Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was the start of an average morning for Branch. He woke up and had his morning coffee and a few raisin nut muffins for breakfast. While he ate he pulled out his planner and began to go over all that needed to be done that day. 

• Attend Smidge and Synth’s early hair workout
• Help/Overlook with the construction of pods on the north side of the village
• Help Poppy welcome more trolls to TrollsTopia
• Collect more lavender, pecans, and snail slime 

“Huh, busy day.” He mumbled to himself as he took another bite of his muffin.  After breakfast the turquoise-gray troll made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day, he brushed his teeth and shaved while running the shower water so it could warm. Once in the shower, he reviewed his morning shower songs as he washed, shampooed, and conditioned his fur and hair. When his fur was cleaned to his standards he hopped out of the shower and dried off before putting on his green, fuzzy bathrobe. He stalked over to his mirror to begin the most tedious part of his routine. 

That was when his average morning turned into a not-so-average morning.

Branch grabbed his favorite brush(it was a ‘becoming best friends’ anniversary gift from Poppy) and carefully ran it through his blue-gray hair. “Don’t stop, make it pop ♪ DJ, blow my speakers up,” He sang softly, his tail swishing as he got into the rhythm of the task. It was when he got to the second chorus of the song that the bristles of his brush came into contact with an odd tangle in his hair. The suddenness of it caught the troll by surprise causing him to lose grip of the brush sending it clattering against the bathroom sink. Confusion rattled his brain as he brought a paw up to feel around inside his hair feeling a large mat-like structure in it. 

“What…” 

Carefully he parted the front of his hair. His eyes widened as he saw a basket-like formation held up by two stands in the stark center of it. Was that?… With the caution of a kitty critter, he ran his finger over the structure. The hair was a lot softer than usual but was sturdy and held its shape even with his ministrations. There was no denying it. It was the beginning of an egg formation. In his hair. An egg structure in his hair . A bundle of emotions bubbled in his chest and he could hardly breathe. 

Awe. There was an egg in his hair.

Excitement. He was gonna be a dad.

Happiness. He was carrying him and Poppy’s future trolling.

Anxiety. Holy hairball there was an egg in his hair and he was gonna be a dad.

Just as carefully as he uncovered the structure—if not more—he covered it back up. He continued his task in silence, his paws trembling. When he was done(he rushed the process just a little) he went to his room and got dressed in his usual wear. Once he was fully clothed he began to pace, a hundred buzzing thoughts poking around in his head. What should I do now? Should I tell Poppy? She should know it’s her egg too. But how should I tell her? How should I tell everyone? What if something’s wrong with the egg? He shook his head at that last thought, No, no I shouldn’t think like that. He scrunched his nose and began to flap his hands to rid himself of his anxiety. 

“Maybe I should go see Dr. Moonbloom before I tell Poppy… but would she be upset if she didn't know first?” His ear twitched. 

“Gary, what do you think I should do?” He turned his head to look at his favorite remote son sitting silently on his bed. The remote didn’t say anything but Branch’s expression relaxed. 

“You’re right, Gar, I should go see Dr. Moonbloom first. To make sure everything’s alright with the egg.”

Gary fell forward on the blanket.

“Well, there’s no need to be rude about it.” Branch huffed as he collected the remote and tucked him safely away in his pouch. With a new objective in mind, he made his way to the elevator.

•••

Branch was thankful that he woke up as early as he did. It lowered his chances of running into any troll he was close to. He wasn’t sure if could stop himself from spilling the beans. As he got closer to the clinic he was relieved to see Dr. Moonbloom at the clinic door slowly unlocking it. 

“Dr.  Moonbloom!” Branch called out, panting softly as he came to a stop beside the purple troll. The troll in question jumped startled, her keys falling from her paws, before turning her attention to him.

“Branch, you nearly scared my hair right off my head,” She scolded.

Branch blinked, sheepish, “Sorry.”

The doctor shook her head. “What are you doing here so early? The clinic hasn’t opened yet. And I don’t recall you having an appointment.”

“Yes, sorry I know… but um it’s an emergency,” Branch said softly.

Dr. Moonbloom looked him up and down and tilted her head as if to silently say ‘You’re not dying, having a reaction, and your hair’s not broken so what’s so urgent? ’ “Is this something Gary related? I told you I am a doctor, not a mechanic.”

“No!” Branch exclaimed, embarrassed that that was still being brought up, “It’s uh—” He looked around quickly before with a nervous sigh, bringing his hands up and parting the front of his carefully. Dr. Moonbloom looked up and her eyes widened comically. 

“Oh my stars,” She whispered, a purr surged from the troll and her tail flickered as if wanting to wag. Quickly she grabbed her key from the ground and unlocked the clinic. “Hurry in now.” She said holding the door open for him. Once inside Branch followed the doctor to the examination room hopping up onto the table when asked. His tail thumped against the metal table with a quiet thump-Thump-THUMP.  He drummed his fingers against his thigh nervously as Dr. Moonbloom began to prepare for an examination. 

“Alright now,” She turned to him with blue gloves now on her purple paws, “Part your hair for me.” Nodding Branch did as he was told and Moonbloom began to take a closer look. She hummed and carefully ran a finger across the side and inside of the basket and then the two strands that held the basket up.

“No egg just yet but the structure is sturdy and the hair is soft,” Moonbloom said as she noted it down on her clipboard, “I say you’re almost a month along. I expect the egg to begin forming real soon.” Branch’s chest warmed at the thought. “I see nest hair forming on the sides of the basket, a good sign. The ‘branches’ for the basket are performing their task perfectly and keeping the basket upright so no adjustments need to be made, another good sign.” She wrote some more on her clipboard and then took a step back. “Everything looks right, Branch.”

Branch let out a sigh of relief. “That’s– that’s great.”

Moonbloom nodded, “Indeed it is. Alright, have you had any of these symptoms? Nausea, morning sickness, increase in appetite, fatigue, odd cravings, mood swings.”

Branch shook his head, “No.”

Moonbloom nodded again. “Those are the symptoms you should look out for in the coming months. They usually vary from troll to troll but since this is your first time carrying an egg expect them to be a little intense. If you ever feel like things are too much don’t be scared to come here right away, no appointments needed.” She went over and grabbed a bottle of ease-berries and another smaller empty bottle from one of her cabinets. Branch watched her with interest as she quickly filled the smaller bottle with practiced ease.

When she deemed the bottle full enough she made her way back to Branch and handed it to him.

“These are ease-berries. You probably know that already, though. They help with nausea and morning sickness. They are egg-safe. One or two should be enough.”

Branch moved his thumbs over the glass of the bottle and smiled. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Of course. It’s my job, after all. Now we should discuss the egg cycle so you should know what to expect.” She walked away once more and grabbed a large rolling whiteboard. The whiteboard had a diagram attached to it.

“You are in your first month. Right now your hair is getting ready to be a safe place for your egg to start forming. The nest and the branches. All important things that ensure the best for your egg

The second month is when your egg will start to begin forming. You’ll experience more symptoms and your hair will be a lot more sensitive to touch. It’s important to keep your hair healthy and clean,” Dr. Moonbloom said, dragging a pointer along the diagram as she explained.

“From the third to fifth month, the egg will get larger and your hair will grow more sensitive. You’ll get moodier, hungrier, and more tired. You’ll begin a nesting phase where you start looking for the best place for your egg to finish forming outside of your hair.

And finally the sixth month your egg is ready to be placed in a secure nest outside of your hair. Probably in your bunker or Poppy’s pod,” The doctor mused, “You won’t want to be far from the egg and will probably be a little broody. You must take care of yourself at this time because, by the end of this month, you’ll have a little trolling of your own to care for. You get all that?”

