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Chapter Text

    It wasn’t everyday the Princess of Pop’s morning involved her being caught in a net trap, but then again, when you’re trying to make your way to the “secret bunker” of the world’s most paranoid and weirdly prepared troll- yeah, this was probably the best case scenario.

   So she hanged, foot poking through the netting, hair tangled as she had tried to use it to escape, and her arm pinned at an odd angle to her chest that was slowly turning to pins and pine needles. Probably not the best idea to use an alternate route to Branch’s bunker, but Poppy was too excited. She had the perfect party planned, this time, the gray troll was sure to come!

   Poppy had been planning all week for this. A silent masquerade! Everyone would be busy making their own masks to wear, costumes, and- the cherry on top that would surely bring Branch- no talking until midnight. It would be just the sound of music and dancing! She let herself giggle, biting her lower lip at the thought of the personal invitation in her hair.

   All she had to do was wait! Branch would be here any minute! 

   Yup. Any second now.

   Surely he had some sort of alarm that went off when a trap was triggered. That sounded like something the weirdly over prepared troll would have. Unless he was out gathering supplies- oh hair, he wasn’t out foraging was he? It was getting colder. She even traded her classic blue dress for something a little thicker, a green dress with snowflakes lining the bottom and lined with warm fluffy fabric. 

   Time stretched on, Poppy tried to move only for her other foot to sink though the holes of the netting, forcing the rough rope to dig into her cheek as she lay flat against it, swinging gently back and forth. The traitorous rouge lock of hair fell in her face again, the one she could never seem to make behave, it tickled her nose. She tried to blow it away to no avail.

   ”Sprinkles.” Poppy huffed indignantly. Letting out a long drawn out groan, she settled into waiting. At least her arm was regaining feeling.

   ”Whoa now, don’t steal my thing.” A familiar deadpan voice called. “You don’t see me bouncing around getting glitter all over the place.”

   “Branch!” Poppy beamed, she twisted in the net to look at him. “Branch, my man, mind giving me a hand here?”

   Perhaps he had been foraging. The gray troll had small twigs and leaves in his hair, and under his arm he had a large cutting of moss. His signature leaf vest was splotched with dirt; well, you could never quite tell if his brown shorts were dirty or not. Poppy was pretty sure that’s why he wore them, in spite of the many patches they sported.

   Rolling his eyes, Branch walked beneath her, brows scrunching as she guessed he was focused on something. In one smooth movement, he rolled out the literal carpet of moss below. Readjusting a few times until he was satisfied, and strolled over lazily to the anchor of his trap and turned back toward her. Grey-blue eyes regarded her neutrality, with some amusement, he kicked the anchor. The pulleys rumbled as they released and sent Poppy crashing down on a soft bed of moss, bouncing a little as she managed to scramble into a sitting position.

   ”Graceful.” With one hand, he sized her upper arm and hefted her to her feet. He took several steps back to keep out of her reach and set about untangling her hair. “What are you doing out here this time, Poppy?”

   ”You seem to be in a good mood,” she fired back genuinely, as she brushed off stray debris from her dress as his clever hand freed her hair quickly. Hovering in his orbit she moved out of the way as he walked past her. Biting her lip with excitement, she long ago learned he was less prickly without an audience. Poppy decided to tease gently to test his tolerance. “No lecture this time on the dangers of the forest and predators?”

   ”I was ahead of schedule.” Branch rolled up his carpet of moss, again asked with a bit more bite “So, what do you want?”

   That was a good sign, he would have told her to buzz off on a bad day. With an elated giggled Poppy reached into her hair and brought out a fancy looking envelope. Rather than her usual glittery affair, it was fairly regal looking. Cream, with gold leaves along the borders. It nearly had her bouncing in place when Branch looked at the invitation with surprise.

   The gray troll almost looked impressed , even reaching out to take it in his hands and turning it over.

   ”I’d like to formally invite you to a masquerade next week.” Poppy rocked on her heels, trying her best to contain her excitement. This was as close as he ever got to accepting an invitation. Okay Poppy, reel him in.

   ”You know I don’t do parties.” Branch didn’t look up at her as he carefully peeled the envelope open.

   ”There’s no glitter in this one-“ 

   His head snapped to her so fast, she was concerned he hurt himself.

   ”Who are you, and what have you done with Poppy?” His back straightened, almost looking like he was about to bolt into the woods for his bunker.

