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Branch groaned, as he tossed and turned, in a deep sleep. His forehead was damp with sweat, a deep frown etched on his face.
A bad dream.
Not just a bad dream, but a memory.
Creek.
God, how relieved he’d been when he’d seen Creek, alive, after thinking he’d been eaten.
His boyfriend, secret boyfriend, he was alive!
But, then the realization dawned on him, the horror.
Betrayal.
So much betrayal, heartbreak, broken trust and pain.
Branch bolted awake suddenly, breathing harshly, his hands shaking as he sat up. His eyes were damp with tears, his heart beating rapidly. With a slow groan, he collapsed back into his bed, and buried his face into his pillow, trying desperately to will away the memory.
His heart ached, so bad. His eyes were shut tight, trying not to cry.
This was the third night in a row he’d dreamt about Creek. He’d been missing for 2 months now, ever since they befriended the bergens and threw Chef out of the castle. No one knew where he was. It was assumed he was either dead, or never coming back.
Branch’s shaking hands clutched over his heart, which was beating wildly, wrongly, painfully. It hurt to think about Creek. It hurt to remember all the trust he poured into him, only for that motherfucker to sit back and sell them out, just so he could live.
He’d put all his trust in him, trusted him after trusting no one for almost 20 years, and he turns around and betrays his everything. And once again, Branch was left all alone.
Well, sorta. He had friends now, technically. Poppy was his friend now, and so was the Snack Pack. But it wasn’t the same. He may have gained color by the end of the adventure, but it didn’t linger. His color came and went with his emotions, which was technically normal, but his emotions varied a lot more than the typical trolls, which wasn’t normal.
One can’t expect him to be happy, though, after having his heart torn out of his chest and stomped on by the one troll he thought he could trust.
Sighing heavily, Branch forced himself to get out of bed. He really didn’t want to, wanting nothing more than to wallow in his sorrow all day, but he needed to eat. He wallowed all day yesterday, and in turn, forgot to eat. There was nothing on his belly, and it was making him feel ill. So, he made his way across his bunker, grabbing the nearest food he could find, not wanting to go through the effort of cooking.
Luckily, he had some leftover pie from a few days earlier. If it was left any longer, it would go bad. So, he grabbed what was left of the half pie, proceeded to sit on the floor, and eat it with his fucking hands.
He was only in his robe, but he didn’t care. No one would be seeing him like this. He wasn’t expecting company today.
He wanted to throw up as he ate the pie, because eating when so hungry actually made him feel sick, but he knew he needed something on his belly. He wasn’t neat about eating, his hands sticky and his face too, only careful enough to not get it all over his robe.
He felt miserable. When he finished eating, he didn’t even bother to throw away the pie tin. He just left it on the floor as he got up, going to clean off his face and hands.
His bunker had become a bit of a mess in the past few weeks, because his depression had been kicking his ass full force. Things had been going great beforehand, really! He had friends, he was learning to be more social, the other trolls were nice to him! But, he’d begun to spiral out of what felt like nowhere, and closed himself off. He told Poppy he just didn’t feel good. He was lucky she hadn’t pushed.
Branch stared into the bathroom mirror with sad, puppy dog eyes as he cleaned the pie off of himself. The bags under his eyes looked like they could carry his backpack, they were so heavy. His hair was a mess, he hadn’t brushed it in weeks. He barely had the energy to shower every other day, and the only reason he did was because it gave him excuses to cry without having to wipe his face for once. It seemed, as of late, his only company was his own sad reflection.
Soon enough, Branch was back in his bed again. He stared up at the ceiling, with an empty gaze, his mind full, his heart empty, and his face damp with tears.
He was so tired of crying. Of hurting.
But he couldn’t help it.
He’d been dating Creek for almost two years, and then he just.. throws it all away to save his own skin.
Branch had been so lost after that. He was good at hiding it around company, which he was surprised by. He would’ve thought he’d be terrible at it. Or, maybe the other trolls just didn’t want to ask. They didn’t know, after all. They never knew he was with Creek. And they would never know now. Creek was gone.
Branch was so convinced that Creek would never come back, that he never even went through the effort to change his locks, that Creek had a key to.
That was a mistake on his part, but he didn’t know that yet.
Branch rolled over onto his side, curling into a small ball as tears fell down his cheeks, feeling totally miserable.
It probably didn’t help that he’d been hurting himself again, to be fair.
He had stopped hurting himself before, because of Creek. But, now that Creek was gone, there was no reason for him not to.
His thighs were itchy from the scabs, but he ignored the itch best he could, not wanting to make himself bleed again, by accident no less. It had been a week since he’d last self harmed, but the wounds took a long time to heal. Especially the deep ones. Those would take a whole month.
He couldn’t get the look on Creek’s face out of his head. The way he’d smiled, so smugly, as he said he was selling them out. The way he looked Branch straight in his fucking eyes, and smiled in an apologetic way, as if that would make everything make sense. The pain was in his eyes, and Branch could see it, but it didn’t make the betrayal hurt any less. He knew Creek was regretting his decision, because he could read Creek like an open book. But it just made it hurt even more that he went through with it anyways.