Branch nodded slowly, blinking. “That’s uh… that’s a lot to take in.” He said, beginning to flap his paws nervously. Suddenly his paw was taken into a more calloused one and he looked up to see Dr. Moonbloom fixing him with her best reassuring smile. It wasn’t a face she made often and Branch found himself relax a little.

“Do not stress,” She said, “I’ll be here every step of the way. And so will Poppy and all your friends. You will not be doing this alone, OK?”

Branch nodded, squeezing her hand.

“Okay.”

“Great,” she said, “Now let’s get into banned hair activities. Number 1. No building!”

“What?!”

•••

After going through an exhaustive list and going over a plethora of other things (like egg-safe food, things he shouldn’t eat, the best shampoos and conditioner for egg hair, etc.) Branch was finally allowed to leave with his bottle of ease-berries and a lot of medical paper. After the impromptu 2 hour long appointment he was exhausted. He just wanted to head back to the bunker and sleep or maybe stare at the soon-to-be nesting place for Poppy and his egg for a little (because oh-my-gah he was going to be a dad). He knew he should tell Poppy but he still wasn’t sure how he should tell her or when would be the best time to break the news. She’s been so busy with everything lately and he didn’t want to catch her at a bad time.

Ugh thinking about this was tiring him out further. 

“OK, I head back to the bunker for a nap and then I’ll figure all this out later.” Just as he turned to stalk back to his underground home he heard his name being called in the distance.

“Branch!”

Turning his head he saw Smidge and Synth making their way over to him dressed in their hair workout gear. In the excitement of his discovery, he had forgotten all about today’s to-do list and everything it entailed.

Ah, hair.

Chapter Text

“Dubstep! There you are!” Synth said as he and Smidge came up to him. “You missed out on the workout! How are we supposed to help you if you don't show up?”

“Yeah, we can’t give you 224% if we don’t know where you are.” Smidge huffed, crossing her arms.

“224%?”

“224%!”

“224%!” They both exclaimed at the same time and Branch couldn’t help but roll his eyes (albeit fondly) at their antics.

“Do you two always do that?” He asked with a tilt of his head, eyebrows furrowed.

“Do what?” They asked at the same time.

“Er— Never mind,” Branch said, shaking his head. Best to not draw attention to it he didn’t want this to involve into some sort of episodic plot; he didn’t have the energy or time to be dragged into that today. “I’m sorry I had to do something.”

Smidge narrowed her eyes and looked between the items in his paws to the clinic behind him. Seemingly putting one and two together to make three. 

“You were with Dr. Moonbloom?”

“Yes?”

“Before the clinic opens?” Smidge asked again.

Branch blinked. “Uh yeah–”

Smidge and Synth looked him up and down. 

“No broken bones, or hair.”

“No weird spots or stripes.”

“And you still have your voice! What’s so urgent that Dr. Moonbloom let you in before opening?” The yellow troll asked, crossing her arms.

“And that you missed the workout! The one you asked us to schedule.” Synth added. “You didn’t get cold paws did you?”

“What?! No!”

Branch’s fur bristled. No offense to Smidge and Synth, he cared for the two trolls dearly, but they really weren’t the first trolls (besides Moonbloom) that he wanted to tell about the news. He wanted Poppy to be the first one. He sighed he knew that if he didn’t say something this would turn into something more. And he wasn’t up for the usual troll shenanigans today! He wanted to nap!

“Look I’ll tell you but you guys gotta promise me you’ll keep it a secret,” Branch said, suddenly serious, “I would say pinky promise but that would cause too much commotion.” The two trolls in front of him blinked. A pinky promise was a serious thing.

“We swear on our hair!” Synth exclaimed, bringing a fist to his chest. Smidge nodded her head furiously. “I was born to keep secrets! I earned a bronze medal in it!”

“Only bronze?” Synth asked.

Smidge sighed. “Always third place.” She muttered, kicking a paw against the grass. 

Feeling satisfied in his friend’s swearing to secrecy he put the bottle of ease-berries and medical papers into his hair. He then moved to part it before stopping himself.

“And please keep your reactions minimal. I don’t want any attention just yet.”

The two nodded and Branch could tell they were growing impatient so with a final deep inhale and exhale he parted his hair. The reaction was immediate. 

The two trolls' gasped and their eyes widened. Synth brought his paws to his mouth and Smidge seemed to vibrate from overwhelming excitement, her loud and slightly croaky purr radiating from her. 

“Oh my gah!” She exclaimed before quickly stuffing her paws into her mouth; to muffle any further exclamations, Branch assumed.

Synth’s feelings were expressed with his eyes rather than his voice as the techno troll had tears brimming. “I can’t believe it! Congrats, Dubstep!” He sang. 

Branch smiled. “Thank you,” he said as he carefully covered everything back up. 

“Does Poppy know?” Smidge asked, bouncing on her toes.

Branch shook his head. “No, I only just found out this morning. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her.” 

“Oh, you just gotta tell her! Like right now! I would do anything to see the look on her face!” Smidge exclaimed loudly. She grabbed his paw with hers and began to drag him away from the clinic. “Me too!” Synth beamed. Branch’s tail bristled and the troll set his paws soundly on the ground. 

“Uh, guys… I want to tell her in private and on my own time. I know you guys are excited but this is kinda personal.”

The two trolls stopped short and a sheepish expression crossed their faces.

“Ah, right! Sorry,” Smidge said, “I just got so excited! I can’t believe it!”

Branch smiled. “I can’t believe it either.”

“So how do you plan to tell her?” Synth asked, tilting his head curiously.

Branch’s face scrunched up in thought. He hadn’t really thought about it much. He just assumed that going up to Poppy when they were alone and breaking the news would be the best way. He didn’t feel it would need to be too extravagant. He told the two trolls as much.

“Are you kidding?! This is your first trolling! And not to mention the future heir to the pop troll throne,” Smidge made herself taller by standing on her hair, grabbing pawfuls of Branch’s face, she brought him closer to her, “This is huge!” Her eyes beamed with excitement and stars. 

Branch stared up at her with wide, swallowing. “I guess… I didn’t think of that.” 

“Future heir.” He mumbled. Cautiously he brought a hand up to rub at his hair. He had kinda forgotten that Poppy and his trolling wouldn’t just be some troll like him, they were gonna be the next to wear the leafy crown and make all the rules about parties, and holidays. The pop troll kingdom was gonna be in their little paws and that idea made Branch’s stomach do flips. Suddenly his earlier anxiety was back all over again!

How could he help raise the next monarch? He was hardly a pop troll himself! He couldn’t even keep his colors bright and blue on a good day. 

A sudden and very harrowing thought came to mind and Branch fought to keep his paws still. What if the trolling came out gray? 

Because of him. 

A trolling has never been born gray before but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a possibility. He couldn't help but think about how disastrous the whole thing could be. The earlier tiredness he felt came crashing down again with a new ingredient named dread. Suddenly the last thing he wanted to do was tell Poppy. Or any other troll for that matter. He needed to sit and think and be by himself for a little while. Get his thoughts in order and also think of a way to impress with the announcement. He didn’t want to ruin some form of unspoken royal tradition of announcing an egg with a parade or some kind of feast.

“I need to go to my bunker for a bit.”

Smidge and Synth looked at him and then at each other. 

“What? But I thought you wanted to tell Poppy?”

“I do!” Branch said quickly, “I– I just gotta think of a way to tell her that would be memorable you know. Future heir and all that fun stuff.” As he spoke he made wild gesticulations with his paws. A telltale sign of his anxiety. Smidge and Synth could tell instantly.

“Branch, you don’t have to–” Before Synth could finish his spiel his turquoise-gray friend was already rushing off in the direction of his bunker.

