” Creek marched his way towards the exit, sending sprinkles flying as he kicked small piles of them on his way.

“You can’t just leave!” Branch was steaming mad now.

“Where are you going? You’re just going to make things worse!” Poppy called out to him.

“To find King Peppy, and tell him I can’t take this anymore!” Creek yelled over his shoulder.

“Creek, come back! You’re going to extend our punishment!” Panicking, Poppy chased after him. It wasn’t the punishment she was afraid of, but the fact she was about to be left alone with Branch, when he’s in a foul mood.

She returned a few minutes later, empty handed. She sat back down, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Oh, you’re just gonna let him get away with that?” Branch argued.

She couldn’t face him, couldn’t say anything back. She didn’t have to, Branch made her way towards her. 

“You’re seriously going to stick up for him after all this?” He wasn’t yelling anymore, thankfully, but the words were still pretty harsh and gruff.

She shook her head, still avoiding his intense glare. “Look, I’ll help you.” She was tired just sitting there anyway, it’s not like anyone’s checking up on them. A hand on her shoulder prevented her when went tried to grab an empty jar.

“I don’t care about that, I could handle this job by myself. It’s just...” Branch combed his hands in his short stalk of hair in frustration. “Why do you always have to pick his side? He doesn’t deserve it!”

Fury surged through Poppy like a sugar rush. “I’m not picking anyone’s side; I’m putting up with both of your crap!” She shrieked loud enough to make the grey troll flinch the slightest. “You’re both older, but I’ve acted more adult in this situation than you two numbskulls!” She looked straight at his blue eyes, the same ones she avoided for the whole week, still as brilliantly colorful as she remembered. But this was not the time to think about them.

“You guys can’t get along for even five meager seconds without throwing insults! And what’s worse, I have to lie, LIE, to everyone that’s thing’s are going well, that you’re not a split hair’s away from murdering Creek in cold blood, because guess what Branch? A LOT of trolls right now are afraid you’re going to do just that, and even more want to take Puzzle away from you the second you show the smallest amount of aggression. Is that really what you want, Branch? ‘Cause it sure seems like it on my end here!”

She heaved for a few moments, out of breath and shaking, and still meeting his gaze, up until he finally turned away. It took a few moments longer to notice his softened, hurtful expression, replacing the anger he’s felt the entire time. “Oh no,” It broke her heart to see him like this, and to be the cause of it. Hadn’t she done enough? “Branch...I’m...”

“I’m sorry Poppy.”

She was so stunned she couldn’t even speak.

“Branch, I-“

“I’m angry, I’m bitter, and I bottle up my emotions until they burst out at the worst times. And worse, you always get the brunt of it. I...” He rubbed his face trying to force himself to not break down. “I-I’m sorry for that. You don’t deserve it. He does, b-but never you. You’ve given me so many chances, I wonder why you’d even try.”

Poppy pried his fingers from his face and gently enveloped them in hers. “Because, Branch,” She smiled, “I’m your friend, whether you like it or not.”

“...I’m sorry I avoided you.” He blurted out. “I-I should’ve l-listened first...”

“Aww, I forgive you, you big ol’ softie!” She released his hands only to wraps her arms around him, squeezing hard enough to make him grunt in discomfort.

“Poppy,” He tried wriggling out of her tight embrace. “It’s not hug-time.”

“Shut up and accept it.”

So he did, slowly and gently placing one arm to her back to return a half-hug.

“....Thank you, Popps.” When he finally did let go, the smile was genuine this time.

“I’m always there for you Branch, even when you don’t want me around.”

“Don’t I know it.” He chuckled, and they helped each other stand up. His small smile fell as he contemplated where to go from here. “When did it happen?”

She knew what he was asking. “While you were helping Satin and Chenille.”

Branch glared down at the ground. “And he was there?”

“I’m sorry Branch, I wanted you to be friends with everyone, I thought maybe if Creek could handle Puzzle and get him to like him, you’d see him in a different light. I guess I was wrong...”

“Was this...the time with the bubblegum?” He asked, faintly recalling the story Chenille told him. His fist clenched with the lingering traces of anger.

“How’d you know about that?”

“Chenille.”

Poppy nodded. “That make sense. It’s why Creek dropped him; it got all over the left side of his hair. I caught Puzzle in time, though I don’t think he’d be too badly hurt if he did hit the floor.”

Branch couldn’t help but smirk just a bit. He suppose it wasn’t so bad after all. “That’s my boy.”

“Oh you.” Poppy shook her head at him. “Soooo, does this mean we’re uh, you know...?”

“Friends again?” He finished for her. She waited for him to continue with baited breath. “Well, just don’t expect me to start singing and dancing.”

With a squeal, she jumped right on him in a tight embrace.

“And keep the hugging at a minimum!” She danced around as soon as she let go.

“Oh my fricking glitter! I can’t wait to tell the Snack Pack!” Her happy smile faltered a little. “Heh, after I help you out, of course!” She looked over the place, resigned to working for the next hour or so. She picked up the jar that was in front of her.

“I meant what I said,” Branch pried the jar out of her hands. “Go ahead, I can handle it alone.”

“Really? You sure?” She asked hopefully. She didn’t want to leave Branch with all the work, but the prospect of organizing sprinkles wasn’t as fun as playing outside. 

He shrugged. “Creeks not here anyway, so it’s not like you have to be.”

“Thanks Branch, I owe you one!” She fought the urge to hug him again; he said keep it at a minimum after all. She waved goodbye on last time before skipping her way out of the sprinkle storage room.

Branch got to work. Apologizing helped to relieve a weight on his mind that had burdened him for some time. He should do it more often.

He finished organizing the sprinkle room in content.

-

“Thanks for watching him, I know I been asking for a lot of favors lately.” Branch clutched onto his child, who practically tried to jump out of Ambrose’s arms at the sight of his father.

“Your always welcome to bring him here, Branch,” the elderly troll chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “Having him and Rei around reminds me of the good ol’ days when Amber was a tiny lass.” His rich brown eyes glazed, lost in thought. “Ahh, her first steps; she nearly walked off the tree that day. My dear Daphe lost her marbles, her hand signing was all over the place, I couldn’t understand a bit of it...”

“Erhem, yeah,” Branch cough uncomfortably, “I better get going.”

“Of course, of course! Have a pleasant day, son!” The elder chuckled and saw them off.

Branch liked the family, for more than the fact that their children had a strong bond, and they understood the pain of loss, while the rest of the village rather pretend they didn’t have anyone to miss. It was why Branch often forgot the entire village had at least someone who had been a victim of their cruel past; they just didn’t seem to care. 

Poppy did, of course; there was always one day in the whole year she didn’t sing. Whether it was the late Queen Cheery’s birthday, or the anniversary of her passing, he wasn’t sure. 

...Actually, now that he thought of it, what about the rest of the Snack Pack? He has no idea how he’d ever bring up such a subject.

“Mph!” Puzzle brought him back to reality, slapping both his cheeks.

“Sorry Puzzle, didn’t mean to ignore you.” It still amazed Branch that he had this little child around to need him. He followed the finger that shot at a specific direction, noticing Mumsie carrying a basket of food, Fern in tow. Ah, so that’s what Puzzle wanted. “Alright, we’ll go say hi.”

He made his way over to the deep purple troll and her child silently. Gazes from some other villagers began to follow him, a few whispering to one another. He did his best to avoid eye contact, nervous that so much attention was on him. He tapped Mumsie’s shoulder.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Mr. Grumpy and little Puzzle-piece.” She chuckled, hands at her waist while she set her basket down. “Out for a stroll today, Branch?”

“I just picked up Puzzle,” He looked down shyly, “Had to...do something earlier.”

“I see,” Mumsie nodded, “never a dull moment for us folks, huh? Violet and Gully are tidying up the pod; Fern and I were just - Fern, don’t you dare take the chocolate.” She scolded the child without even having to look down to see what he was doing.

“Aw, maw, I was just getting a treat for Puzzie!” The kid whined, dropping on of the chocolate bars.

“Uh huh, and for yourself, I bet.” Mumsie picked up the child.

“Hi!” Fern waved happily at his friend. Puzzle excitedly waved back; Branch had to keep a steady hold as the white-silver trolling squirmed. “Puzzie, I made a kite yesterday! We should play it!” Puzzle responded with a giggle and a nod to the head, looking up at his father with pleading eyes.

“Fern, we have lunch to make,” Mumsie reminded the child, “But afterwards, maybe Branch and Puzzle would like to join us by the lake?” She looked at the grey troll expectedly; he knows better than to turn down a play date, of course.

But before he could say anything, a random troll he doesn’t recall knowing came up to intrude in their conversation. “Hey Mumsie, maybe that’s not such a good idea.” The troll half whispered, clearly coherent even without Branch’s sensitive hearing.

Mumsie raised and eyebrow. “And whys that, Drake?”

“Well, you know...” The troll tried to discreetly gesture towards Branch. “Gotta watch out for your kids, you know?” Puzzle seemed to sense something and began to clutch tight around Branch’s neck. Branch looked elsewhere besides the troll.

Mumsie frowned12ws. “No, I don’t know,” Mumsie quipped with a sharp tone, “All I see is an excellent, protective father who I more than trust with my own.” She voiced this a little louder for the other trolls to hear as well. It didn’t get past Branch that Mumsie seemed to shift her self in a way that casted over Branch, as if shielding him from the stares that were becoming a lot more unwelcoming.

“But didn’t you hear about, erm, what happened that other day?” Another troll approached cautiously, stealing glances at the grey troll, and circling around to avoid him as much as possible. “With, erm, with...”

“Yes, I have.” Mumsie interrupted the fidgeting girl. She stared down the younger adults with a stern gaze. “Let me ask both of you something.” She bellowed out loud enough that all eyes would be on her now. She let go of Fern and guided him to Branch before facing the two trolls that had approached them. “Do either of you have kids?”

The two trolls in question blinked confused. They clearly didn’t; there weren’t many trolls in the village that did, really, so the answer was pretty obvious.

“Erm, no?”

“Of course not.”

“Well I do,” Mumsie tilted her head, “And I can tells you here and now, anyone that messes with my little Fern or Gully gets a whoopin’ like no other.” She emphasized with a raised fist. The two trolls backed away immediately in fright. Other trolls that were nosing in gasped as well. Even Branch was surprised; Mumsie was a hardy troll, but one of the most gentle he’s met, and he has no doubt the other villagers knew that as well.

“Until you all got kids of your own, and let me say it’s alright if you never do, don’t tell us how to behave when you mess with our babes, ‘cause sweethearts, you ain’t gon like what we’d do.” Mumsie spoke while giving a good hard stare at any troll that dare to challenge her on that statement. As expected, the trolls that lingered avoided any further conflict by going back to their business. The two trolls that had confronted them apologized and left in a hurry.

“Wow.” Was All Branch could say as Mumsie turned around. Fern immediately jumped into his mother’s arms, exclaiming how cool she was.

“Don’t let ‘em get to you Branch, they don’t understand what it’s like.” Mumsie smiled, picking Fern up as he continued to babble on how awesome his mother was. “And you mister, ain’t no sweet talking is gonna get you that chocolate bar.”

“Aw nuts!” Fern pouted.

“You...didn’t have to do that.” Branch looked down shamefully. “Those trolls were just concerned for the kids.”

Mumsie shook her head “Honey, you’re still young, and you don’t interact much with many trolls. They can care all they want, but in the end, it ain’t their business. Don’t let them think you’re not good enough, got it? I see how good you are for Puzzle, and so does Violet, Russell, Amber, and many others.”

“...Thanks.”

“No problem, so how about that play date?“

-

He went to home to prepare a few snacks and treats, deciding to have a picnic by the lake and wait for the other family over there. They hadn’t visited the lake in a while, and the last time Puzzle had stared transfixed at the glistening lake; he was still too young to learn how to swim, but eventually Branch hoped to teach the trolling just that. It’s a good survival skill to have, after all.