The way he’d kissed Branch’s cheek like he’d done thousands of times before, and then stolen Poppy’s cowbell, and acted like it was just the way it had to be.
Branch had never wanted to kill himself so badly, then he did at that moment. He’d never felt more betrayed, even when his own brothers all abandoned him. At that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to just bust down sobbing, and just die. The only reason he didn’t was because it was like his body ran on autopilot from there.
Branch was suddenly brought from his thoughts when he heard something. Quickly, he sat up, holding his breath.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard something bump into the pie tin on his floor.
Of course, his first thought was that something had broken into his bunker, and wanted to hurt him.
In the back of his mind, he fantasized about some terrible creature bursting in and killing him. Deep down, though, he knew that was too good to be true.
He climbed out of bed, ignoring how wobbly his knees felt. The food hadn’t digested yet, so he was still weak, and he could barely walk. His hands shook as he grabbed a wooden stake he’d whittled to a point ages ago, for this very scenario.
He kinda just stood there for a second, swaying as a wave of nausea rolled over him, feeling like he was going to throw up what he’d eaten only a little while ago. However, he pushed on after a moment’s delay, taking shaking steps out of his room, peaking around the corner to see what was there.
Creek was not what he expected to see.
The colorful troll was entirely disheveled, his pants shredded down to meer shorts, his hair a mess. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well, and like he had been surviving off literal scraps.
Creek looked up at the sound of Branch dropping the wooden stake in surprise. Branch covered his mouth, biting his lip hard to keep himself from getting ill right then and there. His entire body shook, leaning against the wall so he wouldn’t fall right over.
Why was..
“Branch!” Creek cried out, like he couldn’t be happier to see him, stepping closer towards him.
Viciously, Branch hissed, glaring at Creek with watery eyes. “Why are you here?” He strained out, past gritted teeth, as if daring him to get any closer.
Creek paused in his footsteps, seeming confused. “..What do you mean? I came back for you-“
“BULLSHIT!” Branch seethed, and Creek jumped, hard. Branch never cussed. He seemed like the type to, definitely, but growing up without adult influence meant he took all the rules very seriously, even into adulthood. That included no cussing.
“Wh-What? Branch, what do you-“
“You’re a fucking bastard! What makes you think you can— you can come into MY home, and-“ Branch grit his teeth, trying desperately to not start crying all over again “And act like EVERYTHINGS all FINE and-and FUCKING DANDY!” he shouted, his voice cracking, shoulders shaking with sobs that threatened to let themselves known. Creek stared at Branch, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I-I don’t understand, I-“
“LIAR!” Branch barked at him, taking a shaking step towards the colorful one.
Creek took a step back, his hands held up as if to show he was innocent “I’m not lying, Branch!” He insisted, but Branch shook his head, a silent sob wracking his frame.
“YES YOU ARE!! YOU’RE A LIAR, A TRAITOR!” The grey one all but shrieked, his entire body quivering as tears spilled down his cheeks against his will.
“No, Branch, I-“
“I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU, I— FUCKING TRUSTED YOU!!” Branch sobbed out, falling to his knees and bowing his head, his shoulders wracking with his sobs that he couldn’t hide.
Creek felt stunned, and nervous. He took a slow step towards Branch, wanting to comfort him like he’d done so many times before. “Honey..” he whispered.
Branch snapped.
“DON’T CALL ME THAT, YOU FFUCKING ASSHOLE!! YOU KNEW, YOU FUCKING KNEW HOW I FELT ABOUT-“ he choked a sob, covering his face as he shook “YOU KNEW AND YOU DID IT ANY-ANYWAY!” He was almost gasping for air, barely able to breath, he was crying so hard. “YOU LEFT, YOU-YOu left me, and you didn’t.. care..” his shouting broke off, his voice cracking, falling to a pitiful whisper.
Creek dropped to his knees in front of Branch, reaching out to touch him. “I didn’t want to, Branch, I just-“
“Don’t touch me, you filthy liar!” Branch seethed out, slapping Creek’s hand as hard as he could. That being said, it wasn’t very hard, he was so weak right now. Even so, it still hurt, and stunned Creek, who drew his hand back fast.
This time, Creek didn’t try to talk. He stared at Branch, watching him sob with sad eyes. He wanted to wrap him up in his arms like he’d done a million times before, and comfort him. But he knew he’d fucked up. He’d fucked up, so badly. He destroyed the one person he cared about the most.
“You.. why..” Branch hiccuped out, finally lifting his head to look at Creek, as his body shook and shuddered with his cries. He’d never looked so small, so fragile. His face was burning with blush from anger, from sadness, his cheeks damp and eyes puffy from how he’d been crying. He had snot dripping from his nose, and a bit of spit at the corners of his lips, he was crying so hard. Creek felt like his heart was breaking in two as he looked at Branch.