“It’s gonna be amazing! The best thing you trolls have ever seen. Just make sure you don’t tell anyone, okay?!” Branch called back.

“Our lips are zipped.”

“Good. See ya!” And with that, he quickly rushed off.

Synth and Smidge stood silently together for a few moments before the yellow troll spoke.

“I think I may have messed up.” She said, tapping her fingers against each other. 

Synth brought a paw to his face. “You don’t say.”

Chapter Text

As soon as the elevator touched ground Branch made his way over to his worn-out couch and face-planted into the off-green fabric. He groaned loudly into the cushions for a bit before he rolled over onto his back. Staring up at the ceiling he tried to collect his many thoughts. A lot has happened today. I learned that I’m now carrying Poppy’s and my egg. I learned about all that that entails. He shuddered at the thought of the incoming morning sickness and nausea. He hated being sick. I spilled the beans to Smidge and Synth before Poppy. It’s a big deal.  I realized that this trolling will be the future heir which means I have to do something extravagant when announcing. Branch brought his paws to his face and groaned once more. 

“Why can things never be simple!” He exclaimed tiredly.   “I just want this to be something special for Poppy.” He stared at the ceiling a little longer before he abruptly sat up.

He jumped off the couch and grabbed some paper, pencils, sticky notes, and string. He went to a different room in his bunker and threw the items onto the table before he went to grab his rolling chalkboard. Rolling it over so it was sat in front of the table he grabbed Gary and placed him down so he was facing it.

“Alright, Gary,” Branch said, “I need to make something truly special. Something that will wow not only Poppy but everyone. Any ideas?”

Gary dropped his pencil.

“How are you confused right now?” Branch asked, eyes narrowed. 

Gary didn’t respond.

“Ugh! OK let me explain this to you simply.” Branch grabbed a piece of chalk and began to write a complex equation on the green board. Chalk dust fluttered about and scratching noises could be heard. After 5 minutes the troll took a step back and admired his work before turning to Gary, pointer in hand. 

“You see, Gar, Poppy plus Me equals Egg, Egg plus Me equals Special Announcement, Special Announcement plus Egg plus Poppy equals Happy Poppy, Happy Poppy equals Happy Pop Trolls, Happy Poppy plus Happy Pop Trolls equals Happy Me.

You get all that?” Branch looked back at Gary and watched the remote drop his pencil. Again. The turquoise-gray troll sighed and extended his pointer again. 

“Okay, I’ll explain it to you again.”

•••

Branch hemmed and hawed as he looked over his large, needlessly complicated, vision board. There were many harshly drawn trolls (mostly him and Poppy), eggs, and scribbled-out announcement ideas. The most extravagant one he came up with so far was him being dressed in a large egg costume throwing multi-colored confetti as he screamed the news ‘Surprise! We’re gonna be parents!’ It's… a work in progress (it was better than the Ice, ice, baby ♪ idea he came up with, apparently Gary thought the idea was overused).

His latest one was a little more simple, complicated in its own way. It was explained through a poorly drawn picture on a light pink piece of paper of Poppy opening an egg-shaped basket that shot out pink and blue confetti. Branch stared at it intently looking for anything that could write this one off. It seemed perfect, full proof even. 

“Gary I–”

Knocking startled Branch out of his stupor and a sing-songy voice stirred him into action. 

“Branch, are you down here?!”

Poppy! With speed, the troll didn’t even know he possessed he spun the chalkboard so it was flipped and quickly kicked it out of the room. Ignoring the loud crash as he began to gather all his notes, strings, and papers into a jumbled disorganized mess. He heard the sound of Poppy humming as she got closer to his location and he scrambled to find a good hiding location.

“You didn’t come to the whole ‘Welcoming-Other-Trolls-To-TrollsTopia’ thing or the construction of the new pods. And one of those I know you wouldn’t miss! You love your building.” The last bit was said quieter than the rest.

Branch quickly looked around and his eyes widened when he saw a large vase. He rushed over to it and stuffed everything inside. He looked around to make sure everything was in order before calling out. 

“I’m in here, Poppy!” He hoped his tone didn’t portray how nervous and out of breath he was. The pink troll turned the corner and she beamed when she saw him. 

“There you are!” She began to walk over to him before stopping suddenly. “Wow, Branchifur, you look sleepy.” The taller troll continued her walk over to him and carefully cupped his face in her paws. Branch couldn’t help but melt into her touch, purring softly as he leaned into her warmth.

“ Awe~ You’re purring,” She cooed, “You must be tired! Or you’re sick.” Abruptly her touch was gone and Branch nearly stumbled as his body chased after her touch. He jumped and stood upright as she began to quickly examine him. Her hand came near his hair and he stiffened a bit before relaxing when he realized she was just checking his temperature. 

“You don’t feel hot.”

“Not sick, Poppifur,” He mumbled, “Your first assumption was right, I'm a little tired.” Little was the understatement of the year. Branch was exhausted. He wished that Poppy would go back to kindly and warmly caressing his face. Unfortunately, his wishes weren’t granted as Poppy stepped away from him and walked further into the room. He had to hold in his disappointed sigh.

“Did you not sleep well?” She asked kindly.

Branch nodded stiffly, “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t come, it wasn't my intention to bail on you.” Though it was clouded with a lie, Branch’s sentiment was genuine. He hadn’t meant to get lost in his announcement planning; it was just when he started something it was hard to put it down.

“Don’t worry about it, Branch. Synth and Smidge stepped in to help!”

Branch had to grab his tail to stop it from bristling. “Did they now?” He asked nervously. 

Poppy nodded her head, “They seemed way eager to get your tasks done for you. Surprised me! I didn’t know Smidge had any interest in construction.” She said, she walked over to the table and blinked curiously, her head tilting as she looked down at something on the table. Branch was busy trying to get a hold of his stampeding thoughts to give whatever it was much consideration (besides Poppy was curious about everything ). OK cool, cool, coolcoolcool– Poppy doesn’t look like she's hiding anything so Smidge and Synth didn’t tell her. He felt bad for doubting his friends but could you really blame him? If he was on the receiving end of such news he would be bursting at the seams (shamefully so, years of isolation did not make him the best secret keeper he told Gary everything).

“What’s this?” Poppy asked.

Branch looked over at her, “What’s wha– T! ” There in Poppy’s paws was the light pink piece of paper. Branch’s tail puffed up to thrice its size as he watched Poppy bring the piece closer for a more thorough examination. 

“Is this me?” She asked looking over at Branch coyly. She already knew the answer she just wanted Branch to confirm. Branch’s eyes looked everywhere but Poppy’s face as he let a strangled response leave his throat. 

“I don’t know, ask Gary! He– He drew it.”

“Gary?” Poppy raised a brow before turning her attention over to Gary who once again dropped his pencil. “Well, Gary,” She said slowly as she walked back over to Branch, dragging her tail underneath his chin.  Branch stood stiff, his paw pads sweating as he struggled to gather his words. So much for a big announcement! I didn't even get to tell her! He nearly whined.

“How did you know I like Egg and Spoon race parties?!” She exclaimed

“Poppy, I– wait what? ”

“Egg and Spoon race parties! That’s what this picture is, right?” Poppy asked, turning the paper so she could look at the drawing again. Quickly Branch grabbed the drawing from Poppy’s paws and stuffed it into his vest. Bringing a paw to the middle of Poppy’s back she began to guide her out the room. He didn’t want to risk her coming across another paper. This was his out and he was taking it!

“Yep! Yep that’s exactly what that picture is displaying. Yep!” Branch exclaimed.

“You’re acting weird,” Poppy observed, pulling away from his paw and crossing her arms.