He had to go straight through the village again in order to make it to the lake. Again there were a few stares and whispering, but not as many as before. 

As he neared the main tree in the village, he spotted Karma among the roots, by a shady, towering plant. She hadn’t noticed him, and he hesitated to make himself known after how they parted ways. He took in her appearance; smudges of dirt covered her entire being, and her hair was mussed up. The bottom of her skirt even had a new tear that wasn’t there before. He wondered what kind of creature did she have a tussle with to end up like that.

Before he could say anything or even approach her, she was already briskly walking away to who knows where.

“Can you believe that?” A familiar voice rang out to Branch’s left, distracting him.

“Ugh! Can you say fashion disaster?” Chenille agreed with her sister.

“And no gliiiiiiiter!” Guy Diamond half-sang, making his friends laugh.

The Snack Pack turned a corner, and suddenly Branch was right in front of them. Poppy was with them, lagging behind with Biggie, not yet noticing Branch’s presence even as the rest fell silent.

“Oh, um...” Smidge looked to Guy Diamond, who looked to Fuzzbert and the twins.

“Branch!” Cooper happily exclaimed, also catching Poppy and Biggie’s attention. The quadruped troll strolled right up and gave the grey one a hard smack in the back. “How you doing, bud? Little-P howz it hanging’?” Cooper tried to teach a cute little handshake to the trolling, who struggled to keep up with the strange gesture.

“We’re good, just heading to the lake for a picnic,” Branch replied, relaxed even as Cooper invaded his personal space. He looked at the direction Karma had run off to one last time, but didn’t catch sight of her again.

The rest relaxed as well and began circling around the grey troll and greeting him warmly.

“Whew, I thought he’d hate us again,” Biggie wiped off invisible sweat from his brow. He gazed down at the pink princess, who smiling fondly at the sight of Branch getting along with the others again.

“Mind if we join you?” Poppy walked right up to Branch. 

He shrugged. “Don’t expect me to share the food.”

Delighted, the group trailed ahead chatting along the way. Branch and Poppy paced themselves slower, to have a more private discussion. Puzzle was in Poppy’s arms, clearly showing how much he missed his favorite babysitter. Poppy return the affection with hugs and kisses on the cheek.

“I missed you, too, little pudding-kins,” She cooed teasingly. Puzzle pouted at the silly baby talk, but let it slide just this once. She ruffled his hair with a giggle. “Maybe daddy will let me watch over you again sometime?” She batted her eyes at the grey troll.

Branch hesitated at first. “...Maybe, as long as you don’t hand him to trolls I don’t trust ever again.” His fist clenched.

“Don’t worry, I wont, but Branch...” She cut off and pondered how to approach the subject for a moment. “Don’t get upset, and I’m not trying to pick sides or anything, honest, but...” She paused again, her pace ceased and the rest of the Snack Pack continued on not realizing the two had fallen way behind.

Judging by how nervous she was, he figured it had to do with Creek. “I’m not forgiving him.” He crossed his arms.

“I’m not saying to forgive him, yet, but he’s really not as bad as you think.”

“Hmph.”

“At least get to know him a little better. You might be surprise how much alike the both of you are.”

“I’m nothing like him.”

Poppy sighed. “Okay, I didn’t want to do this, don’t ever tell Creek I mentioned this, okay?”

“Ha, no worry there.”

Just to be sure, Poppy looked around to see if anyone was listening. Satisfied that they had the privacy they needed, she faced him once more.

“Look, I know you two didn’t get along as kids and, you know, I felt like something was weird with his family but he never said anything...until recently...”

His eyes narrowed. 

“He’s like...I don’t know, regressing I guess, and he feels like he’s been replaced. Which is not true! There’s room for both of you in the group, if you can just get along-“

“You can save the pity party for the others,” Branch interrupted, “He’s always been a two-faced snake, Poppy, he’s just done a damn good job hiding behind a mask until this point.”

I wasn’t the only one hiding behind a mask, princess. Creek’s words echoed in her ears. Same mindset, and same stupid stubbornness!

“At least just think about it.” She knew not to push any further at this point; Branch was simply not going to makes things easy.

“Yeah, sure thing.” Although his tone sounded like he’d do the exact opposite, but Poppy wasn’t going to argue about it. 

Branch continued on with a more brisk pace, intending to keep up with the rest of the Snack Pack. Just as Poppy was about to follow, she caught sight of the very troll in question staring right in her direction. Even with the distance she could read his freckled face, and his expression broke her heart; defeated, sad, lonely, all the kind of things she’s seen in Branch himself.

She wanted so badly to reach out to Creek, ask him to join along, be part of the group again. But Branch wouldn’t want that. Half the Snack Pack wouldn’t want that. Even she was reluctant to have him around anymore. 

Him and Branch...it was like the roles were switched.

“Hey Poppy!”

“Just a minute!” She broke eye contact for just a split second to call back to the group. Maybe she should just ditch them and tag along with Creek? But that wasn’t nice or fair for them either; why was everything so hard all of a sudden? She wasn’t suppose to make these kinds of difficult choices right now! And of course, she used to rely on Creek’s advice whenever she was conflicted...

Glancing back, she couldn’t spot him anywhere. That helped to make up her mind, and yet her heart felt even heavier.

“Popps!”

“I’m coming!” She sprinted off towards the Snack Pack, and Branch. They waited for her in a bright sunny spot, as if the sky itself casted a beacon on the more ideal choice, inviting and worry-free.

-

“Here’s the lotion, your majesty.” Creek hopped onto the giant lily pad that housed the spa center, where King Peppy was enjoying a mineral treatment for his hair and mustache, though it seemed to do absolutely nothing to fix the frayed, stress-induced mess. Another troll stood by, one that usually took care of all scheduling matters, and from the looks of things was tirelessly working on a schedule rearrangement thanks to Peppy’s spontaneous visit to the Lotus Spa.

“Ah, excellent! Now be a lad and work on these poor ol’ trekkers; they could use a little royal treatment after standing for hours.” Peppy raised his feet just high enough to be level with Creek’s vision, wiggling his stubby toes. The nails were thankfully filed and polished in the time Creek had departed for his errand, however some crusty mud stuck in between, and the feet themselves reeked an odor which he did not want to think too much of.

Creek sorely wished he hadn’t left the sprinkle room, even if he had to tolerate Branch’s irrational behavior through it all. He was lucky enough that he hadn’t gotten all three of them in bigger trouble, and instead of extending the punishment period, Peppy simply had Creek wait on him hand and foot, literally. But no doubt he’s only dug himself a bigger grave with the princess and grey troll.

He kneeled down and, with a pair of gloves of course, lathered the scented lotion on the feet of the king, doing his best not to focus too intently on the unsavory task. 

“Ah, much better!” The overly stressed king relaxed, “Now what would make this better?”

“Wrapping it up, sir?” The assistant asked hopefully. “We really should deal with the caterpillar problem out in the fields today, sir.”

“Take off my pants? Excellent idea!”

“Sir, your pants are already off.”

“They are?” Peppy looked down to see that he, in fact, was missing his pair of trousers. “Then why would you suggest such a thing, boy?”

“Well-“

“I know! Music! It’s been strangely quiet as of late. Usually my spritely little girl would be livening this place up with a funky beat right about now. Hmm, perhaps she has too much schoolwork.”

“She’s sixteen, sir, she graduated three years ago.”

“Oh? Oh yes, she did, of course!” Peppy may or may not have forgotten a few things over the years, but of course he could never forget the day his princess proudly clutched her diploma! She had braces back them, right? He’s sure at one point she had braces on... “Yes, yes, wonderful girl she is. Perhaps too busy as of late. Creek, be a gent and fetch my daughter for me!”

“Yes your majesty!” Creek didn’t waste a second. Even if his and Poppy’s friendship was strained as of late, anything was better than rubbing lotion on another troll’s wrinkled, crusty feet.

Of course, that was his attitude at first. He searched everywhere, starting with her pod. He even checked the sprinkle room, although he knew that task had to be finished by now. It didn’t help that he had to take cover in the shadows most of the time. Whispers trailed wherever he went, and he wasn’t eager to ignite any more damaging gossip. His reputation was already shattered enough.

He found her after thirty minutes, with the Snack Pack. And Branch.

Talking to him. And holding the strange, silver brat affectionally, like a motherly troll playing with her child.

When she spotted him, he could see how the ever present bright happiness in her eyes dim at the very sight of him, as if his mere presence was an unwelcome intrusion in her life.

He knows when he’s not wanted.

“...And the goblins were so moved by Poppy’s lovely voice, they unlocked our cages and invited us for a dance.” Peppy told his tale to the spa attendant and task manager. 

“Sir...that’s the story of The Princess and the Goblins.”

“I remember like it was yesterday.” Peppy nodded, then realized Creek’s return. “Ah! You’ve returned with my little flower?”

“I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t find her.” He lied.

“I see, I see,” Peppy looked disappointed for just a few seconds, “Well then, I’ve forgotten what I needed to ask her anyhow.”

“For a song, sir.”

“Music! The soother of souls! Creek my boy, could you fetch my lovely daughter for me?”

Creek was starting to develop a headache. “...Sure.”

“Excellent! Now, I think its time for a mud bath!”

“Sir, we should really think about...” The assistant’s voice faded as Creek rushed out of the area.

He’ll forget anyway, Creek decided, heading off so he could hopefully meditate the rest of this miserable day away.

Creek aimed for a rather secluded spot where he used to frequent as his escape, although nowadays he found no fulfillment with all the inner turmoil going through. The small enclosure of nesting leaves faced the lake, providing the most spectacular view, especially during sunset. Expectantly, he couldn’t bring himself to meditate even in his safe haven, and resorted to watching the trolls down below. 

He instantly recognized the Snack Pack thanks to the unique shapes of Cooper, Biggie, and the twins, and it wasn’t long before he spotted the rest, some already wading through the lake, and some playing a game of sorts on the edge. Poppy herself was with Branch and the child, doing who knows what, but it certainly looked to be far too intimate to be innocent.

And that was the when the first wave of a long-forgotten emotion enshrouded his being, rearing it’s ugly head to remind him of his self demise; loneliness, a feeling well known long ago in his childhood. It served to renew his efforts to try meditation once more, his last resort to wash away the unwanted feeling.

—

“Mama,” he snuggled closer in his mother’s lap, watching as she stitched together another of her flower headbands. He mumbled under his breath, hands covering his mouth.

“What was that, sweetheart?” Serene paused for a second to look down at her young son.

He made no movements at first, then slowly uncovered his face. “I don’t want a new brother.”

Serene set down her work and engulfed her son in her arms, just as he begun to sniffle. “Now, Creek, don’t say that. You haven’t even met him yet.”

“But mama,” He turned so his face was covered by her form, “You leave me to see him, it’s not fair.” He sniffled again, but didn’t cry outright. “Don’t go anymore.”

“Why don’t you come with me next time?” She stroked his hair lovingly. “Then maybe you two can have fun together, and he’ll want to come home with us to play with you more.”

He shook his head, not agreeing to the idea.

“The sooner he comes home the sooner I can stay.” She pleaded. “I promise, when we adopt him, he’ll be the best brother you could ever hope for.”

“...But I already had one.” He whispered.

“Sweetheart, please speak up.”

“Mmm mmm.” He shook his head.

He doesn’t want to meet his brother’s replacement.

He doesn’t want to meet THEIR replacement.

—

“This is Branch! And this is Creek!” Poppy held both their hands, trying to draw them close together.

Branch was everything he heard of him; head-to-toe grey and black, with a rebellious attitude, multiple bruises from roughhousing around, and a seemingly permanent scowl, which only narrowed as the princess attempted to introduce them.

“Oh, it’s you.” Branch gritted his teeth, crossing his arms and leaning backwards.