“I.. I don’t know..” Creek muttered, not wanting to lie. He couldn’t lie to Branch. He never could- especially not when he looked at him like that. He looked so betrayed, so heartbroken. “I.. I was scared, I didn’t.. I didn’t mean to hurt you..” he whispered, biting his lip.
Branch shook his head, as he hugged himself, not able to meet Creek’s eyes. Not anymore. “Then why did you do it.. why did you do the one thing I asked you to never do..” he asked, in a voice that trembled, sounded small and meek. Like he was just a kid again. Creek winced, knowing what he meant. He’d done the one thing Branch never wanted, the one thing Branch couldn’t handle. He’d not only sold him out, but he up and abandoned him.
“I.. I’m sorry..” Creek whispered, struggling to find his words. This was just as hard on him as it was on Branch, it felt like. “I panicked.. I wanted them to spare you, believe me-“
“Then why didn’t you make them?” Branch spat, glaring at Creek the best he could. But it was less so an angry glare, and more of a sorrowful one. He was just so upset, he couldn’t help but snap at Creek.
Creek cringed, twiddling his thumbs nervously. “I tried! I did, I really did! I begged that woman, to please spare just you, only you. But she wouldn’t listen-“ he coughed, covering his mouth when he did. His throat hurt, he hadn’t had any water in a day or two. “She didn’t understand. She thought it was foolish.” He looked away, frowning, nervously “The last time I asked, she said she’d eat you in front of me if I asked again.” He muttered, brows furrowed.
Branch wanted to believe him.
He really did.
But he just couldn’t.
“I wish she would’ve fucking done it..” Branch muttered, his gaze on the floor.
Creek’s jaw almost dropped at that, looking at Branch like he couldn’t believe he just said that. “Branch, why would you want that?” He whispered, in a horrified voice.
Branch refused to look up from the floor. He refused to answer, too. Not out loud, at least. However, he did get his point across, shifting part of his robe to the side and showing off the marks healing on his thighs. Creek’s gaze softened at the sight, and he bit his bottom lip, wanting to cry at the sight.
“Oh, Branch..” he whispered. Branch sniffled, refusing to look up and meet Creek’s gaze. He didn’t move, or yell, or anything this time, when Creek scooted forwards. He didn’t fight him when he was wrapped up in a hug either.
He didn’t hug back, though. He just hugged himself, shaking, stiff as a board. He winced at the feeling of a damp face pressing into his neck, knowing Creek was crying. The colorful troll felt terrible, for hurting Branch so badly.
Part of Branch wanted to tear away from Creek, to run away and never see him again. Another part of him wanted to trust him, to give in, to have him back. In the end, the result was just a scared little troll who didn’t know what to do with himself.
They said nothing, as Branch sobbed into Creek’s chest, and Creek wept into Branch’s neck. He didn’t cry for long, because he didn’t have enough liquid in his body to.
Branch was so tired. He wanted to just go to sleep and never wake up again.
“I’m sorry..” Creek whispered, softly, squeezing Branch closer. Branch refused to answer, he refused to talk. He was too tired. “I love you..” he added, his eyes closing as he just held him.
Branch didn’t answer that time either. He couldn’t, he couldn’t say it back. It would hurt too much. Everything still hurt too much, and it would keep hurting for a long time. He didn’t know if he could forgive Creek.
But Creek knew that. Creek knew it was going to take a lot of work to get Branch to ever trust him again.
And he was more than willing to put in that effort, just for him. He deserved it, after all.
However, right now. All he wanted to do was make sure Branch would be okay.
Before Branch knew what was happening, Creek scooped him up close, cradling him close like a kid as he stood with a grunt. He supported under Branch’s bottom, carrying him to his room. Branch wanted to fight him, to claw his eyes out and make him drop him, to run away and hide like a frightened animal. He wanted to scream at him, he wanted to cry, he wanted to hug him tight and never let go. He felt so conflicted. However, he did none of that. He was so tired, he couldn’t.
Creek laid Branch in bed, and pulled a blanket over him. He pressed a small kiss to his forehead, before walking away.
Branch watched him go, looking utterly heartbroken, thinking he was already abandoning him again. He couldn’t help but silently cry, curling up in his bed, feeling more alone than ever.
But, Creek came back moments later. He had two cups of water, one for him and one for Branch. He set both on the dresser. He’d only left to get them water, and to briefly chug some while he was gone because he was so dehydrated.
Branch watched him, with tired, sad eyes. He said nothing, but he watched. He winced as Creek climbed into the bed, not having the energy to complain as Creek pulled him close, and rested Branch’s head in his lap. His fingers slowly stroked through his hair to comfort him, best he could at least, a slow sigh leaving him.
“I’ll never leave you again.” Creek whispered, in the most genuine tone he could. Smoothing down Branch’s messy hair, he closed his eyes, feeling equally as exhausted. “I promise. I will never leave you again.” He tried to assure him.
Branch wanted to believe him.
But he couldn’t.
Not yet.
There was a lot of work to be done if Creek wanted Branch to ever trust him again.