“What? Me weird? I think you thinking I’m being weird is weird,” Branch said quickly.

Poppy raised an eyebrow, “See that, you don’t normally do that. What’s going on?” 

Quick Branch think. I need to get her attention away from me and onto something else. “I was trying to surprise you!”

“Surprise me?”

“Yes, with an egg!”

“An egg?”

“An Egg and Spoon Race Party! Hahaha, who said egg?” Flew a little too close to the sun there, Branch.

“Aw, Branch! That’s so sweet!” Poppy brought her paws to her mouth, “Oh, I totally ruined the surprise didn’t I?”

Branch nodded stiffly and he watched Poppy deflate. He felt a little bad for lying. Poppy hated ruining surprises.

“I’m so sorry, Branch! Let me make it up to you!” She came back to his side and pulled him into a hug. Branch wanted the embrace to last forever. When she pulled away she had the light pink paper in her hand and Branch blinked, aghast. He looked back inside his vest and then back at her.

“How did you—”

“Secret~” She chirped with a smile. She folded the paper up and placed it into her hair. “As an apology to you for ruining the surprise I’ll host your Egg and Spoon Race party myself! It’ll be awesome!” 

Well, that wasn’t the answer Branch was expecting but it did give Poppy something to keep her busy which meant he could put all his focus on the announcement egg. And since the party was egg-themed no one would think twice about him carrying an egg! Wow! I love it when things pan out in my favor.  “Really, you’d do that for me?” Branch asked.

“That and more,” She cooed, coming close to nuzzle her nose against his. Branch blushed, his tail wagging.

“Thank you, Poppy.”

“Of course! Did you have anything in mind decoration-wise?”

“Yes, actually I have a few stipulations,” Branch pulled a few pieces of paper from his hair and placed them into Poppy’s paws. The pink troll blinked in surprise. “Pink and blue themed decor, keep it small just our friend group if you don’t mind, I wanted it to be a party amongst friends.”

“Aw, Branch!”

“There’s a list of food there, I’m watching what I eat. And there’s also a list of banned activities.”

Poppy’s eyes scrunched up as she stared down at the list scrutinizingly, “ ‘No hair building’ Oh Branch but you love hair building.”

“I would like to keep the party on task. You know how I love things to be organized.” Branch said simply, pretending that he wasn’t screaming and sweating bullets on the inside.

“You do love your organization,” Poppy agreed as she tucked the paper away safely in her hair, “Well, I believe I can host this party, easy peasy. How does tomorrow sound? A hug-time after Wednesday brunch?” 

“Sounds great! As you do that I’ll–” Poppy brought a paw up to cover Branch’s mouth. “What you’ll do is get some sleep! Look at you, you're practically dead on your paws. Come on, big guy.” She said as she began to guide him to his room.

“But Poppy—” “Uh-uh! No buts! Except your butt laying down in that bed OOooooo–” Poppy whooped as she pushed Branch’s door open with her paw. Branch rolled his eyes as he went over to his bed and flopped down it unceremoniously. 

“Real mature, Queen Poppy.” He mumbled into the sheets. 

“Thank you, I try.”

Poppy grinned as she lifted Branch with her hair (ignoring his disgruntled yelp) and pulled back the covers before placing him down carefully. She then tucked him. Giggling at the look on his face. “You look like a swampkin,” she cooed, petting his head, “Sad little guy.”

“Ha. Ha.” He rolled his eyes again. He blanked in content as Poppy leaned down to peck his forehead. Purring softly as she then nuzzled his nose again. 

“Get some sleep, my little swampkin.” 

“I’ll try.” Poppy pulled away and smiled down at him with both her eyes and mouth before turning to make her leave. 

“Night, Branch.” 

Branch yawned deeply, “Night, Popseed.” 

It was Branch’s full intention to get up as soon as Poppy was gone to work on his announcement-egg but he really was tired. And after being wished goodnight so sweetly how was  he ever supposed to fight against the calls of sleep? He yawned deeply once more and nuzzled his face into his pillow. I’ll get up in five, He told himself as he closed his eyes. 

Chapter Text

Waking up 6 hours later with a sore back and a dry mouth was not in Branch’s plans for the day. In fact, it was on the opposite spectrum of all his planned plans! Six hours down the drain just like that! All because his brain and body couldn’t, for once, agree to actually get up after five minutes. A deep frustrated grumble built in Branch’s throat as he let his head hit the table.

“Ow,” he mumbled. 

‘You got this, Branch! Sure you lost six hours but it’s only 8 pm! That means you have 16 hours left!’ A voice that sounded suspiciously like Poppy chimed in his head.

‘16 hours! That’s hardly anything! Do you know how daunting the creation process is? There are wips upon wips! And drafts upon drafts! And don’t even get me started on the beta testing.’ A voice that sounded much like himself argued back. 

‘It’s a basket with a message inside! It’s not that complicated!’ The Poppy voice stressed.

Branch lifted his head from the table and shook his head. Reaching into his hair he pulled out a blue pen and grabbed a stray piece of paper from the floor. Poppy took his original concept art but it didn’t take long for the troll to redraw it. 

It was an almost perfect replica of the previous drawing. Poppy holding an egg basket. The plan was simple. Poppy would open the basket and see a note that Branch left inside that would tell her the news. She would be happy, shower him with kisses (hopefully), and then tell the whole village the news. It was simple.

Maybe too simple.

‘It’s a basket with a message inside! It’s not that complicated!’  

Branch looked down at the paper scrutinizingly. 

‘This is your first trolling! And not to mention the future heir to the pop troll throne.”

“A basket isn’t really exciting,” He mumbled, tone full of self-doubt.

In deep thought, he grabbed a red pen and drew over his original drawing. The picture now depicted confetti flying from the egg. He hummed.

“Confetti would make it more noteworthy but it’s still just a basket with a note.”

Grabbing another colored pen from his hair (he keeps many on his person you can never have too many colored pens) he scribbled out the note entirely and replaced it with a mini drawing of himself and Poppy holding their egg. Suddenly stricken with a burst of ideas. He drew a cupcake under the mini drawing and then a blanket underneath that and then a string of lights around it. His pupils widened as he held the paper up his tail beginning to wag.

“It’s perfect,” He whispered.

‘But maybe a bit complicated?’ The Poppy voice chimed, showing up as a mini apparition of the pink troll, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to go with your original plan? It’s cute.’

Suddenly a mini version of him came and waved her away. ‘Cute isn’t enough! This is the plan and we’re sticking with it.’ Mini-him said stubbornly.

“Yeah!” Branch agreed standing up. With a newfound sense of purpose, he immediately made his way to his elevator already writing a shopping list in his brain.

•••

“You want mini confetti cannons?” Sky Toronto asked him, perplexed.

Branch nodded his head. “If you have them? I know it’s short notice but I would really appreciate it.”

Sky Toronto hummed. “You’re lucky, Branch. We just started production of such a thing not too long ago. Inspired by the arrival of Tiny Diamond.” The yellow glitter troll beckoned Branch to follow. Barely concealing his excitement (and relief) Branch stomped his paws excitedly against the porcelain flooring before running after the yellow troll.

He followed Sky through rows of conveyor belts and hardworking trolls, some of whom nodded their heads or waved when he passed. Branch returned the gestures when offered his way. Even though he has been acclimating to living with the pop trolls (and now other trolls from different genres) he still found it surprising when random positivity was extended his way. He and Sky arrived at the end of one of the conveyor belts and Sky reached inside the basket and grabbed hold of two mini confetti cannons.

“Here you go, Branch,” Sky said, “Two quality tested, multi-colored, silent confetti cannons.” 