   “Ugh! I can do formal parties too, you know. Glitter, while amazing in every way, just isn’t suitable for a fancy dance party.” Poppy wagged a finger at him as he had so often to her during his lectures. She let out another stifled giggle before adding “There’s going to be soft music, costumes, everyone is quiet until midnight , slow dancing-“

   ”What?” Branch cut her off, truly observing her like she was some unknown danger. His eyes darted back to the invitation. “A silent -“

   “Well, duh! If everyone talked then it would be too easy to guess who everyone is! This is so trolls can make new friends with other trolls they might not have!” It was her turn to cut him off, she bounced around him as she spoke ending with her arms stretched out wide to end her little presentation.

   Calculating blue eyes were on her magenta, searching. She could see the gears in his head turning. For a moment, there was a flicker of something soft coming over his face, smoothing out his normal scowl. For a moment, he looked so much younger. For a moment, just a few heart beats, it almost looked like he wanted to say yes.

   With a twitch of his mouth, came his familiar scowl. Poppy knew what was coming next, and resigned herself to a small smile. Her arms dropped and she clasped them in front of her, ready for the onslaught.

   ”Nice try,” Branch sneered, shockingly, he actually put the invitation in his hair rather than destroying it. “You all might be happy exposing yourself like that, but not me.”

   ”You’re keeping it?” Poppy couldn’t keep herself from asking.

   ”I-“ He cut himself off, shaking his head. “This is the first one that didn’t shoot glitter in my face.”

   ”Well, I won’t really know if you change your mind, will I?” He hadn’t said no yet, and he didn’t rip it or throw it away, so maybe if she just pushed a little more…

   ”Oh, well in that case I’m sure the bergens won’t know who we are either, why not invite them too?” Branch crossed his arms, halfheartedly glaring at her.

   It was like running face first into a wall. She was so close.

   “Branch,” she drawled out his name in frustration. “That’s a terrible idea.”

   The look of utter exasperation on his face nearly made her laugh, he flailed his hand for a moment. Having failed to think of a comeback, he groaned, snatching the rolled up moss before storming off.

   ”I have better things to do!” He called over his shoulder. Poppy watched him disappear, a little dejected.

   It’s still progress. Branch never kept any of my invitations, he even liked this one! Having found her silver lining, she hop, hop, twirled her way back to the village. This was going to be a very fun week with Satin and Chenille.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   It had been a very fun week, after a few sleepovers with friends, she settled on a mitten-setta themed dress and mask. With fabric petals, though they were her absolute favorite flower, she was also allergic. The petals rimmed the upper half of her face and eyes, with a little crown on top. While she did want to go unnoticed at first, her people were prone to panic, it was better if she could be recognized. The dress was a deep red that paired well with her pink flocking and green trim that helped to separate them.

   The party itself was going fantastic. The decorations were set, the music was soft slow ballads, and trolls were all mingling wordlessly. She could have squeezed in delight if it didn’t break her own rules. Spending most of the night checking in on every one, refilling punch and snack bowls left her with little time to actually enjoy the party beyond hosting.

   There was one thing she kept noticing, trolls would stop at the farthest table from the party, or be looking in it’s direction. Ever curious, she picked her way through the crowd to see a troll lounging at the table sipping on punch as he waved away an invitation to dance.

   A lime green troll with messy shock yellow hair and a cape that draped around his knees enough to block the rest of his outfit save the dark blue mask he wore, she couldn’t tell what it was. His pale blue eyes landed on her. A couple passed in front of Poppy, breaking eye contact. When she looked back, he was gone. Strange.

   For hours, she would keep getting glimpses of the Stranger. Never close enough to interact with, but she would always casually see him near. It was crazy, she knew every troll, but not this one. Is that why she kept seeing him everywhere? If she was refilling snacks, she would see his wild yellow hair drifting near only to disappear. Near the punch, she saw him pouring a drink for a young trolling before she had to help two trolls that had gotten tangled in decorations.

   It was nearing midnight now, she had made her final refills of snacks and drinks. One last pace around the dance floor checking on everyone, only getting smiling faces, enthusiastic waves, and thumbs up. This time, she didn’t see the Stranger, perhaps he left. Odd.

   Poppy stood on the sidelines, taking a small break when she immediately recognized Creek. Even with his star flecked mask and soft blue blazer, she could tell it was him immediately from his gentle gate. He held a cup of punch, and gestured toward her own empty one. What a gentleman! She gave a nod, handing her empty cup to him. He bowed then turned to refill her drink.

   When he turned he did a double take, suddenly Creek seemed to be transfixed by something. She followed his gaze.