“Likewise.” He was no more pleased to see Branch.

They’d be best friends, Poppy had said. It’ll be great, she said.

“Oh! You know each other already?” The wide-eyed little princess looked between the two with curiosity.

“No,” He turned the other cheek to avoid staring at the older boy any longer, “We never met before.”

And he wished it had stayed that way.

—

Try as he might, his efforts for inner peace were interrupted every so often by the uncontrollable urge to look down with one eye, hoping that this would end up some long, absurd dream, and that they weren’t out there, enjoying their carefree lives, without him; that they hadn’t so easily replaced him with the one troll he abhorred the most. 

But life wasn’t so simple as that, and he’d only be given a further reminder of the lonely feeling.

“Hello from the other side,” the words slipped out  before he could swallow them inside. “At least I could say that I’ve tried.”

“To tell you I’m sorry, for everything that I’ve done,

But it don’t matter it, clearly, doesn’t tear you apart anymore.”

—

Visiting his grandmother always gave him comfort. She was, after all, the one troll who seemed to genuinely care for his well being.

Her precious grandson, she always say. Someone who deserves to be powerful and beloved by all. 

Creek didn’t find her in her pod. He had knocked on her door several times a day, trying to get her attention. It was as if she disappeared into thin air, and yet her pod still showed signs of life inside, glowing After dark.

He had wondered if she had simply been too busy as of late.

He had assummed, until he finally found her.

The grandmother who pretty much raised him to the troll he is, who called him the most special and perfect troll around. The grandmother that trained him, praised him, said he was above his own father. The same grandmother who practically ignored her granddaughter’s existence.

Merrily skipping her way out of Cybil’s pod as if it was routine.

“Grandmother?” He approached, astonished by the turn of events.

Then she turned to him, equally surprised, and that gleeful, cheeky grin she had always reserved for him alone, downturned into a thin line reminiscent of the scornful frown usually directed towards his father, as if she had just swallowed a stinkbug.

“Oh, hello Creek.” She stated plainly, brushing off invisible dirt from her purple cardigan. She shifted the empty basket swung around one arm, the same basket she always stuffed to the brim with gourmet muffins, the same ones he was so familiar with, because she only brought them over for him...or so he thought.

“We’re you...visiting Cybil?” He glances over to the still pod behind them.

As if he hadn’t said a word, her nose pointed upward and she looked straight elsewhere. She took only a moment to pat at her perfectly coifed bangs. “Evening.” She cooly replied, and walked past.

—

Branch felt conflicted with the situation.

It was quiet, for once. He welcomes the silence, but it was strange considering that Creek usually does his best to annoy Branch with singing at every point during their punishment. Perhaps he gave up trying? Either way, Creek was uncharacteristically quiet...

But what should he care? He’d be delighted if the jerk never spoke another word again!

He spotted another sock from the single he’s already collected from a mud puddle, this one perched atop some troll’s home. Why does King Peppy even own these tacky socks when he doesn’t wear them? Heck, trolls usually only have formal ones to wear on occasion.

He looked around, seeing Creek wrestle a pair of underwear from a thorn. That left one last article of clothing from the list: the crown itself. It blends in very well with the foliage, but he’s certain he’d find it easy.

After ten minutes of searching, he found it resting atop a head-shaped bush. Welp, their task was done, they could all go home now. He wasted no time approaching the mushroom that Poppy was busy dancing on, off in her own little world. Suki had let her borrow a pair of headphones and a small bug that could play discs.

He kicked the mushroom as hard as he could, making it wobble the slightest.

“Here! I’m here!” The movement had nearly startled Poppy off the mushroom, but she regained her balance in time to jump off and land right beside Branch. “Oh hey, done already? Wow, that only took...” She looked to her bracelet. “Thirty minutes! Sweet, I can make it to Smidge’s workout!” She grinned at him, he frowned neutrally back. “Wanna come? It should be safe for Puzzle, if you wanna fetch him quick.”

“I have things to do.” 

“Oh, like what?”

“Gardening, and reorganizing my stocks.”

“Fiiine!” She pouted. Her smile thinned then, and she looked down at her feet even as she shifted to face Creek’s direction. “Uh, sooo...Creek, do you...oh.” Her gaze had lifted just enough to see that Creek had already left, leaving the pair of crumpled underwear by their feet. “I guess that answers that.” She went silent for a moment. How awkward. Neither knew what to say now.

“...Well, see you.”

Branch only nodded in response, staring right at the bushes and thorns Creek had been at a moment ago.

—

Branch arrived late for community service since Puzzle became fussy and wouldn’t eat with Amber’s family, forcing him to stay a little longer to feed the baby himself. In fact, Puzzle seemed to get more and more upset lately, whenever Branch left him with someone else to serve his punishment. Only two more days, then he was home free and didn’t have to spend another moment in the same room as Creep.

He should’ve looked where he was going, rather than rush-hopping from branch-to-branch, with barely a glance at the few trolls he had near collisions with. He just wanted to get this done and over with and return back to his normal routine. Today’s punishment was prepping meals for the veterinarian in the community kitchen, just for the pets with special diets-

He managed to stop short of slamming right onto another troll that had been running about.

“Hey!” He step-backed, and would’ve continued on if he hadn’t recognized the troll. “Oh, Cybil.”

She didn’t seem too alarmed herself. “Hey Br- I mean, namaste, Branch.” She gave a curt and small bow. Her small thumb made the slightest fidget, which Branch wouldn’t have even noticed had she not clasped her hands in front rather than kept them palms flat as guru trolls tend to do. 

“Um, good to see you,” He nodded respectfully back, “Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush, so...”

Before they could part ways, another troll hopped up to the branch to cut their path. Her presence was immediately accompanied with the scent of muffins.

Branch gulped, and looked away from the troll, stepping to the side.

“There you are Cybbie-pie!”

Cybil herself seemed to freeze at the older troll’s presence. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Hello, grandmother.”

Unbeknown to either of them, Branch flinched behind Cybil’s back.

Ms. Guffin was not someone Branch encountered on a regular basis, but the few times they’ve crossed paths never failed to leave Branch a mess, emotionally at least. 

After all, the grandmother of Cybil and Creek was eerily a doppelgänger of his own, only with slightly bluer hair and pinker skin. Like a living ghost grazing by to haunt the daytime, reminding him of his greatest crime.

This was however, the first time he ever seen Cybil interact with the other.

“My love, please, call me ‘Gran-gran,’” Ms. Guffin gave a rolling chuckle that sounded much more like some punk ready to pull off a cruel prank rather than what a grandmother’s laugh should’ve been. 

“My sweet, sweet precious apple of my eye,” the elderly troll cooed and brought up a pudgy finger within eye-level, quickly tapping it on Cybil’s magenta nose in that endearing gesture Creek tended to do with Poppy. “I’ve been calling your attention for the last ten minutes, good thing I managed to keep up; your gran-gran still has some pep in these ol’ bones!” Her massive palm snatched Cybil’s chin and forcefully squeeze and pull it forward like one would pinch the cheeks or an adorable grandchild. Branch had never seen Cybil more uncomfortable than she was now.

As soon as the elderly troll let go, Cybil’s hand rubbed over her chin in attempt to soothe it.

“Oh, I brought some more muffins for you dearie, I’m sure you’ll love these ones even more; since you mentioned you preferred lighter delicacies, I’ve brought fat-and-sugar free ones, no chocolate or nuts, with grated zucchini.” Ms. Guffin pretty much shoved the entire basket into Cybil’s reluctant arms. “You’re welcome, my little flower!”

“Um, thank you grandmother,” Cybil quickly hid the basket in her hair, “If you’ll excuse US,” she stepped backwards to cling an arm around Branch’s, “my companion and I were on our way to see Creek.”

That one sentence seem to wipe that sickened mushy grin off Ms. Guffin’s face quicker than a trolling scarfing down their favorite cupcake. If her face hadn’t soured enough when she was forced to acknowledged Branch’s presence, it downright became reminiscent of a Bergen’s scowl at the mentioned of Creek’s name.

Which was odd; the very few times he met Ms. Guffin, she pretty much hovered and gushed over her grandson like he was as valuable as diamond-dust glitter. 

“I see,” she clucked, her teeth clattered and clenched a bit as if to bite down on a comment before it could be made. Her demeanor picked back up to that perky, mushy grandmother-like temperament that was quickly unveiling itself to be a false state of presence. “Well I’ll be back for that basket by evening, my lovely flower, so do make sure to prepare a cup of chamomile for me this time.” 

With that, she finally side-stepped to allow them to move forward. Cybil didn’t hesitate and proceeded forward at a quick pace, nearly dragging Branch along. Ms. Guffin’s wave to them was too stiff, and her grin too wide, it was disturbing enough to make Branch think of how a Watcheye hunts it’s prey; an act of innocence and helplessness shrouded in soft, bouncy, sweet-looking fluff before pouncing on the unsuspecting victim with razor-sharp fangs.

He breathed better when they finally put some distance between them and the off-putting elderly troll, and Cybil’s grip seemed to relaxed as well. No doubt she had been stressed through the entire ordeal.

“That was an experience,” He grumbled under his breath.

Cybil sighed. “I deeply apologize for using you like that. It’s...my relationship with that troll is quite complicated.” She turned to hide her face.

Branch was itching to ask, but he knew it must be a very private issue. After all, he hadn’t even known Cybil would even have family problems. She was always the most stable, calm, and dependable troll around, and with a brother like Creek that was saying something!

“So, those muffins any good?” He asked, curious.

“Take the lot,” Cybil took out the basket and dumped the muffins into Branch’s own hair before shoving the basket back inside her own. They quietly made their way further down as Branch reached in take one. For a fat-and-sugar free muffin made with zucchini, they were rather good.

—

Secretly, he had hoped for Creek to ditch them again, with Poppy sticking around trying to do the work herself, either because she was just too nice, or to avoid extending their punishment. It’s not like anyone else was checking up on them.

Creek was there, dicing up melon slices; Poppy sat on the edge of the table by his side.

“The gang’s over it by now, at least come say hi.”

“Is he going to be around?”

“Maybe? It shouldn’t matter, you two need to troll up and talk to each other!”

He shouldn’t be listening; this was clearly a private conversation between the two. But here he was, silently lingering by the doorway peering in like some weirdo.

“I’ve done apologizing, and he humiliated me in front of a crowd!”

“You shouldn’t have yelled. Look, I know you were panicking, but-“

“I wasn’t panicking; I’m the most calm and collected troll in the tree.”

“That’s bogus, and you know it.” Poppy sighed, “Tell me the truth, Creek; is there something going on between you two that you’ve never mentioned before?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do!” She hissed, “I always thought you guys didn’t get along because of Branch’s attitude, but...I’ve been thinking it over lately, you’ve taken to the others like PB&J, even Smidge and the twins. You’ve refused to get along with Branch since day one.”

“Perhaps because I’ve seen him for what he truly is.”

“Does all of this have to do with your mother, Creek?”

The knife in Creek’s hand slice down a hard piece of ginger root he had been struggling with. At this point Branch had taken to fully shielding himself from their view, hidden just behind the doorway. But now he wanted to escape before he hears any more, but his legs decided to freeze up as if they were made of stone.

“What do you know of my mother?” Even if Branch couldn’t see Creek at this point, the purple troll’s voice was choked up as if fighting the urge to scream.

“I...talked to Cybil-“

“What did she say? How could she?!” There was small amounts of scuffling. From what, Branch wasn’t sure.

“Do you blame Branch, Creek? Is that what all these years of hostility is all about?”

“We are done talking of this,” The sound of slicing vegetables returned, this time a lot more aggressive. “This conversation never leaves this room.”

“I’m not dropping it, Creek, in fact...” Poppy took a deep breath, “Cybil says...You should talk to your father abo-“

“I WILL NEVER TALK TO HIM!” A loud thunk echoed and Poppy let out a shriek. Branch’s legs finally decided to work and he had enough of standing by.