Branch looked down at them with awe. His tail wagging behind him. “Oh thank you, Sky! But uh— is there any chance that you have ones that just shoot pink or blue?” He asked.

Sky blinked before he narrowed his eyes a little. 

“That is an oddly suspicious request but yes.” Sky tossed the cannons behind him where they were quickly caught by another troll. He then clapped his paws and two new cannons arrived on a red pillow. Branch beamed.

After his trip to the Fun Factory, he made a quick stop at the nighttime market to grab some fairy lights and a small blanket. 

“Late-night shopping, sugar?” The country troll behind the counter asked as she handed him a fuzzy purple blanket.

“Yep,” Branch said simply, handing the peach troll his money.

“That’s an interesting pair of items you got there,” She said as she stored the money away in her pouch. “What are ya up to?”

“Can’t say. It’s a secret.” He said with a sheepish smile.

“Fine then keep your secrets,” She said jokingly, “Enjoy your night sugar!” Branch simply laughed. He waved goodbye as he parted ways and began making his way back to his bunker. He felt confident as he hugged his items.

This is going to be perfect. 

•••

Everything was not perfect.

Branch was a troll of many talents and skills. Baking the cupcake for the basket was easy and simple. Carving the mini figure of him, Poppy, and their egg out of wood was also easy! He even painted it—he had to guess the color of the egg.

Basket weaving, however, was not a skill that came easy.

In all his years of isolation, the art of weaving was one he had neglected. The process was just too confusing and his paws were always too clumsy when it came to the delicate process. Branch had hoped that with Poppy’s advice of ‘Believing in himself!’ Would be enough to power through the daunting task but the messy and half-made baskets that surrounded him proved that to be fruitless. 

He groaned loudly, slumping to the ground in defeat. 

“This isn’t working!” He exclaimed.

‘Maybe you can buy a basket?’ Mini-him suggested.

“Oh please! No troll is selling an egg-shaped basket,” He said, “You would think that would be a common shape but I’ve never seen one.”

‘Maybe you can just do the cupcake and figures? That would be cute,’ Mini-Poppy suggested.

“That’s not big or noteworthy. That’s a common Palentine’s Day proposal,” He huffed, “Remember what Smidge said.”

After Smidge’s name left his mouth the troll sat up abruptly, causing the mini versions of himself and his partner to topple off him with a scream.

“That’s it!” He exclaimed.

•••

Smidge was sleeping comfortably in her bed before a series of knocks jolted her from her dreams. With a loud groan, the yellow troll rolled out of bed and slowly made her way to her door with a yawn.

“Branch?” Smidge asked tiredly, “What are you doing here so late?” She rubbed her eye.

“I need your help!” He said.

“My help? With what?” She asked once more, suddenly very awake. Branch was a very stubborn troll and he didn’t like to ask for help. Unless it was his last resort.

“Do you know how to weave a basket?” He asked, eyes pleading.

Smidge looked away. 

“Ehh— sorry Branch, no. These paws are for weightlifting and holding paws with Milton Moss only. Plus I don’t have the patience to do such a task. 

Branch deflated. Smidge frowned. She brought a paw to her face in deep thought before she perked up with the snap of a finger,

“But I think I might know a troll that can help you,” Smidge said. 

“Can I weave an egg-shaped basket?” Holly Darlin asked as she leaned against her doorway. She laughed, “Can a country troll play the fiddle while dancing the Ten Step Polka?”

Branch and Smidge looked at each other, equally confused.

“I don’t know can the–”

“Of course I can!” Holly interrupted, clicking her hooves. “I’ve been weaving baskets since I was small.” She gestured towards a picture on her wall. The picture showed a little Holly with blue ribbons next to a pile of differently shaped baskets. Branch and Smidge perked up.

“Though,” Holly tapped a finger against her chin, “Egg is an odd shape for a basket if you ask me. They don’t hold much space and they always topple over. Hey, what do you need this basket for anyway?” She asked.

Branch’s pupils darted to look over at Smidge who simply shrugged her shoulders before gesturing with her hair, the end making a subtle thumbs up.

Branch sighed. “Holly, you got to promise me you’ll keep a secret. Especially from Poppy. I would make you pinky promise me if it didn’t risk waking literally everyone in TrollsTopia.”

Holly gasped, bringing her paws to his mouth. “This is one serious secret, sugar.” She said, quickly she brought a paw to her heart. “I, Holly Darlin’, promise to keep your secret Branch.”

His tail wagged slightly behind, his shoulders relaxing. “OK. Thank you.” In a practiced motion, he parted the front of his hair. Holly gasped louder than Branch ever heard her and the country troll shifted from hoof to hoof excitedly. 

“Well, I’ll be darned!” She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming. “You and Poppy went ahead and did it.” 

“Did you tell her–”

“No, that's kinda why I need the basket,” Branch said.

Holly beamed. “You want me to help in your announcement?!” She exclaimed. Branch quickly brought a paw to the troll's mouth in fear of the squeal she was bound to release. 

“Yes and since this is a secret I need you to be quiet,” He stressed, his tail puffing.

Holly had the dignity to at least look sheepish.

“Sorry, sugar,” She said from behind his paw, “New life is just so exciting I couldn’t help myself.”

The turquoise-gray troll simply nodded as he slowly removed his paw. He understood the excitement of it all. Sure he spent a lot of today buried in stress and worry but he was certain the moment he told Poppy he was gonna be a ball of excitement too.

“Well, how about we go and get this basket weaved,” Holly said, clicking her hooves together.

•••

The three trolls went down to Branch’s bunker. Holly quickly got to work weaving pink, soft fiber together. While she worked the country troll talked and told stories of her many weaving misadventures. Smidge sat by her and chatted, her long tail wagging behind her as she engaged enthusiastically with the conversation. As they chatted Branch went to work arranging the centerpiece. With careful precision, he placed the wooden figure on top of the white icing of the cupcake. For added flair, he sprinkled a few sprinkles on top.

He then grabbed the small purple blanket and folded it into a nest-like shape before he wrapped the fairy lights around it. He then grabbed the cannons and tucked one on each side of the blanket nest. Grabbing the cupcake he gently placed it into the center of the little nest arrangement.

With a purr, he took a step back and examined his work. His tail wagged behind him.

“Perfect,” he said.

He heard an ‘Ooo’ from behind him and turned his head. Holly and Smidge were standing there in awe. Their eyes were big and utterly awestruck. 

“Oh my gah!” Smidge exclaimed.

“You can say that again!” 

“Oh my gah!”

“You guys like it?” Branch asked.

“Like it?” Smidge said, “I love it!” 

Holly nodded excitedly. “Oh, Poppy’s just gonna love this! It’s so stinking cute.” She chirped. The country troll hopped away before quickly returning with her crafty work. 

“Here’s your basket, sugar,” She handed her crafty work to Branch, “Smidge suggested I add little strands to the top to look like trolling hair. I couldn’t not do it!”

The turquoise-gray troll held the pink basket. “Oh, Holly,” he purred, he ran his fingers over the individual pink fibers, “It’s perfect! I can’t thank you enough.”

“Woo-hoo!” The country troll exclaimed, “I’m glad you like it. Remember though those baskets are known to topple over I wouldn’t suggest putting that beautiful centerpiece in there until you're ready to present it to Poppy,” She said.

Branch nodded. Setting the basket carefully on the ground near the table. He watched it flop onto its side. With a hum, he turned to his two friends.

“I can’t thank you two enough,” He said. He debated a little with himself in his mind before he opened up his arms. The two of them gasped before quickly running to tackle him in a hug.

“Oh, Branch hugs my favorite!” Smidge said.

“I’ll cherish this forever!” Holly said.

Branch chuckled softly before leaning into the embrace.