   There he was, the Stranger. This time, the mysterious troll stood up, leaving his cup behind. A glare, not unlike a perturbed parent, was sent Creek’s way. His eyes flicked to her, for the thousandth time that night, their eyes met, but this time it was different. He didn’t go to leave, or turn away from her. No, this time, he locked his gaze on her. The Stranger lifted his chin, straightened his back, and quickly made his way toward her.

   Wordlessly, he strolled across the dance floor. The other trolls at the party moved from his path, silently following his gaze to their princess. The Strangers’s cape billowed behind him from his speed, somewhere between a walk and a trot. The bright blue button up paired well with his pale green skin and shock yellow hair. Trolls’ soft gasps, and inquisitive murmuring with hands over mouths to keep from breaking the rules. 

   There were only 5 minutes left until midnight. Enough for one more dance, and one last song was about to play. Trolls watched the Stranger stride toward the princess of pop, all watching eagerly.

   The only thing Poppy could see was steely blue eyes locked on her, focused yet beckoning her to stay, to wait for him. The determination glittered in his blue irises, jaw set and shoulder squared like he had waited all night for this moment. Maybe he had been waiting for her. The ever bouncy princess’ feet were rooted in place. His steady gaze made her blood roar in her ears.

   A flicker in his eyes, recognition, like he knew her body refused to move. His movements slowed to an agonizing slow stride, a smooth swagger, as if he had all the time in the world now. Shoulders slacked as he drew closer. 

   By the time he reached her, a small warm smile played on his lips, tugging gently at the corners of his mouth. He offered nothing but his hand, and a small bow. Poppy took his hand before she even felt herself move. The Stranger’s small smirk turned into a full warm smile that heated her cheeks. She looked at their hands as fingers boldly laced together, large calloused pale green melded with her own pink flocking. She glanced up, only to find the Stranger was looking at their hands too.

   A low hollow laugh escaped him. He couldn’t believe this was happening either, or maybe that was her projecting. His mouth gaped open slightly before his warm smile returned, the blue eyes held her captive again. He took a step back, gently pulling her hand toward him, a silent question. It was only a heartbeat before she closed the gap, and followed his lead. The eye contact finally broke when he turned toward the floor. 

   Who was this troll? Poppy thought frantically, trying to pair a name to the pale lime troll leading her to the dance floor as the last song ended. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes met with Creek’s apologetically. In truth, she had forgotten about him completely. She had forgotten everything in the gaze of this mysterious troll. It was like time slowed and went way too fast at the same time, a tingling sugar rush in her veins while being unable to move.

   She nearly bumped into the troll leading her when he stopped. A soft warm chuckle rumbled in his chest, his blue eyes caught her again, his thumb rubbed over her knuckles to comfort her. His mask looked like the upper half of some angry cuddlepup. Accurate, considering he had her trapped under his gaze like prey. Her eyes searched his, hoping to have some hint to his identity. The troll merely took her other hand.

   It was like she woke up at that moment, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and they began to dance to the last song of the night. 

I feel so unsure

As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor

As the music dies, something in your eyes

Calls to mind a silver screen

And all its sad good-byes

   The lyrics hit her, as he smoothly- almost effortlessly- fell into a rhythm with her. Like they had danced all their lives together. Slowly, the two made their way onto the center of the floor. There was something familiar about his eyes, she just couldn’t place it. The party disappeared, it was only the two of them.

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste the chance that I'd been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

   A twirl, he dared to pull her closer. She could only nod, his hand found her waist. The air between their bodies buzzed with some unknown electricity, like static. She could feel every hair of her flocking standing on end. It made her shiver. His eyes shone with concern, she gripped his shoulder tighter. Whatever this feeling was, she didn’t want it to end yet. Even beneath the mask, she could see he was blushing. Her own cheeks burned, for how long she had no idea. She bit her lower lip, letting a little giggle escape her. His ears pricked at the sound.

Time can never mend

The careless whispers of a good friend

To the heart and mind

Ignorance is kind

There's no comfort in the truth

Pain is all you'll find

   Poppy recognized the Stranger’s hands were shaking. His eyes glazed with unshed tears, still he danced effortlessly with her. She felt the pin pricks of tears herself, the gravity of the moment squeezed her heart. His sadness weighed on her, and she felt the urge to do anything to make this Stranger smile again. This felt like something totally new. She had danced with her friends before, with Creek, but this Stranger had her heart tearing itself out of her chest. A tear rolled down her cheek, only to be caught by a strong calloused hand. The brush was feather light, but left her soul aching. Poppy cursed herself for ever making up that stupid rule about not talking until midnight. There was so much she wanted to ask him!