“What did you do?” He snapped angrily as he rushed in. He was met with two bewildered set of eyes, one more fearful than the other. Poppy had hobbled away from her previous perch. A large chef’s knife stabbed deep into the wooden table next to a round melon, just a few inches away from where Poppy had been sitting.

“What did he do?” Branch wasted no time snagging Poppy’s wrist with his hair and roughly dragging her further away from the purple troll. “We can report it to King Peppy, I’ll make sure he doesn’t try a thing.”

“Branch, I’m fine,” Poppy pulled her wrist away, forcing him to let go, “It’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks to me like he nearly skewered you with a knife!”

“He didn’t mean it!”

“And you!” Branch barked at the guru troll that nonchalantly continued peeling grapes by hand. “Have a lot of nerve threatening Poppy like that!”

“I have nerve?!” Creek instantly dropped the grapes. “Coming from the troll that belittles her every day?!”

“This isn’t about me-“

“It’s always about you!” Creek seethed. “Your fear-mongering antics, they’re about you getting some attention. Well congratulations, pal, it worked!”

“What are you even ranting about?” He was as close to Creek’s face as possible without invading his personal bubble.

“Stop it, both of you!” Poppy got between them and began pushing Branch. “Let’s leave, okay?”

“So that’s how it is; protect fragile little Branch’s feelings, huh?” Creek chuckled harshly. “Never mind how he destroys everything that tries to love him!” He yelled louder.

Poppy gasped, then struggled to push Branch further away. “T-that’s not h-his fault!”

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say to Creek in his unstable state.

“MY MOTHER WOULD’VE LIVED IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU, BRANCH!!!” Creek bellowed, throwing a nearby cast-iron pan in there direction.

Poppy shrieked and ducked, Branch stood there in disbelief.

TWUNK

Chapter Text

They were twins, identical aside for a few small differences.

They had the same nose, eyes, smiles, laughs, voice and even freckles.

Cress’s skin was more lavender, Creek was more violet, but still shades of purple, nonetheless. Cress’s hair roots were a sunny yellow, and Creek’s were electric blue. The tips of their hair transitioned to a neon green that blended seamlessly when they both conjoined. Cress wore blue overalls, and Creek wore yellow, matching one another’s opposite hair color.

And Cress was born a gem troll, while Creek wasn’t.

Cress’s gem formed as a naturally occurring third eye, a rarer stone placed on the forehead rather than the stomach, much like their father and older sister. Creek had neither.

And in most families, such a difference didn’t matter much.

But they born in a guru family, were the connection between a troll and the spiritual realm was their way of life; where being a gem troll helped provide the means to develop abilities beyond the scope of other trolls; where possessing a third eye gem made you a prodigy, a blessing, a treasure.

By the age of one, Cress could already feel the faint presence of an aura, even if he couldn’t really discern the colors. Needless to say, Ciel had high expectations for Cress, and had wanted to train him right away.

But Serene wanted both boys to have a chance to be children; to play and have fun, especially in an era of fear and uncertainty.

To compromise, the boys had one lesson every day, and so long as they fulfilled their quota, they can go out and have fun.

And of course this created a dilemma for the boys; Cress had little trouble, while Creek faced a lot of obstacles. Regardless that he was born a rainbow troll, Creek still adhered to the same high standards, and thus took the same lessons.

To both boys, the lessons were uninteresting, largely involved sitting cross-legged quietly for hours at a time, with nothing but the sound of a mantra. Or staring intensely at a troll’s form to read their vibes. Or reading palms and dried flower bulbs. Or hearing lectures about balance, spirituality, and tranquility. Or studying dream journals and the symbolic meanings of dreams.

Boring, to a pair of energetic little trollings.

But Creek wanted nothing more than to please his father. Creek knew he would have a lot of catching up if he wants to match up to Cress. Creek wanted to make his family proud. So Creek persisted on with the lessons, even while Cress was given the leeway to go play outside.

And it wasn’t like Cress had tried to stay by his twin’s side, but again, neither of them really liked the lessons, and the last time Cress stayed he fell asleep and the snoring made Creek laugh uncontrollably, and the both of them were punished with no dessert.

“Are you sure, Creek?” Cress asked, hesitantly tugging at their connection.

Creek nodded, “I’ll be there soon, promise!”

“Ok...” Cress trailed off, still unsure about leaving. It was common for young twins to stick together, after all.

A moment later, their hair disconnected and they became two individual trolls. Once they meet up again, they’ll rejoin the strands and stay like that, and do everything else together, just like any other pair of twins would.

Still, Cress hovered by the doorway and called back in. “Hurry, ok? Pepper and Branch don’t believe me when I said I have a twin brother ‘cause you’re never ‘round.” Then he called out louder to address the other two trolls in the pod. “Bye father, bye Cybbie!”

Both troll continued meditating silently as if Cress hadn’t said a word, but Cress and Creek knew they heard.

Even after Cress had left, Creek found it hard to meditate; he just couldn’t clear his mind of all the jumbled thoughts that passed his mind.

Namely, what Cress might be doing with Prince Pepper and Branch right now, the new friends he made just a few weeks ago.

How the two boys were like.

If they liked strawberry jam on their toast.

If they’ll be friends with him, too.

It wasn’t long before Creek couldn’t take it anymore. His form relaxed, his arms lowered, he opened one eye just a sliver, his gaze trailed to the window.

They were within view this time, but still quite a distance away. He could see that one of them was pink and orange, and the other was blue and greenish. The blue trolling gave Cress and the pink troll a wide grin. He wonders which one is Branch, and which is Pepper. Cress refused to tell him, saying Creek needed to meet them first if he wants to know.

“Creek.” Ciel broke his form to reprimand the young trolling. “Focus.”

“Sorry, father.” Creek shifted until his back faced the window. Despite the command, Ciel’s expression was neutral, emotionless. Cybil beside him reflected the same face.

“Sir.” Ciel corrected.

“Sorry, sir.”

“You’ll have to start all over. Finish the hour this time.” Ciel closed his eyes and returned to meditation. Cybil copied him, the two looking perfectly in sync.

Creek joined them in meditation once more, but of course he’ll be distracted ten minutes later.

He never finished the lesson.

“Pepper says his mom and dad are having another baby,” Cress told him, as they lied in bed together, staring out the window. “He can’t wait to be a big brother. I told him having a sibling is the best thing ever.”

“That’s cool.” Creek rolled to his side to face his brother. “Does Branch have siblings?”

“Nah, it’s just him and his granny, but she takes care of a lotta babies. His pod is sooo noisy!!!” Cress covered his ears and pretended to writhe in pain. It made Creek giggle at his brothers antics.

They quickly quieted down at the sound of a soft knock. With a knowing look at one another, they pulled their shared blanket over their heads and began to snore loudly. They listened intensely at the faint noise of a door creaking open, then tiptoeing through their toy-riddened carpet, and finally at the light weight of a pair of hands pressing onto their bed.

“Boo! they screamed in unison, throwing their cover off their heads and laughing with glee.

“Oh, you got me!” Their mother held a hand to her heart.

“Mama!” They held their hands out to be hugged. Serene leaned above the bed to envelope them and plant kisses on their forehead. “Mama, did you see the new baby? Did you?”

“Well, I’ve seen the pod,” she chuckled, “The baby wont bloom for another three months.”

“Three months?” Cress eyes widened.

“Thats foreverrrr!” Creek whined.

“Buuut, that means theres plenty of time for you boys to make a present.”

The twins immediately quieted and thought that over. “Creek, we need to make a present for Pepper’s baby brother!”

“Or sister!”

“But what can we make?”

“What do babies like?”

“Mama, what do we do?” They asked her.

She pretended to think it over. “Hmmm, what could we possibly do? Maybeeee.....Oh, you know I was thinking about making a headband.”

“A headband, like yours?” Creek pointed at her head.

“Yes, only, maybe flowers for a girl, and those gold leaves for a boy.”

“Can we help?” They asked excitedly.

“Why, that’s a wonderful idea, thank you boys,” She laughed. “You could help me gather the flowers from the edge of the cage, and we could go shopping for the gold leaves while we’re at it.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Well, not yet, the flowers will bloom in about a month from now.” She promised. “But you can help me design the headbands tomorrow, so you boys get some sleep so you’re not too tired.”

She kissed them goodnight and sang softly to them, lulling them to sleep.

—

“Just take it easy, Serene.” Queen Cheery. “I’ve got this, I know your condition has been worsening lately.”

“I promised the boys though,” Serene sighed, sipping her hot medical tea.

“Well, I think it’d be good for Pepper to make another new friend, so don’t fret over it.” The queen gestured to the three boys huddled together, giggling quietly. Although Pepper was a couple of years older than the twin brothers, it seemed to not matter to any of them.

“Well, just be careful out there,” Serene said. “Creek and Cress insist on getting those little blue poppers for the flowers, but it’s too close to the edge of the cage, I don’t want to risk it. Just grab a few white puff-poofs.”

“Now Serene, what Bergen would be insane enough to break our treaty going for the queen and prince? It’s not even Trollstice yet. They’ll both be safe with me.”

“Still, it’s not worth it, so please don’t let them convince you otherwise.”

“Alright, if it’ll make you worry less, then so be it.” Cheery nodded.

With one squeeze of Serene’s shoulder, Cheery stood up from her chair and called out to the boys. “Pepper, Cress, Creek, time to go.”

“Yay!” The boys rushed to her.

“Hold it right there!” A loud voice barked from behind. Ciel broke off from his meditation and looked to them angrily. “Who said Creek could go?”

“Ciel!” Serene gasped.

“The deal still stands: Creek finishes his lesson, then he goes to play.”

Creek’s lip quivered. He should’ve known it was too good to be true.

“Now Ciel,” Cheery started, “Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Did I ask your opinion on raising my children?” He retorted back.

Cheery blinked back, unused to such antagonism even before she became queen “W-well...”

“As I thought,” Ciel returned to his meditation. “One lesson, and he can go.”

“But we’ll be by the field by then.”

“It’s okay,” Creek’s low voice permeated the tense room. “We made a deal. I can do it.” Creek walked over to his father and sister, even as Cress reached out to stop him.

“Creek, are you sure?” Cheery asked concerned.

Creek nodded, and began to imitate the two guru trolls beside him. “I promise, I’ll be done soon.”

Cheery looked to Serene, who got up and briskly retreated to her bedroom, slamming the door. Then to her son and little Cress, who didn’t look too happy either. “I’ll tell you what: we’ll be back after the flower picking, and you’ll come with us to get those gold leaves whether you’re lesson is finished or not.” She shot a warning stare at Ciel. He made no move to reject her idea, so she took it as acceptance.

It took a few more minutes of convincing for the two boys that had rushed over to Creek though, whispering to him to change his mind and just go with them. She had to drag them away with the promise of ice cream during the shopping trip for all four of them.

Creek was determined: he was going to make that shopping trip and make his father proud, by finishing a lesson.

All he had to do was hover for ten minutes. Because he didn’t have the power of the third eye gem, he was given leeway using the tips of his hair instead.

Only it was still hard, for a young trolling still not used to using his hair. It hurted, he kept failing and failing and failing. After seventeen tries, all quick failures, he took a breather to rest his hair.

The moment’s rest gave him the time to think things over; everything he learned.

Meditation wasn’t just focusing on a specific object, or tuning out the surrounding world, or controlling your emotions; it could also be used for mind over matter as well. He memorized so hard in order to please his father, no matter how boring the lesson was, and even Cress often forgot that part. He was going to practice what he learned.

So once again, he used the tip of his hair to lift himself up, and folded his legs in the correct position. His hair was already straining, becoming sore. He closed his eyes and began his mantra. He struggled to tune out the pain, while simultaneously focusing enough to keep the weight on the tip so he wouldn’t fall over. His mantra served as both his distraction and his control of the situation.