Chapter Text

The next day Branch felt like he was on top of the world. He woke up with a clear head and a swirling belly. He went about his morning routine with a pep in his step. He had some mint tea (he’ll miss his morning coffee) and a few raisin nut muffins. There was no need to look over his planner as he already knew what was coming up. He turned to look over at the shelf where he had hidden the egg’s centerpiece (you never know when a pink troll would pop in, after all, or a troublesome, annoying cloud— ). His tail wagged a little as he slid out of his chair and went over to the shelf, pulling back the curtains that conceal it.

“Just perfect,” he whispered, resting a paw on his cheek.

He stared at it just a little longer before he decided to continue with his routine. He brushed his teeth as his shower water warmed before climbing in.

“I’m better, so much better now ♪” He sang as he went about washing, shampooing, and conditioning his turquoise fur. “I see the light, touch the light, we're together now ♪” He purred lowly as the warm water washed the suds from his fur. He made sure to scrub carefully not wanting any of the piney-cinnamon-scented soapy foam to remain on his body. When he deemed himself thoroughly rinsed he stopped the water and hopped out of the shower. Shaking to get rid of any excess water on his fur he then toweled himself dry. 

Putting on his green bath robe he put himself in front of the mirror. Slowly he reaches into his slightly damp hair to feel where his and Poppy’s egg will develop. I wonder what the egg will look like, he thought. Would it be blue? Or pink? A mix of the two? What do pink and blue make again? He shook his head. Well, it doesn’t matter what you look like I love you either way. You’ll be just as brilliant as your mom. Hopefully, you don’t inherit my grayness. He frowned at that thought and looked down. He grabbed his brush. 

“Don’t think like that,” He reprimanded himself as he began the long task of grooming his hair.

•••

Branch arrived at Wednesday's brunch with a plate full of buttermilk pancakes. Realistically the plate wouldn’t even feed ⅕ of the troll population in TrollsTopia but give him a break. He’s with egg after all. He sat the plate down on the table and was nearly scared out of his fur when he felt arms wrap around his torso, grabbing pawfuls of his fluffy tummy. 

“Morning and afternoon, Branch!”

“Poppy!—” Branch gasped out exasperatedly, bringing a paw to his fast-beating heart. “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?!” He turned to look at his girlfriend who only smiled. Clearly not feeling a smidge of guilt for her actions.

She giggled, “To not to?”

“And yet you keep doing it anyways.” He frowned. She giggled again and he despite himself Branch felt his tail start to wag.

“ Sorry! I just get so excited when I see you!” She exclaimed, “I just wanna squeeze you!” She hugged him roughly and nuzzled his neck. “And you’re so cute when you’re startled. You get all puffed up like a pom-pom and you’re so pouty.” She giggled again.

“Is that all I am to you? Quick entertainment?” He asked with a joking tone.

She beamed, smirking. “Yes. Since the day I saw you I knew you were destined to be the best Poppy entertainer known to troll-kind,” she answered back just as jokingly.

Branch rolled his eyes fondly and the two of them laughed before they nuzzled noses, purring softly.

“PDA, get a room!” They heard the very familiar voice of Val call out as she passed by. Poppy simply stuck her tongue out at her and Branch rolled his eyes at their antics. 

“Come on, let’s go get some plates.”

Branch let himself be dragged to the end of the table and followed the pink troll as they went down the table to pick out an assortment of food. He was very mindful of what he put on his plate not wanting to eat anything that wasn’t egg-friendly. 

“The Egg and Spoon Race party is all set for today! And only our closest trolls know of its existence. I made little invitations and party favors. It’s gonna be so, so fun!” Poppy rambled as she put some eggs on her plate. Branch’s nose twitched a little.

“Wow, you got that done fast. You must be really excited.” He said carefully avoiding putting any eggs on his plate instead going for an assortment of fruit.

“Oh, I am, you have no idea,” She spoke quickly, “Besides I just wanted everything to be the best, y’know? I still feel so bad for ruining your surprise. I just had to make sure things went as smooth as pie.”

Branch wanted to reassure her that she didn’t need to make things perfect but he realized that would sound a tad hypocritical coming from him. So instead he said, “I’m sure everything will go great. You’re behind it after all.”

Poppy purred, “Such a charmer you are.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and he blushed, tail wagging again.  The two of them made quick work of filling their plates. Poppy got her usual and Branch tried a few new things to make up for the things he had to give up. When questioned Branch simply said he’d been meaning to try new things and she simply took that in stride. The two of them made their way to their usual mushroom seats where the rest of the Snack Pack and company were already situated. 

A few spared knowing glances his way.

As they ate Branch’s attention was on Guy Diamond and Tiny Diamond. The little trolling talked animatedly with his dad, hopping where he stood on a mushroom table. Guy Diamond laughed at something he said before reaching down to give the trolling a fist bump. Branch decides that after everyone knows he’ll talk to Guy Diamond about his time with Egg. Moonbloom told him what to expect already but he wanted to know in more detail. He knew Guy’s experience would most likely be different considering he had his egg all by himself and his gestation time was a lot shorter but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Poppy!”

He and Poppy looked up and over at Satin and Chenille.

“We need your opinion on something,” Satin said.

“Yes, can you come here real quick?” Chenille asked.

Poppy forever the helpful troll stood quickly to her paws. “Watch this for me, Branchifur.” She said, handing her plate to him before she made her way over to the twins. As soon as she was gone three trolls immediately slotted themselves next to him.

“I am so excited y’all,” Holly said, her front hooves tapping against the ground. “I couldn’t go back to sleep! So I spent all night knitting the babe a blanket.” She pulled it out of her hair. It was rainbow with white polka dots made of a soft cotton material held together with a seed stitch. “It’s not quite done yet but it will be.” 

“Oooh,” The other three cooed. 

“Impressive,” Smidge praised.

“Thanks, sugar,” Holly chirped, “I couldn’t decide on what color I should make it so I just made it rainbow.” She laughed. “The trolling’s favorite color will be up there somewhere. Maybe.”

“It looks really nice, Holly,” Branch said, “You didn’t have to though.”

“Well of course I didn’t have to but I wanted to!” The country troll exclaimed, “Besides gift giving is customary when it comes to welcoming a trolling in the family.”

“Really?” Branch asked, ear twitching.

His friends nodded.

“Huh… then I owe Diamond a gift.”

The four of them continued to talk amongst themselves about the topics of trollings and cultural traditions until Poppy popped (ha) back in. Settling herself beside Branch. The topic quickly changed to the subject of the party she was hosting later and Poppy immediately engaged in the conversation animatedly. 

Branch sighed contently and rested against Poppy’s side, letting his tail wrap with hers. She paused briefly in her rambling to smile at him before going back to passionately talking about the best way to get an egg over the finish line, which Smidge and Holly disagreed with loudly, Synth never having experienced such a thing just watched engrossed with the topic. Branch smiled and continued to eat his brunch.

•••

Before making a known appearance at the party Branch snuck around in the surrounding fauna. He needed to find a good place to hide the basket away from everyone, especially Poppy. He also had to account for the possible critters that could come across it and sniff out a delicious cupcake treat. He ruffled around in the bushes before he found a bundle of rocks. They were uneven in size which created a perfect-sized opening to slot the basket into. He grinned and carefully put the basket inside positioning so that it wouldn’t topple over. He stepped back to examine his work. 

“Hmm,” He looked around and grabbed two leaves that had fallen on the ground. Quickly he covered the opening. “There! That should do it.” 

Confident in his hiding place the troll turned and finally made his grand entrance at the party. 

“Branch!” 

The turquoise troll looked up and smiled when Poppy came running over to him. 