Never without your love

Tonight the music seems so loud

I wish that we could lose this crowd

Maybe it's better this way

We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say

We could have been so good together

We could have lived this dance forever

But now, who's gonna dance with me?

Please stay

   Poppy pressed herself into the Stranger, nearly chest to chest with him. For the first time, his smooth steps faltered for a single beat before his arm wrapped around her lower back. His cape enclosed around her. The whole world ceased to exist , the eyes of her subjects, the words of the song, the fact she was queen- all there was and ever would be, was them dancing. Twirling, twisting,spinning- it was a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, except for those bewitching blue eyes. She could feel the heat of his body rolling off him in waves. A deep sigh left him, shaky, like he was confessing something.

And I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste the chance that I'd been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you, oh

now that you're gone

(Now that you're gone) was what I did so wrong, so wrong

That you had to leave me alone?

   At the very end of the song, he dipped her. All her weight rested on a single unwavering hand that refused to let her fall. Safe, secure strong arms pulled her back up. They were nearly nose to nose. 

   Puffs of heated breath mingled between them. Poppy looked over the face of her dance partner, desperate to know who he was. Her eyes fell on his lips, gravity seemed to pull her toward him. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, she felt him stiffen. The only thing that seemed to matter in that moment was wanting him as close as possible, to keep him, just a little longer.

   Then, he took a step back. The space he made between them felt more like a deep abyss. Her hand was pulled from his cheek with a gentle grip, like a trolling being pulled away from reaching for another cookie. She nearly puffed her cheeks and stamped her foot in frustration. Another smile quirked the Stranger’s features, so full of sorrow and pining, left her mind reeling. She squeezed his hand, trying to keep him a little longer.

   The Stranger bowed again, taking her hands to kiss her knuckles sweetly.

Murmurs started swarming around her like a bee hive. It was midnight! She could finally speak!

   “Who-” Poppy’s question was cut off by the Stranger pressing a finger to her lips. He shook his head, removing his hands from her. His eyes told her everything.

   She would never know.

   Click

   Trolls all around her screamed from the lights going out, all the glow flies had swarmed into a single area leaving everyone in the dark. Rushing bodies bumped into each other with loud thuds. Stomping feet, crying trollings-

   “Everyone stop!” She yelled pulling out her cowbell crashing the mallet into it over the din. “Please calm down!”

   The glow flies, upon hearing the yelling, scrambled to get back to their positions looking quite guilty. The light spread across the floor again. With some minor bruises, a few scrapes, and somehow Guy Diamond ending up in the punch bowl- everyone settled.

   Smidge was the first one to reach her.

   “Ohmygah, what happened?” The yellow troll sprinted over gesturing wildly “Who was that guy?”

   Poppy started out over the crowd, part of her knew she wouldn't find the pale green troll that danced with her. Of course, she didn’t. Like a phantom, he was gone.

   “Poppy?” Smidge tried again, this time she took the princess’ wrist. “What do you have on your hands?”

   With a start, she looked down at her free palm, it was pale green. She rubbed the substance between her fingers. It looked like it was mixed with… glitter? Suddenly, it all made sense. The Stranger had dyed his flocking.

   “I-i don’t-” Her voice was a little hoarse, she cleared her throat and tried again. “I don’t know. Whoever it was, they certainly don’t want me to find them.”

   “Weird.” Smidge cocked her head.

   “Yeah,” Poppy spoke wistfully, staring at her green stained palm. “Weird.”

   “Poppy!” Another voice called, this time it was Gay Diamond. His glitter was stained red from the punch as well as a familiar cape and cuddlepup mask. “It seems your dance partner was in a hurry. He shoved these into my hands and in the dark, I ended up tripping into the punch!”

   “Are you okay Guy?” Poppy asked earnestly, checking over her glittery friend.

   “Oh I’m fine!” He said with an auto tuned laugh, waiving away her concern. “It is you I worry about. What happened to make your partner run like that?”

   ”I don’t know.” Poppy’s friends looked to one another, it wasn’t like their princess to be left with nothing to say. “but, I think he wants it to stay that way.”

   Poppy herself, just held one arm close to her body, trying to forget the warmth she had a taste of. She blew a huff of air through her nose. She didn’t have time for this right now, her people needed her. Drawing herself to full height, she bounced her way to the front of the crowd. Damage control time.

   ”Sorry everyone! Minor issues with the glow flies, looks like they needed a break!” Slowly the trolls of the village all drew around her. “Other than that, I wanted to thank everyone for doing such a great job with my silly midnight rule. Kinda fun not knowing who you were dancing with, huh?”