He could do this. Ommm.

He could go out and play. Ommm.

And he could make his father proud. Ommm.

“You’re free to go.” His father said.

It was enough to make Creek stumble and fall. “W-what?”

“Ten minutes are over. You’ve finished your lesson.” Ciel stated. “You must still learn to keep that focus longer.”

“I...did it?” He blinked. He hadn’t even realized how much time pass. His hair tip still burned and a headache was starting to take over. “I did it? Yes, yes, yes!” He danced for joy.

“Not in the meditation room.”

“Sorry sir!” He rushed out, but not before properly bowing to his master teacher, to tell his mother the great news.

“It was only four minutes.” Cybil said.

“I suppose I am getting too old to tell time.” Ciel replied. They fell back into their peaceful silence, although Creek could be heard animatedly telling his mother about his accomplishment.

“Can you believe it mama? I’m getting better at it!” Creek enjoyed the comforting embrace of his mother.

“It’s so wonderful, Creek, we’ll have to celebrate in some way.” Serene gently stroked his hair, “You’re both growing up so fast.”

As he went on about how he did it, Serene’s mind went out the window, to the green field, the cage bars, and the gloomy, barren Bergen Town beyond, and the beautiful world even farther away. When he noticed, he poked her chin.

“I’m sorry sweets, I was lost in thought again.” Serene smiled down at him and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Is is about the forest again?” Creek asked, also watching out the window. “When are we moving?”

“Soon sweetheart, they’ve only just found the perfect place for the new village.”

“But it’s taking foreverrrrrr!” Creek whined. “I don’t like Bergens, I want to be far away from them now.”

“Me too, love, me too.” They snuggled closer. “You know Creek, when we finally move, you won’t have to follow your father’s footsteps anymore.”

He looked up. “I don’t? But father would be mad...”

“He worries, and wants you both prepared for the tragedies of life in the only way he knows how, but that will be all behind us. I won’t allow him to be as strict with you anymore when there’s no more danger.”

“So I can go play?” He asked, liking the idea. “And make new friends?”

“All the friends in the world.” She nodded.

Serene thanked the stars that the plan to move involved moving the young children first, before this year’s Trollstice. All the children born after would go in smaller groups, before the final move for next year’s Trollstice Eve. Her boys will finally be safe, and she’d never have to lose another child to those monsters again.

—

Excitedly he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

They sure took their time getting back. This father and sister were at the end of their session. His mother was sleeping after all the stress had riled her up and made her tired.

He wondered what would take them so long. Surely they didn’t forget their promise to come back for him and take him out for ice cream. They rarely eat super sweet stuff at home, the last time he had ice cream his mother had brought it for him and Cress. And he wanted to help pick out the gold leaves for the maybe prince, though something inside him felt like the new baby was going to be a princess instead. Either way, he still wanted to be a part of something.

And he couldn’t wait to tell Cress that he finished a lesson! Cress would be so happy.

A quiet knock finally broke the silence, and Creek opened the door faster than lightning. He beamed happily, excited to greet Queen Cheery, Pepper, and Cress back, and help them with their basket of flowers, and brag all about the lesson.

He was met, instead, with a very grey, nearly crying King Peppy, holding a basket with just one blue popper.

—

It was weird living without either of his parents. The big strong troll said they would come earlier than most because of his mother’s sickness. But for now, it was just him and Cybil.

The new village was scarier than he thought, his mother made it sound like the greatest things would happen when they escaped the cage, but several older trolls had to fend off terrifying new monsters whenever they came across their new place. There were only a few pods, for the sick and the orphans, while most of the place was swept in darkness and weird rustling noises. Everyone slept in these big hollows that had to be covered with leaves to hide them and keep them warm. The few adults took turns staying awake and alert and building temporary homes, leaving the children to handle themselves.

He’s met a lot of new faces, but any excitement and eagerness he had before to make friends was gone now. He just wanted to stay by his sister’s side. Still the other children paid no mind how he clutched his sister’s hand tighter, turned his face away, or even envelope his head in hair; they still tried to play, completely fine with being away from the safety and warmth of their parents.

So aside from meal times and their night curfew, Cybil began taking him away from the children and more to the quieter places where the adults were working nearby, fully understanding that Creek just wasn’t ready for interaction with the other children.

They meditated the days away. Becoming hyper aware of their new environment. Focusing intently on the little things like the warmth of the sun. Listening to new sounds such as buzzing bugs and fluttering butterflies. Burying their painful feelings deep inside.

Mind over matter made it easier to live on.

—

“Serene, that’s preposterous,” Ciel said during their meal. Even Cybil gave their mother funny looks. “Whatever for? Of all trolls?”

Creek was more focused on the name. He recognized it. He had been Cress’s friend.

“He needs a family, and we’ll be just perfect for him,” Serene insisted. “He’s barely a year older than Creek, they’ll be perfect brothers.”

Ciel and Cybil turned to look at Creek, who lowered his head underneath the table. “But Cress was a perfect brother.” He mumbled.

“Now Creek, I know you still miss him....” Serene tried to say, but she paused as her own emotions began to choke her up.

“He grey,” Ciel noted. “Longer than any other troll has been. I’ve never seen something like it; it might be permanent.”

“What does it matter his color?”

“There are no grey trolls in guru families.” Ciel stated emotionless. “It’s a constant reminder of the very pain we aimed to relieve ourselves of. He doesn’t belong.”

“Even if he’s not related by blood?”

“All members of the family adhere to the same standards, and no guru troll ever turns grey.”

Creek looked to his own skin, a bright violet color.

“You’re not changing my mind, Ciel,” Serene firmly replied. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll be making regular visits to acquaint with Branch, and I think Creek should come along-“

“I don’t want to go.” He stopped his mother from speaking further. It wasn’t child-like or whiny like he tended to do in her presence. It was the respectable tone he carried during his father’s teachings. “I wish to meditate.”

“So be it,” Ciel said before returning to his meal, showing in no way whether the idea was agreeable to him or not, having ceased Creek’s lessons since losing Cress.

Serene said nothing further, but watched him sadly, as everyone quietly resumed back to their meal.

—

The life was sucked out of him. Every moment or so, he’d checked his skin to see if it would change to that terrible shade he feared so greatly. He was always grateful to see bright violet. After seeing one grey troll in the form of their own king, he never wanted to feel that state himself.

He was with his sister Cybil, and she was packing up their things. Guru families usually stay in one large pod with multiple rooms, even well into adulthood. But their father’s coldness and neglect after their mother’s passing had destroyed any last remaining semblance of family.

“Do you want to stay in my pod, or have your own eventually?” Cybil had asked. He shuddered at the thought of being along, and elected to stay in hers.

Ciel said nothing as they left.

In their new home, it was one open space with dividers and a separate bathroom; a standard pod. It was deeper within the tree, giving them much needed privacy. Cybil said once they settled in, they can redecorate however they want.

Creek had been taught how to answer if anyone questioned their sudden move: it was time for Cybil, a teenager, to follow her peer’s footsteps and go out on her own as well, that he wanted to tag along because it was new, fun, and exciting, that he needed a new change of pace as well and their father agreed. There was no need to bring other trolls into their family issues.

Even if they were no longer technically guru trolls, they still tried to follow the same basic rules: don’t show your true feelings out in public or spread your negativity. Keep a smile on, that way other trolls could keep theirs.

In fact, his sister Cybil has now opened their brand new pod up for psychiatry services and emotional therapy, using all that she learned from their father to create a persona of a wise, calm troll with all the answers to other’s problems, helping them find solutions or relieve them of the negativity. It was unorthodox and their father would’ve been so disappointed, claiming she was exploiting their family’s techniques. If he had even cared.

King Peppy himself was their first and most frequent customer, often bringing the little princess along with him, giving Creek someone to play with. Good word spread and Creek was astounded to find so many trolls with the same or similar problems, and yet still managed to happily go on with their lives.

One day, their grandmother burst in unannounced into their home, startling Creek as he was preparing their lunch, berry salad since it was easy for a child. Cybil didn’t flinch and continued to meditate.

“There’s my precious little grandson! I’ve been sooooo, so worried!” The older troll rushed him with open arms. He was still so stunned with seeing his grandmother again after so long; not since the birth of the princess.

“Grandma!” He hugged back. “I thought you were gone, too!” He felt happier, lighter, than he has in a while. It was such a wonderful surprise.

“Ohhh, my sweet little apple of my eye,” She pinched his cheek. He winced, but said nothing. “I’m still right here. Oh look at you, so much more handsome than last time!” He giggled, enjoying the praise. “Oh! And look what I’ve brought you!” After setting him down, grandmother Guffin took out a large basket of muffins, her specialty! “Cinnamon and apples, just how you like them!”

“Thank you grandmother!” He smiled at her and grabbed one of the muffins, taking a bite and showing how much he enjoyed it.

Cinnamon apple had been Cress’s favorite, though; he preferred pistachio.

“Can we help you?” Cybil asked from afar.

“So my little muffin,” his grandmother began, apparently not hearing Cybil even though the teen’s voice had been loud and clear. “I’ve heard you’ve made a new friend lately.”

“Uh huh,” he said, munching on the top of the muffin.

“And who is the little adorable thing, hmmmm?”

“It’s the princess, grandma! Princess Poppy!”

“The princess!!!” Grandma Guffin gasped. “Oh goodness, my handsome boy attracts such lovely little ladies, doesn’t he?”

“Um, Mr. King Peppy brings her here because he talks to Cybbie-“

“Of course, of course,” Grandma Guffin interrupted. “Say, why not switch things up a bit and let’s go visit her? I’m sure she would absolutely love that!”

“Umm, I dunno,” Creek looked down, shuffling his feet, “Her daddy is very busy...”

“Nonsense, Peppy can make the time for us when it come’s to his baby girl.”

He thought it over, he really would like to see more of his only friend, instead of waiting for King Peppy to come over for a session. So he nodded vigorously. “Okay grandma!”

“Grandmother,” Cybil approached them. “If you have forgotten, he is my charge now, and while I wouldn’t mind him going out to play, I would appreciate that I am asked for permission first.” She crossed her arms.

Creek looked between the two. Cybil looked stern and grown up like their father, but also gentle like their mother. Their grandmother’s expression, however, downturned into a half grimace.

“I am his grandmother, my authority supersedes yours.” She disdainfully replied.

“What’s his name?” Cybil asked, eyes narrowed.

Their grandmother paused and bit her lip, but it went unnoticed by the little troll in question.

Creek blinked, confused. “Duh Cybbie, it’s Creek. Grandma knows that.”

“Creek! Of course, my little Creek!” The elderly troll quickly added loudly over Creek’s voice. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking Creek to see his friend, as is my right!” Then she turned back towards Creek and grabbed for his hand, nearly dragging him away.

He was so excited, he’s going to see Poppy again! He turned around to say goodbye to his big sister. She waved back with a small smile, next to the salad bowl he had been using to make the now forgotten lunch.

—

It was done, over with. Creek would never be trusted by anyone again.

Verbal assault was just another tally in the gossip newsprint. Punching back at Branch after the knock out had been claimed as belated self defense. That incident had slowly but surely been forgotten as everyone moved on to discussing Verona and Ian’s break up, or the butterfly ranch escape, or the mysterious prankster dropping water balloons on troll’s heads.

But being the physical instigator weeks after the first incident? Like Branch, his reputation as a violent troll would forever stain him, biting him in the back every once in a while after some random troll reminds everyone about his history of assault.

Poppy wouldn’t even look at him anymore. Their backs were turned to one another’s. She was so silent, and it just wasn’t her style to be. She’s given him the grace of a second chance, and still he failed her. Clearly, she was disappointed and blaming herself for even hoping on him, but more so was probably trying to find the courage to break their friendship permanently.