“So what do you think?” She asked, gesturing towards the decor. Branch looking around. Wow, when Poppy was given a theme she sure stuck to it. He had never seen so much pink and blue in one place. Pink and blue streamers, balloons, confetti, table clothes, the whole shebang! There were even egg and spoon race-themed party decorations that Branch didn’t even know existed.

“It looks great!” he praised.

Poppy preened and smiled proudly. “Thank you! I made sure that all the food you listed was prepared and I have three hours of activities planned. All allowed and approved by the list you gave me. There’s the race itself, egg and spoon tag, egg and spoon dancing, egg and spoon pin the tail on the Cuddle Pup— there’s so much!” She exclaimed. Quickly she grabbed his paw. “Come on!” 

Branch couldn’t argue as he was dragged to be fully surrounded by the party’s atmosphere. Compared to most parties it was pretty chill, not any less fun but definitely more relaxed. Could be that only the Snack Pack and Company were in attendance. Or maybe it’s because there were a lot of eggs around. No one wanted to clean up yolk, after all.

“Alright! Branch has arrived! Let’s get this party started!” 

For the next two hours, Branch found himself enjoying the motions of all the planned activities. He opted out of actually participating in the race because the idea of actually breaking an egg accidentally sent chills down his spine and he suddenly felt very nervous. Poppy was eager to have a snarky commentator instead of another racer so that went over easily. The rest of the games went off without a hitch though. This party may have been born out of misunderstanding but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t having fun. By the time things began to settle down Branch was sitting on one of the mushroom stools with a cup of bunch in his paws. 

He took an eager sip. The more he sat about the more he became aware that he needed to get this confession over it. The party’s time was slipping away. He bit the inside of his cheek. The entire night he was getting glances from the three trolls who knew and he could see that they were anticipating Poppy’s reaction as much as he was. He swallowed the rest of his punch before standing up and throwing his trash away. On his way to the trash can he looked over at Poppy who was happily chatting with Val. It’s now or never Branch! But on your big boy pants and get over there.

Smidge was skipping by when Branch grabbed her and pulled her close. 

“Smidge, I need a favor.”

The yellow troll looked up. “Huh, what is it?”

“It’s time for me to y’know—”

Smidge’s pupils dilated.

“—and I need my absence to go undetected. Can I count on you to distract the others?”

The yellow troll put her paw up in a mock salute. “You can count on me! I’ll be the most distracting troll you’ve ever seen.”

Branch smiled. “Thank you, Smidge.” With the caution of a trolling sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar, he sneaked away into the bushes. He was pleased to find the basket where he had left it. It was still in perfect condition.

“What a relief. With my luck I was certain something would’ve gone wrong,” he joked to himself. With the basket clutched protectively he turned and began to make his way back to the party. 

“Heads up!” 

Branch didn’t have time to react as a ball shot towards his back. He jolted forward and his body went frigid as the basket flew forward. With quick thinking, he threw himself forward and just barely caught it. With a groan, he hit the ground chest first. 

Opening his eyes he carefully pulled himself to his knees. Tail flicking back and forth. He examined the basket thoroughly before letting out a sigh of relief, letting his shoulders sag. Way to jinx yourself. 

“That… was too close,” he said breathlessly. With a nervous laugh, he got back to his paws. “Now then how about we get you to, Poppy.” He said turning and starting his way back to the party.

You can only imagine Branch’s surprise when another ball came barreling forward and hit him in the back and this time around he wasn’t as fortunate to catch his falling item. The basket fell to the ground with a sickening CRUNCH and he stood stock still for a moment before his breathing began to speed up and he dropped to his knees.

“No, no, no, no, no!—” Branch crawled towards the fallen basket. Maybe he could fix it? Maybe it wasn’t too bad? Carefully he turned it over and he could see the way frosting was smeared around the seams and the front was dented. His body sagged and he felt his eyes water. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s not that bad— He sat up on his knees and brought the basket to his lap. With gentle paws, he opened it. Immediately the confetti cannons went off, just adding salt to his already burning wounds. He sat in silence for a little before breaking down into silent tears. 

Shaking the confetti from his face he took full damage. The cupcake was destroyed, and the blanket, lights, and figurines were covered in frosting. The cannons were unusable. And he could see that the lights were dimmer. 

It was ruined. He ruined it. Just like he ruined everything. He let it fall from his lap as he brought his paws to his face. What was he gonna do now? He had no backup plan. Stupid, stupid you’re always supposed to have a backup plan . He grabbed the fur on his cheeks and tugged at it. Sobs racked his body and he curled in on himself. His tail wrapped around his legs. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there wallowing in his misery. Terrible scenario after terrible scenario running wild in his head. How disappointed would Poppy be? Would she tell everyone? Would everyone shame him? Pop trolls were known for their extravagant invitations and announcement pieces; it was their culture! And here he was a…failure. 

“Branch?!” A yellow blur tumbled out of the bushes. 

“I know you put me on distraction duty but I can only be so distracting until it becomes suspicious. What’s taking—” Smidge’s words died on her tongue at the scene in front of her. Her ears pinned against her head and her posture turned to one of concern. 

“Oh…” 

Smidge’s reaction was enough to make the turquoise troll cry harder. He let his head fall to his knees.

“What am I going to do?” He whimpered.

Smidge frowned, her tail coming to wrap around her leg. She looked down in deep thought before she made her way over to him, plopping down beside him and resting a reassuring paw on his leg. She looked over at the basket and studied the carnage.

“You’ll go to Poppy and tell her,” She finally said.

Branch sniffles peeking up from his knees. “But I don’t have—”

“You don’t need it.” She shook her head. “Branch… I want to apologize for making you think that you needed something extravagant to make this announcement meaningful. It wasn’t my intention but I should’ve thought about my words more carefully.”

Branch was startled by the apology. 

“Smidge, you don’t—”

Smidge shook her head. Carefully she began to fish about the basket remains. “Your original idea is perfect , Branch. My excitement led me into thinking it had to be huge but it doesn’t. This is a special moment between you and Poppy. This is your egg.” She perked up when she found what she was looking for. The little wooden figurine. It was covered in cupcake frosting but with a few quick wipes of her dress, it was relatively clean. She presented it to Branch and he hesitantly took it.

“But…” He swallowed. “Do you think Poppy would be upset with me? That it wasn’t anything big…”

“Of course not. She’s going to be a mom! That news is better than any party.” Smidge beamed.

“But the others…”

“Don’t matter. This is between you and yours. Besides,” She grinned at him, “If  anyone has any problems I’ll deliver a personal bite to their unguarded ankles.” She chomped her teeth to enunciate her point. Branch let himself laugh at her antics. He looked down at the figurine and smiled as he clutched it protectively in his paws. He hid it away in his hair.

“Thank you, Smidge.”

He leaned down and bumped his head roughly against hers nearly sending her tumbling. The yellow troll thrilled and bumped her head against his with a purr. 

“No problem. Now what do you say about getting back to the party?” Branch answered her by standing up and offering his paw to her. She gladly took it. The two started back to the party Branch only stopping briefly to stare back at the basket. The two stepped out of the bushes and Smidge nudged his leg supportingly before going off to participate in more party games. Now left alone, Branch found his nerves coming back full force. Swallowing he scanned the party for Poppy before finding the eye-catching pink amongst the others.

“Poppy?” He called out to her as he made his way towards her.

The troll in question looked up from her conversation and smiled. 

“There you are, Branch! I was wondering where you went off to.” She said, “I was just talking to Synth about all the ways a troll can race with an egg and spoon.” 

“There’s a lot . I didn’t think there could be so many,” Synth said contemplatively.

Branch smiled, “That’s cool! But uh I need to talk to you—”

Poppy opened her mouth.

“Alone.”

Her mouth made an ‘O’ shape and she nodded. She turned to Synth who was already raising his paws.

“No worries, y’all go do your thing.” He sent a knowing smile to Branch who had to keep himself from flapping his paws nervously. The turquoise troll grabbed Poppy’s paw and guided her away from the party and to a more secluded area surrounded by mushrooms. 

“So what do you want to talk about?” She asked him, her tail swaying behind her gently.

Branch’s ear twitched. “I uh— well I—” He stuttered. He wrung his paws.

“Are you okay? Is the party too overwhelming? Do you want to go home?” She asked worriedly, “You can if you want I understand.”

“No, no it’s not that it’s just,” Branch frowned before taking a deep breath to calm his fluttering heart and nerves. He reached into his hair and grabbed the figurine, handing it over to Poppy. She took it and examined it in her paws, running a thumb over their little faces. A chirp erupted from her throat and she tilted her head confusedly, her nose twitching in the cute little way it did when she was trying to figure something out.

“I originally had something bigger for this moment but uh stuff kinda happened and that’s all that’s left. Hope you don’t mind that… Smidge said you wouldn’t but I still feel bad and stuff,” He rambled, his paws bouncing against his legs as he swayed.

“What moment? Why would I mind?” She asked quickly.

Branch smiled, reaching up in parting his hair; “This moment.” He said softly. Her gaze slowly went up and Branch could see the moment her eyes registered what she was seeing. She blinked fervently before dropping the figurine. She brought her paws up to her mouth with a loud gasp she then proceeded to let out the loudest squeal known to troll-kind. 

“Branch!” She exclaimed, beginning to hop in place her paws flapping excitedly. “Branch! Branch! Oh, my hairballs! Branch! Branch!— ” She began to circle him.

Her excitement was contagious and Branch felt the emotions he neglected to indulge in begin to bubble up inside him. He laughed, his body was doing a full wiggle as his tail wagged furiously behind him. 

“I know! I know!” He called back.

She squealed again and before he knew it, arms were wrapped around him and he was being spun around. Poppy’s laughter was music to his ears. The turquoise troll practically melted into her touch as she set him down.

“I can’t believe it! I–” She looked up at his hair, “Can I?” Branch nodded his head, bringing his head closer to her enthusiastically. Poppy reached up and carefully began to feel the hair basket Branch shivered from the touch. Happy tears sprung to her eyes.

“I can’t believe it… We did it! We’re gonna be parents! Oh, I’m so happy I could explode or dance or sing!” She wrapped her arms around him again. Branch purred loudly, returning the hug. He felt so full and warm. He could scream! Or run! Yeah, he wanted to run! And be chased! Poppy’s reaction stirred something instinctual inside him and he felt himself pulling away from her embrace and dropping unceremoniously to all fours before he could think about it. Poppy’s ears flicked up and a questioning churr left her throat. She took a step forward and Branch bolted back. He went a few feet before he turned back to her and bowed down playfully. Poppy’s pupils dilated and she took another step, her tail beginning to wag with interest. Branch bowed again before bolting back. They played this game of step and bolt for a while. With each step, Branch’s excitement grew. And then suddenly Poppy dropped down onto all fours too, reciprocating Branch’s playful gesture. Branch’s heart sped up. She wanted to chase! He took off and she was hot on his heels. Everything inside him screamed that this was right. 

He ran them through the woods on the outskirts of the village. It was a path he had been on multiple times. No like this, he thought with a thrill. He was sure it was safe. And him knowing the path like the back of his paws made for a very entertaining game of chase when his chaser was floundering about like a guppy on land. He quickly jumped over and weaved under a pair of fallen logs and he paused only briefly to watch as Poppy copied his movement sloppily. He played bow when she got from underneath the second log before beginning to run again.

He whipped through long itchy grass and slunk underneath mushroom stools. By the time he arrived at the small clearing that he deemed a safe-zone his chest was heaving but he never felt so alive. His ears perked and he could hear Poppy getting closer to his location. Not wanting the game to end just yet he ran to the closet tree and vaulted himself up it and hid amongst its foliage. His breath came out in heavy pants as he hunkered down on a branch, sinking his claws into the tree’s coarse skin.

Poppy burst through the bushes that surrounded the area with a heavy breath. She blinked and her ears pinned against her head when she didn’t see any sign of him. Cautiously she walked further into the clearing, her tail dragging behind, it twitched sporadically; she was using it to try and detect his movements. Clever , he thought, if only I was down there. He watched her movements carefully and he could see the moment she started to give up. She raised from her paws to her normal stance. Now! Branch launched himself down from the tree and sprang on her. She squeaked in surprise and quickly turned around to face him, her fur bristling.

Branch laughed. “Gotcha!” He exclaimed. 

He turned around to bolt away again but Poppy was quick on her paws. She pounced on him and pinned him down with a playful growl. “Now I got you!” She announced victoriously, her tail wagging. Branch grunted as he made contact with the ground, a huff leaving him. “Yeah, yeah now get off!” he exclaimed with a pout at being caught so easily. He blamed it on the fact his legs felt like jelly.

The pink troll looked down at him with a sly grin before promptly sitting down on his back.

“Nah I quite like this seat, I think I’ll stay.”

Branch glared forward before with all the strength he had left he lifted him up and then rolled over, swiftly losing the extra body. Poppy let out a squeak as she was discarded onto the ground and then rolled over. Branch righted himself and then stared over at his girlfriend with a smug grin. He batted at her face tiredly before lying down in the grass, rolling around with his tail swaying. Poppy seemed to consider restarting the play before deciding that she too would like to enjoy the feeling of the warm grass. She settled down beside him and nuzzled against him. And he purred, bumping his head against hers.

“When did you find out?” She asked suddenly.

“Yesterday,” He answered. “I wanted to tell you sooner but I just didn’t know how…I thought if I didn’t do it well enough you’d be disappointed.” He looked away. A paw was brought to his cheek and his face was turned back her way.

“I could never be disappointed, Branch, not by this.” 

Poppy nuzzled his nose as further reassurance. “Are you excited?” She asked.

“Of course,” Branch nodded quickly, “I’m nervous too. Like really nervous. I always wanted to be a parent.”

“Me too,” Poppy whispered, “I hope I’ll do a good job.”

Branch hummed, “I’m sure you will. You’ll be a great mom. The best mom even.”

Poppy grinned. “And you’ll be a great dad. I can imagine it now, Little Branch Junior riding in your hair as you do your normal life stuff.”

“ ‘Branch Junior’ ,” Branch’s tone held playful disgust, “We are not calling them that.”

“But whhhhy ? It’d be so cute!” Poppy exclaimed, “I can be all like ‘These are my two favorite branches.” She giggled amused by her own antics.

“We don’t even know if it’ll be a girl or a boy.”

“It’s gonna be a boy. I can feel it in my gut,” Poppy said pointing at her tummy to emphasize her point. “Or maybe that's all the boiled eggs I ate…”

The turquoise troll rolled his eyes fondly. “I’m kinda hoping for a girl.”

Poppy beamed. “How about we make a bet?”

Branch rose a brow. “I’m listening.”

“Whosever right about the gender owes the other anything they want.”

“Anything?”

Poppy smirked, “Anything.” 

“OK deal. Prepare to lose though, your majesty. As the one growing this egg, I can hear them screaming ‘I’m a girl, I’m a girl!’ ” He pitched his voice up and brought his paws to his mouth to mimic a microphone.

The pink troll laughed, rolling her eyes. She looked down at him with such adoration and warmth it made Branch’s tummy swim. 

“I love you,” She said. Branch scooted closer and pecked her on the lips. 

“I love you too.”