How has he let his inner bitterness take him over like this? Years of practice and meditation and breathing techniques were washed down the drain in a matter of weeks, allowing his subconscious to build onto itself like a poorly made pillar that finally fell and crumble.

After nearly another half hour of him plucking at frazzled strands, and her playing with her palms, all in complete since, finally Poppy huffed and decided to be the first to break the spell.

“Creek,” Still, she fell silent again for another few minutes, tapping her knees. “You know...” Again she hesitated moments longer. “I can’t...sugarcoat it...you’re in really big trouble.”

He shrugged. If he responds in anyway, he might just break down. It was easier to feel indifferent.

“Don’t just shrug at me!” She snapped. “Creek, you have a problem you’ve been holding in and this was the absolute worse way you could’ve let it out, period.”

When he said nothing, she got up on her feet and started pacing, aggressively. “And you know I had to tell them the truth, because otherwise they’ve would’ve thought Bra...Br...the other guy started it, and take away his baby and that’s not fair!”

He continued to say nothing, so she continued to rant. “My dad wants to freaking ban you from ever coming near me again. Ban you! He’s never even thought about banning...you know who, him! No matter what! Arrrgh!”

She pulled at her hair in frustration, stopping just in front of him, expecting some kind of response, anything. He plucked one pink strand that was within reach, and that was enough to make her continue her tirade.

“You idiot!” She wrapped her hair around him and started shaking, hard. “Say something! Beg for forgiveness, ask me how to fix it, explain your side of the story! Something, Creek, something!”

“Say something I’m giving up on you,” Creek sang lowly.

She paused, then quickly threw herself backwards and faced the window.

“I’ll be the one if you want me to,”

She crossed her arms, shaking.

“Anywhere I would’ve followed you.”

She wasn’t going to sing with him. She wasn’t; it doesn’t matter if he needs her to. He doesn’t deserve that if he was just going to sit there and let his life fall apart and not care.

“Say something I’m giving up on you.”

“This doesn’t help, Creek,” She wouldn’t look his way still, “This doesn’t help.”

“And I, am feeling so small. It was over my head, I know nothing at all,”

That voice, that singing...it moved her so much more than it should. How can someone sound so genuinely broken and hurt and yet not acknowledge it?

“And I, will stumble and fall. I’m still learning to love, just starting to crawl,”

Then she came to a realization, and felt so stupid that she never thought of it before.

This was the real Creek. Music was a troll’s outlet to what they feel, but often it was perky and upbeat nonsense meant to bounce to. How many times had she sang about her excitement for an upcoming party or holiday, or about some pretty leaf pattern she saw? How often did other trolls do the same?

Never Creek; his singing was always slower and melancholy. It was easy for him to draw a crowd simply because his music was so different, so soothing, it pulled at your heartstrings. Whether he was the cool and calm troll, the troll that snapped, or the empty shell in front of her, it didn’t matter. They still sung from their hearts.

So she drew closer to him, held him tight, and joined in. And if anyone else were to listen, they’d hear a hauntingly beautiful duet between two life-long friends, overlooking the pain and forgiveness and share of their disappointment in between each word.

”Say something I’m giving up on you,

And I’m sorry that I couldn’t get to you.

Anywhere, I would’ve followed you.

Say something, I’m giving up on you.”

When they finished, they still held on, afraid it would be their last embrace. But while she trembled and her breath shook, Creek remain contained.

Until he laughed harshly, sending an electrical jolt down her spine. “Perhaps...I finally understand now.”

Finally, she pulled away to inspect his face. “Understand what?”

“How he felt. Ciel...my father. The numbness.” He looked down at his skin, still vibrantly violet. “Protecting himself from his own self-inflicted anguish.”

That concerned her greatly. “I don’t think that’s anyway to live.”

“It is what helped us prevail when so much was lost,” his other hand began trailing lines between the scattered glitter freckles of his arm like connecting constellations. “Even when my brother died, and my mother months after, this color never dulled.”

“You had a brother?!” She gasped at this newfound information.

“Twin.”

“That’s worse!” Poppy hugged him again. “Why haven’t you ever said anything?”

He ignored her question. “It made me so strong and capable, a child that held it together when grown adults came in and out of father’s for the relief of their sorrows. Then Cybil’s. It made me feel so powerful in comparison.”

“...I can’t help you, can’t I?” Poppy asked, but she knew the answer already. This was beyond her current ability to handle. But she knew the troll who could. “Creek...don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back. Just stay there.” Cautiously she pried them apart, started walking towards the exit, watching him for any signs of instability. “I promise.”

“It’s alright if you don’t, it will not affect me.” He said with such hollowness.

For good measure, she locked the door.

She hadn’t needed to go far at all, Cybil sat in the waiting room, not even meditating, which was an oddity considering who she is. Her eyes were closed, her hands rested at her knees. If she was laid on the floor with a mat it would have looked exactly like Creek’s yoga starting position.

“Cibbs?” She approached the green troll that she had always considered a big sister.

Cybil didn’t respond nor looked her way. She rose up from her chair and moved closer. “I am ready.”

Creek was still muttering to himself when they re-entered and staring with fascination with his skin. “Guru trolls never turn grey, we are too powerful for that.”

“Please allow us space, princess.” Cybil dismissed Poppy. Poppy hesitated to leave, but nodded and made her way out once again.

She had someone else she wanted to see, anyway.

Or she did, but when she entered the ward where Branch was suppose to be, she was surprised to only see her crestfallen father.

“Dad?” She quickly came to his side and wrapped herself around his arm, rubbing his back soothingly. She’s never seen her father like this in all her life, even during some of his stranger tendencies. “What’s wrong? Where’s Branch? He shouldn’t be moving around.”

Her father didn’t reply to her straight away, instead reaching for her hand clutching his bicep and squeezing it gently. Concerned, Poppy sat down next to him.

“Poppy dear,” He took a deep shuddering breath first. “I have some news to tell you.”

—

They had approached his playpen quietly. He was the only one there, the few other orphans choosing to play outside with each other or their prospective future parents. He just stayed indoors drawing quietly, interacting with nobody.

His caretaker Nurse Bubbly was always bringing trolls to meet him, trolls that clearly pitied and wanted to change him. He didn’t need that. He doesn’t want a new family. He couldn’t afford that pain anymore.

“Hey there sweetheart,” Bubbly crouched down and whispered softly. “This is Serene, why don’t you say hi?”

He looked up for a split second before resuming his activity. The female troll was towering, wore a long dress, and smelled like flowers.

Bubbly sighed. “I’m sorry, he’s a pretty...shy little guy.”

“No worries,” Serene’s voice was buttery soft and gentle. “Creek has been feeling the same.”

That made his ears perk up. He glanced up again, neither of them noticing.

“I’m so sorry.” Bubbly put a hand on Serene’s shoulder.

Serene’s smile was far too sad to be a real one, he noticed. “It’s alright, I still have two at least. There are others far worse off.”

“At least it’s all in the past.” Bubbly pulled Serene into a hug, even though it wasn’t hug time. It made him wary; he did not want to be hugged as well, it never gave him comfort.

Over Bubbly’s shoulder, Serene noticed his staring, prompting him to quickly look back down and resume drawing.

Serene coughed, and strangely Nurse Bubbly began started to panic. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry! Let me get you a chair! And tea! Oh, where are my manners!”

“Calm your nerves, dear friend, it’s nothing to fear.” But Serene’s word didn’t make Bubbly fret any less. In a flash, large cushion chair was placed just outside the playpen, and Bubbly guided the troll as if she was frail as paper.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Bubbly called out, rushing to the kitchen. “Good luck!”

Now that it was quiet and they were alone, Branch knew this was the moment the troll would try to talk to him and be all friendly.

It was usually the same though: ‘Hi, I’m Whatevername. I’m sorry about your family. Do you need a hug sweetie? Would you like to sing with me? You know it would make you feel better. You could feel happier. If I adopt you, I’ll always make you happy. Don’t you want to be happy? Don’t you want a new family?’

Then they’ll finally get fed up with his silence about ten minutes or so in, and say the words he’s been waiting for. ‘Won’t you say anything? Don’t you want to talk to me?’

“Go away.” He’ll say.

They’d be stunned. He’ll go back to ignoring them. Then they’ll decide that he’s a lost cause, move on to another orphan. Someone friendlier. Someone who can fill the void of their child that they had lost to Bergens.

Because that’s all they see him as: their replacement child.

Serene hadn’t said anything yet, though. She might have been waiting for him to acknowledge her. Bubbly has gotten wise to his method and informed the adopters. Only Herman and Berrysweet had ever taken her advice to heart, the rest insisting they could fix that, by presenting themselves as loudly as possible.

So she sat there in silence, and he tried to act as if he was ignoring her when in reality he was very much aware and renewing his strategy. Herman stayed for hours telling him about all sorts of things before his ruffling his hair and telling him to find him if he ever wants to learn something useful. But even he gave up, it just wasn’t troll nature to stay so quiet. He could though, he’s been getting better at it.

Bubbly came back with the hot tea for Serene, and a cup of juice and a bowl of blackberries for him, setting them down beside him.

Bubbly instantly knew the game afoot though, and explained to Serene. “He’s not gonna crack, apparently. Just start talking to him.” He shot a glare at Bubbly, but of course the troll ignored it.

Serene nodded in understanding, equally unbothered by his heated gaze. So Bubbly left them alone again to check on the other kids outside.

“So, Branch.”

He snorted. Here’s the introduction.

“As you already know, my name is Serene.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I have a husband named Ciel, there’s also my daughter Cybil and my so........son Creek.”

He slowed down on his scribbling, the bat he’d been drawing a little lopsided as his mind trailed. That’s weird, she already has trollings of her own. Why would she need a third?

She had paused to take a sip of her tea. “And, well, our family trade delves in spirituality. My husband could detect a troll’s presence and tell how the troll feels. My daughter is learning the trade herself.”

He didn’t fully understand what she was talking about, but it made him wary enough to glare and hold his drawing up to shield his body. He was able to get a better look at her though: pastel green hair full of various flowers and a flower crown to top it all off, and they draped down in waves. Unusual, as everyone else’s hair raises up. Her’s was so long, it even touched the ground. It was weird...kind of like how the other kids called his colors weird...

Serene blinked confused, then laughed. “Oh, not me! That’s all on my husband’s side of the family. I’m just a normal troll. My family tend to be bakers. My mother particularly is a muffin expert.”

Still unsure, he rotated to turn his back to her. He did not need trolls seeing his feelings or whatever. It was silent a little longer as Serene sipped her tea. He could feel her eyes on his back. It unnerved him, so he turned around again.

Then she set her cup down on the floor, got up, and walked towards the playpen’s gate. She opened it up and entered.

This wasn’t new to him, he tensed up expecting the troll to try and hug him. If she did, he’d squirmed and wriggle without making a sound.

But she just sat down in front of him. “Oh, that’s a lovely drawing.”

He held it to his chest to cover it, prompting another laugh from her.

“Do you stay up late, Branch? Most kids draw the daytime with the sun and clouds and rainbows.” She asked, but he didn’t answer. “My Creek and........he likes to stay up late to stargaze, too.” She giggled. “At least, that’s what he’s been doing lately......” Her smile faltered the slightest. “Have you ever seen a moonbow?”

He didn’t answer.

“They’re rainbows of the night, and very hard to find. But I remember seeing one outside my window as a child. It was beautiful and calming. I’ve never found another troll who said they’ve had until I met my husband.” Her smile grew again. Judging from that, he could tell she must talk about happy moments whenever something makes her sad. Most trolls just sing, dance, and hug the negative feelings away.

Out from her trance, she spoke up again. “So Branch, do you like anything apart from drawing?”

He refocused his attention on his picture, grabbing the black crayon.

“Well, I heard you were interested in hearing about Herman’s little nature talks, so I made you this.” Rather from her hair like other trolls did, Serene carried a sack that blended with her clothing. Something green and fabric-like was taken out of it.

He tried to ignore her extended hand. Berrysweet had brought gifts to him, too, on every visit. He made the mistake in accepting them. Though her puzzles and gadgets were fun...

He couldn’t help himself, he looked up. It was folded green felt, with stitchings that looked intentional rather than to fix a tear. His curiosity was too strong and he dropped his crayon to grab it and look closer.

“It’s a vest,” Serene explained. “Usually I only make flower crowns and hats, so sorry it’s not the best work. I wanted to get real leaves, but I wasn’t feeling too well for that.”

He tilted his head, unsure what a vest was or what it does. He looked to Serene inquisitively.

She took the hint and held her hand out, receiving the vest back. “Alright, I need you to stand up for a bit.”

He hesitated to obey, standing up make it easier for trolls to hug him or force him to dance. But this was all new and his mind was eager to try it.

She scooted a little closer. “Okay, now extend your arms.”

He crossed his arms and glared, stumbling back. So she was trying to hug him! He shook his head defiantly.

She laughed. “I can’t put the vest on if I don’t have your arms, Branch.”

So it was a clothing. That made more sense, he remembers doing the same for his winter coat.

He complied with a little hesitance. Serene held it to his back and guided one arms to a hole in the green fabric, then his other arm in the another. She straightened it out. “Good, it’s a perfect fit! You look so cute with it, Branch!”

He pouted grumpily. he was not cute! His expression only made her laugh more. She seemed to have a weird sense of humor.

“Would you like to see, Branch?” She gestured to the tall mirror outside the playpen.

He looked to her questionably; he didn’t get out of the playpen during these visits, as the adopters usually wanted to keep him in one place, made it easier to interact. But she opened the gate and beckoned him out.

He carefully walked out, ready to run off if she tried anything funny. She only kept one hand to his back, not even touching, just guiding him to the mirror.

He blinked at what he saw. It made him shocked. A vest....it’s like, like...he didn’t know the word except it sounded like ‘card eee gone,’ but it looked a lot like grandma’s! Grandma’s was pink and long and his is green and short! “It’s just like grandma’s!”

“Really? Well I’m glad you love it at least.”

He gasped, covering his mouth. He spoke and smiled, all on the first visit! So he shot her a glare, but again it didn’t seem to affect her. Still miffed, he looked down at his new vest and pinched the end. He realized the stitching made a leafy pattern.

“Thank you,” He muttered to her. He did love it.

—

He had expected more gifts after the first visit, like Berrysweet did to try and entice him. But instead, Serene only came with stories and crafting materials.

“Ciel had never been an emotional person, but I could tell he was pissed at my mother,” Serene explained, gluing rhinestones to the trim of a hat. “She always had different ideas of who I should be with...which is why she named and raised me differently. Serene means tranquil and peaceful, and she wanted trolls to think that of me, especially Peppy.” She smiled down at him, unbothered that he took some of her rhinestones for his own art project. “You know who King Peppy is, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Well he was prince Peppy then, and hadn’t met his future wife yet, so my mother...oh, I don’t know if I should be telling a child this. Well, anyway, she was none too pleased to meet Ciel.

They still don’t get along well to this day.” She giggled. “But still she shows up every once in a while to see her grandson Creek.”

Then Serene sighed, and it caught his attention. “I know what she’s up to; Peppy’s daughter is only two years younger. Looking back, I suppose it made sense why she was always protective and fretting me, as Peppy and I are the same age.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“Well, you’ll understand someday.” She shook her head, smiling. “I’m happy children don’t have to worry about these things anymore, marrying young and all; you’ll be able to take your time and get to know them more. If Cheery hadn’t been my best friend...I wonder if maybe I would’ve went for Peppy after all. Mother would’ve been delighted.”

She was talking sad stuff again. Branch figured he could try distracting her, by asking something he’s been meaning to since her first visit. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, which littered the floor like green rivers. He tugged gently to catch her attention and raised it up inquisitively.

“My hair?”

“Mmhmm.” He pointed at it.

“Oh, you mean why it goes down.” She fondly raked her fingers through some of her shorter strands near her face. “Well, the simple explanation is that I am sick, but not the kind of sick with a stuffed nose and a hot forehead, mind you.” She added, amused when he scooted back after hearing she was ill.

He coughed, in the way she does.

“Don’t worry, you won’t catch my sickness, I was just born with it; the coughing is just my lungs struggling sometimes to catch up.”

He tilted his head.

“Lungs are what helps you breathe,” She explained. He nodded back, his gesture when he understood.

He pondered for a bit, and raised up two fingers. It was her turn to looked confused. He pointed at her and raised them up again. She still didn’t get it, so he sighed and said: “Your kids.”

“Oh. Cybil and Creek are perfectly healthy, thank you for asking.” She smiled brightly. “I believe my doctors said I have a rare defect, it’s not something I can pass down .”

“Ok.”

“You’re really a sweetheart; other children wouldn’t even worry about such things.”

He blushed at the praise. “They should.”

Maybe he’s letting his walls down again, maybe he’s playing into her hands just like he had with Herman and Berrysweet...but he really did like her.

—

“Branch,” Serene began, after finishing the book she had been reading to him. “Would you like to meet Creek today?”

He quickly shook his head. “Nuh uh.”

“Why not? You’ll both have so much fun together, you’re both such quiet boys.”

She knew why though, and he knew that she knew. He didn’t want a new family, no matter how nice the trolls are. He didn’t want to go to her pod and have fun with her son and maybe, just maybe, decide to stay after all.

And feel his heartbreak all over again when something terrible happens.

So instead of responding, he pointed at another book, “That one, please.” And she complied by reaching for it and beginning another tale.

“He’d make such a good brother for you,” she added out of the blue. “You’re around the same age. Creek’s been having such a hard time making any other friends. He’s been very lonely.”

“Tch.” He grunted. It was getting annoying how she’d always bring up the same subject.

“And you won’t have to be afraid anymore. No Bergen would ever come take you.”

He sort of regret telling Serene about his nightmares, and the real reason he stargazed a lot. She had been sharing some of Creek’s fears to him, and it just came out. He became far too trusting, and now here she was using it against him.

He had been right from the beginning; she did pity him, she’s trying to make him relate to her son, make him agree to come home with her, with some false idea that she and her family could make him happy again. Make him normal.

He wasn’t going to fall for it.

—

It had been nice, the last few days, for Serene to come and help him with his writing. Nurse Bubbly was just so busy with all the other kids, he would just hide somewhere shady and work on his own. But there’s only so much a child could do by themselves. Even with the other children gone, he was in too much of the habit to ask his caretaker for help.

He’s been alert at first, suspicious of her intentions. But eventually he concluded it was all the same deal: spend quality time, talk about her son, and try to convince him to let her take him.

Still, it was strange they went from knitting and drawing and reading to now learning to write all of a sudden. But he figured it was because she thought learning to write neatly was such an important skill, and she was surprised to learn his writing was basically scratches and wriggles.

He had to admit the lessons were really helpful. His Bs weren’t misshapen circles, his C’s didn’t look like Os anymore, and all his lines were straighter and less crooked from an unsteady hand. He even learned a new way to hold the pencil that gave him better control. He liked how much prettier his words looked.

After looking over his latest work and praising him, she gave him a piece of paper with a bunch of straight lines going across. “Try practicing your name some more, just print neatly on each line.”

And he did, and so focused with his task that he didn’t notice that at the very last line, she sneaked a different paper right over.

And he wrote on that one instead.

Then quickly it was snatched up and he blinked and realized the name he wrote on the last line was gone. That was when he looked up and noticed her gleefully reading over the other paper.

“Great work,” she praised. “Absolutely wonderful!”

He tried to lean forward to take a peek, but she kept it out of his reach. “Nurse Bubbly!” She called out. “Bubbly! Bubbles!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Bubbly rushed from a different room where she had been napping. The other orphans were long gone and he was the last one left to care for, leaving her with more time to relax.

“I finally got it.” Serene triumphantly held up the paper.

Bubbly looked shocked. “A-a-are you serious?!”

“Very!” Serene laughed.

“My goodness, I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you’re amazing! It’s a miracle!” Bubbly jumped and screamed for joy, the two older females happily embracing each other.

He had no clue what got them so excited, or why the paper meant so much.

“Oh congratulations, I promise your family will not regret this!” Bubbly sobbed happy tears.

“Of course not, it’s what I’ve wanted all along.” Serene vigorously nodded.

Fed up with the mystery, Branch hopped off his stool and walked around Serene. The paper was clutched on one hand, low enough that he could see it, but upside down. So he tilted his head as far as it could go without falling over.

It had so many tiny printed words on it, he still couldn’t decipher the meaning. The only thing recognizable was his own name at the very bottom, and one other line above it.

“Alright, alright, enough of us acting like little trollings at their first party,” Bubbly said after calming down. “I still need you to sign right here.”

He gasped. He knew that line, he’s heard it so many times by now.

Sign right here: the words Bubbly said to every adopter, for every orphan trolling being adopted.

He had signed his own adoption papers.

He was so stunned, by the time he came out of his stupor, Serene had eagerly signed her own name and Bubbly had went off to gather his meager belongings.

“No! NO!” He stomped his foot. “You can’t take me! You can’t! I don’t wanna go!”

“You’ll love your new home, Branch.”

“NO, NO, NO!!!” He screamed, cried, and ran off to Bubbly when Serene tried to grab his hand.

Unbeknown to her, that one gesture only cemented his fear of her; reaching out for him just like the Bergen that took his grandma did.

“What on earth?” Bubbly was perplexed at the commotion, and Branch hiding behind her legs sobbing.

“He’s fine, just a little scared.” Serene insisted.

“Y-you trick me!” He sobbed on Bubbly’s calves. “Liar! Liar! I don’t wanna go!” He screamed more and backed away when Serene reached around to take him, clearly traumatized.

“Now hold on Miss Serene,” Bubbly blocked with her own body, going on the defense to protect her charge. She had the same tone of voice she’d used when she was expecting a trolling to cooperate and listen. “What is going on? I thought Branch signed the papers.”

“He did!” Serene insisted, extending the adoption paper out.

“NO, NO NO!!!”

“Clearly, something else is going on here,” Bubbly sternly glared at the female troll, one hand stroking Branch’s hair to soothe him to a calmer state. She dropped the backpack she had set up. “And I expect some answers this instant before I let Branch go anywhere.”

“W-well...”Serene looked down on the floor, somewhat ashamed. “I suppose I did...sort of...tricked him.”

“Sort of?” Bubbly raised an eyebrow.

“Look, Creek has been more and more upset the more I came here to play with Branch,” Serene explained. “But he needs Branch, Bubbles, they both need each other!”

“You forged the writing?” Bubbly gasped.

“He wrote it himself! I just slipped the paper in front of him. It’s legitimate!” Serene had began raising her voice as she grew more and more upset. It led to a massive coughing fit that made her falter.

Bubbly forgot her anger long enough to kneel down and help the troll. “Deep breaths, Serene, deep breaths.”

“I’m s-so sorry, I’m just...I...” She gave out another string of harsh coughs, taking a moment to take in gulps of air. “I was getting d-desperate.” She struggled to say between breaths.

They hadn’t notice him grab for his backpack and slip away. All that remained was the crumpled green vest he threw to the floor.

Still greatly upset, he ran off through the fading twilight, ignoring the other trolls curiously staring at the little gray orphan that seemed to be in a rush. Some were especially concerned when they noticed the tears running down.

“Hey, where are you going?” Someone called out, making him sprint faster. “Wait! Don’t go out there alone, you should head home before it’s get dark!”

That had been enough to make other trolls step in front of his path, ask him if he was okay, does he need help getting back to his pod. Then when he didn’t slow down and sidestepped everyone, a few even made a grab for him, prompting him to scream in panic.

Now so many trolls were reaching out for him, just like that Bergen!

Then he heard, behind him in the distance, both Bubbly and the lying, horrible Serene calling out for him. It made him more terrified. No one was going to save him this time. Except, maybe...

“NO, DON’T TAKE ME! GO AWAY! BERGENNNSS!!!” He even hit the arm of one of the trolls, running even faster to his destination, the only one he could think of. His smaller form made him elusive enough to make twist and turns the other trolls couldn’t follow, allowing a wide enough gap for his escape.

He pounded on Herman’s wooden door frantically. “HERMIE, HERMIE!!!”

A lot of clattering and crashing could be heard, and in seconds the door was yanked open. The elder troll, orange and brown with dirty overalls and a messy beard, looked at him perplexed. “Branch, my boy!”

“Nooo, don’t let them take me!” He ran behind the old troll, clutching his legs for dear life.

“There he is!” A stranger and two others raced over. “Herman, thank you! Nurse Bubbly and Serene had been looking for him! He ran off from the orphanage.”

“Did he?” Herman looked down at the sniffling little gray troll wiping tears and snot on his already dirty pant leg.

Branch needed someone on his side. Still upset, he tried his best to explain to Herman in between hiccups. “N-nooo, sh-she tr-trick m-m-me, she’s n-no-ot my m-momm-my! Don’t l-let her t-ta-take m-me!” Was all he could muster before letting another set of sobs out.

Herman looked between Branch and the three trolls outside his shack. “From the looks of things, I don’t reckon he wants to go wit you lot.”

“But Nursly Bubbly and-“

“They can come here and tell me the happenings themself, and if I don’t like what they have to say, then they ain’t getting him and they can take it up with King Peppy himself.” With that, Herman slammed the door in their faces. “Now boy, that ain’t a face I can have at the dinner table, let’s go freshen you up.” Picking up the still weeping child, Herman walked deeper into his rustic stump home, holding the trolling tight.

—

It became a game of sorts, once Berrysweet had been informed and they came up with their own plan.

Whenever somebody, Peppy or Bubbly usually, came knocking on their doors asking for Branch, they’d say pretty much the same thing.

“Oh, you know, I think Hermie’s got him today. Probably teaching the boy how to be a barbarian and the many uses of mud.”

“Come to think of it, pretty sure I seen that darn Bittersweet dragging him to her preppy little mushroom.”

Berrysweet had an attic of super cool gadgets beyond what she’s shown him before, complete with her blueprints and extra parts. Herman had a cellar stocked full of goodies. Both had proven very good places to hide.

And both trolls entertained him in their own ways, Berrysweet showing him things like pulley systems and color coded wires and other cool things that went over his head but were still neat, and Herman teaching him to stitch a new vest out of leaves and pointing out plants and herbs on their hikes.

But outside of their homes and the things he did with his new caretakers, he had another hiding place that neither of them knew about, just in case they changed their minds about keeping him safe. It was easy to go unnoticed thanks to the game, both trolls thinking he’s at the other’s for the night.

It was a hole under a rock that he had found when he still lived in the orphanage, and had set it up in order to have a place to hide when he was scared or annoyed with trolls. It had a nest of old blankets to snuggle in, lots of books Nurse Bubbly had forgotten about, a glow mushroom lamp for light, the things Berrysweet gave him, and pencils and paper for drawing.

But it wasn’t a place he could actually live in, not just yet. It wasn’t safe enough, from both horrible trolls looking to steal him and horrible Bergens wanting to eat him.

—

Other than his initial introduction to Creek as a child, the last time he had thought about Serene was when he was a teen.

He was still recovering from the sudden deaths of both his former caretakers earlier in the year. Poppy had helped a lot with that, more than she realized.

Still, some nights he needed to clear his thoughts and tire himself out just to get through the ache in his chest. So he went out on an excursion to a nearby area that he knew would be very safe. He had a flashlight with a dim red glow that any nocturnal creature would have a hard time spotting, and a sack made of strong fibers woven thickly together. He was looking for some of the luminescent mushrooms that were usually harder to find because they blended in perfectly in the day, but lit up at night. Liquidizing them made them useful components for emergency glow sticks.

As he reached his destination, he made sure to give a quick glance around for potential danger, even though not many predators lived nearby. He took extra precaution checking the trees and the night sky for any signs of owls, whom were hard to hear coming usually.

The moon was bright and full, but still low near the horizon as it hadn’t been dark for too long, so all he could see of it through the thickness of the forest were the occasional streaks of light coming down. Some thick clouds on the opposite side hinted at a passing rainstorm, which would thankfully missed his area as he learned by now the direction they went this time of the year. Then noticing a curved stream of light from the storm’s direction that shouldn’t be there, he did a double take.

A moonbow.

He’s seen rainbows plenty of times, in all shapes and sizes, but never a moonbow. It was a rare sight, he honestly didn’t know how to react at first. His excursion took second priority as he searched for a covered area he could view more safely, finding a thorny plant nearby that he could climb a little higher as well as be protected from sneak attacks.

Settled a little better, he gazed up at the moonbow again. The trees made it hard to see anything other than the higher part. Unlike a regular rainbow, there was a lack of colors, at least none he could see with the naked eye. The pale light wasn’t nearly as strong as the moon behind him, but the moonbow had it’s own sense of beauty. Rather than the anxiety and stress that were common factors in his life, he felt more at peace, lulled into a sense of sereni-

And that’s when he recalled a forgotten childhood memory.

Serene. She had mentioned she’d seen a moonbow; that’s where he had heard of them before. For all those weeks they’ve spent together, he hadn’t given her much thought since he ran off. Until now.

He could still recall that hand reaching for him, with intent to capture. How he relapse into his possibly very first panic attack at being reminded of the Bergen...

He shook his head and shivered. He didn’t need reminders of that time. Inspecting the area again for danger, he headed back towards the bunker, the mushrooms forgotten, to escape from the trip down memory lane.

But not before another thought passes through him. He looked down at his current vest, weathered and browned from long use. He remembered the green vest with leaf pattern Serene had made him, which he left behind at Bubbly’s pod. Herman had also taught him to make one out of actual leaves, which he eventually grew out of. He should consider making a new one, he had really loved those vests.

—

I killed her. I killed her. He echoed in his mind, shuddering in his fetal position. His leg was bandaged up but the pan had only left a dark bruise, nothing broken. Still, he felt so awful, and so worthless. I killed Serene...

The realization hit him like a falling tree trunk. How could he go on after that? He got someone else killed, Creek’s own mother; she had tried so hard to befriend him. How had he not realized she was gone, after never seeing her or hearing of her again?

Was it because she was so upset he ran away, did he break her heart by refusing to go with her? Did she have a panic attack and she couldn’t breathe anymore? 

Had Herman and Berrysweet known and taken it to their graves, never telling him? He couldn’t recall one moment either of them had mentioned it.

How many more unknown victims was he responsible for? Did he end up killing Herman and Berrysweet, too? Sure, they had been very old, but they were physically strong and healthy before then. Maybe the responsibility of a young child had been far too much for both of them.

Who else was next on the list? Poppy? The Snack Pack? King Peppy?

....Puzzle?

He choked, holding in a pained wail. He paid no mind to the polite knock.

Peppy had never wanted to see Branch in this state again, the kind he had seen him in as child, freshly grey and suddenly orphaned. 

He had seen Branch in all of his ups and downs: his days in the orphanage, then in Herman’s and Berrysweet’s care; school trips and school fairs and even the graduation he had refused to go initially; during his bad panic attacks when he had to be restrained, and days in the hospital recovering from nearly fatal ‘accidents’ Poppy had to save him from; the day the tree made him a child...

He sat next to Branch on the bed, and knew immediately how dire the troll’s pain was when he didn’t scoot away from the close contact.

“Branch,” He started, and when he received no response other than a shiver, he continued, “Understand you are in no way in any trouble. I did not suspect at all, but Poppy has informed me of what occurred anyway.” 

Still Branch didn’t seem to change his position. He wonders if the younger male was even listening. “I commend you for protecting my daughter. After what has transpired, I have decided that Creek should be prohibited from any further contact from Poppy until he has shown better restraint and seek assistance, and even then I would need consideration. I am telling you this because if you wish...I can extend the same protection to you. It may be best, given the both of you don’t seem any closer in resolving your problems with each other.”

While Branch shifted a little, he remained silent.

“Keep in mind, I would still expect you to act in the same cordial manner around my daughter, and it is in no way an excuse to allow any actions following after. I understand you can’t help yourself during your anxiety attacks, and you’ve done well to control your outbursts before. Still, as a father and king, I must insist that you as well seek assistance with your own issues. I do have a troll to recommend to you, but considering the relation to Creek I can look for alternatives if that makes you uncomfortable.”

“W-why,” Branch finally spoke, “Why trust me?”

“No matter what, you’ve never intentionally harmed another,” Branch opened his mouth to respond back. “That one time with Poppy’s glitter friend doesn’t count since he scared you purposely.” Branch closed his mouth again. “That boy, on the other hand...I’ve never suspected such strong animosity from him, and I’m deathly afraid of what he may be capable of.”

“Because of me,” Branch whispered. “All because of me...” All this time, he thought Creek’s hatred was because of his grumpy attitude and the attention Poppy gave him. And maybe that was true as well, but now he knew it ran deeper than that.

Now he knew who he destroyed with his selfishness.

Creek was right; he is toxic, and it spreads to others that dare to come close. No matter what he does, whether he pushed others away or allowed them in his fragile heart, he manages to find a way to cause them harm.

“None of this is your fault,” Peppy soothingly said, but the damage was already done. “And in a sense, I can understand where the both of you are coming from. Hopefully someday, these feelings will resolve and forgiveness can be extended, but for the now, I want you to consider my offer-“

“I should be the one gone.”

Peppy stopped. “My boy, this better not be a relapse of your teen years, or I will be forced to restrain you-”

“No, not that, I mean...” He trailed off.

“Son?” Peppy asked worriedly.

Branch visibly flinched when Peppy said that word, making him even more concerned.

“I...I-I th-think,” Branch hid his face behind hands before the tears could roll down. 

“Go on, boy.” Peppy encouraged.

“I think,” Branch took deep breaths. “H-he should g-g-go.”

“I understand,” Peppy nodded, “Creek will not bother you anymore.”

“No,” Branch shook his head. “He should go, to another f-family.”

Peppy blinked. “Another family?”

“He, P-Puz-“

“You can’t!” Peppy finally realized what the grey troll was trying to say now. “Branch, be reasonable; he needs you, you need him!”

“No, no,” Branch shook his head frantically. “Better family, he needs better family.”

“You are his family!”

“I know...you have trolls...” Branch struggled to speak, “Who go to y-you, don’t think I’m good for him. They’re right, they’re right; he ne-needs better. I can’t make him happy. I can’t raise him.”

This was becoming so much, even Peppy was starting to grow dim. He let Branch take a few breaths before speaking. “Then look me in the eyes and say it.” He commanded. “If you really mean it, say it straight, or I will not allow this.”

Peppy had strongly hoped, with all his might, that Branch wouldn’t go for it; he’d reconsider and take back his words, never to think of them again.

But to his distraught, pained eyes as black as coal, no longer crystal blue, met his.

“I want to give up Puzzle for adoption.”

—

.

.

.

.

From a far distance, he looked over his shoulder. He didn’t go to the bunker to gather supplies, just the clothes on his back. Peppy would take care of everything else.

He looked up at the sky, a bright full moon emitting a halo of light. 

And just once, after fifteen years of vowed silence, he allowed the strong urges that had always come and went prevailed. For one more time, he allowed himself to sing.

”And I will swallow my pride,”

Your the one that I love,

And I’m saying goodbye.”

And that was all he had left to say.