   Murmurs of agreement filled the floor, she couldn’t quite tell if they were smiling or not. Poppy knew her people, she was sure they had enjoyed themselves. After watching for most of the night, she could tell they had warmed up to the idea.

   ”Without further ado, you may all remove your masks!” Poppy beamed as the trolls around her were excited to see they were with a friend or had made a new one. In spite of the less than stellar end, this night had gone by well. Maybe she would try to do this again.

   Poppy put a hand to her chest. Daring to hope, to dream- just maybe, she would see the mystery troll again.

Chapter Text

   Click

   The little remote behind his back released that glow fly bait, they were on it in an instant. Darkness blanketed the dance floor. Time to go.

   His body seemed to refuse him, his eyes were still on Poppy in the dark, wanting to drink in the moment for just a little longer. Branch watched her silhouette. Poppy’s hand lifted toward him, his own hand twitched. It ached not to take it, to pull her close again, to have his every movement matched perfectly like a reflection in the mirror. His hand reached for her-

   Only for reality to break him from his trance.

   Nearly thrown off balance as someone bumped into him in the dark, the panicked yells finally met his ears. Trolls all around him were rushing, bumping into one another blindly. They were used to bright light, well lit dance floors- moonlight was too weak for their eyes. For Branch, it was more than enough. He couldn’t see the colors of any of the trolls around him, but it was easy for him to make out the distinctive shadows.

   Realizing he didn’t have much time left, he ran. Pulling off the mask and cloak he pushed it in the arms of someone at the punch bowl. It didn’t matter who had it, as long as it wasn’t in his possession. A small crash behind him told him he had shoved a little too hard. He winced, he’d have to figure out who that was. One last glance back to ensure no one had followed him, as he plunged into the undergrowth.

   The forest muffled the sounds behind him as he ducked behind the leaves and bushes. He had to hold his hair down, a shiver of terror ran down his back as he knew he was leaving himself defenseless. Every survival instinct was on edge, but Branch needed to be sure she was okay. Just to make sure no one had knocked her down in the dark.

   A breath of relief rushed past his lips when he heard her distinctive cow bell ringing out over the shouts. The glow flies went back to their stations, Branchs’ eyes were on her before the lights had even come back. She looked fine, other than the fact she seemed dazed, gazing listlessly over the trolls surrounding her. Even from his distance, he could see her shoulders sagging as her arms dropped to her side.

   Smidge came rushing to her, the little yellow troll was as protective as they came. He could respect her strength, it was a big reason why he never felt the need to watch over the princess in the village. Poppy would be fine, she had someone to lean on. Branch backed away quietly, letting his hair spring back into place and took off in a jog on his way to his bunker.

   The night was quiet in the woods, nothing but the soft cold breeze rustling the leaves and grass around him. The insects had long since hibernated, birds had migrated, a good amount of predators followed the migrating prey. A lifetime in the forest taught him how to run quietly, his footfalls hardly had sound. Silence was a comfortable companion, but not tonight. 

   No, not tonight.

   Branch had made an adolescent dream come true, he had finally danced with Poppy. Better than any fantasy or dream, they seemed to be in perfect sync. The ache in his chest sank its invisible teeth into his heart. His feet picked up into a sprint, desperately trying to outrun the thoughts that would eventually catch up to him. For now, it was his silent rushing feet and the burn of his lungs. It was so cold away from the village, not only did the frost glaze the grass, it bit into him as he ran.

   Dodging tree roots, leaping over fallen branches and logs, he knew these woods well. Like the back of his own hand, the blueprints of his bunker, Branch knew every major point within a mile of the village. He tried to focus on what was around him.

   A clearing near the river to gather berries to his left. Soft bedding of moss to his right-

   The last time he got moss was to make a soft landing for Poppy in his trap last week. The invitation she gave him, the one sitting on his desk with his leaf vest draped over the chair. The dance, the warmth of her in his hands, the blush brighter than the mitten-setta petals hiding her face. The hand she placed on his own- so close with those magenta eyes staring at him with the most bewitching gaze.

   Eyes so deep he nearly forgot to breathe. She leaned into him, he could smell her candy sweet breath, and nearly kissed him.

   The only way to make it happen, was to be anyone other than me. Branch thought bitterly. The bolder that marked his bunker came into view, he slowed to a walk. His breath came in soft puffs in the night air. Reaching for the entrance, Branch took a moment to look at his hands, the unfamiliar color of pale green made him scowl. It had taken a long time to gather enough pollen to dye his flocking, hopefully he’d only need one bath to get it off. With a huff, he entered his home and descended down the elevator.

   The adrenaline of escape slowly wore off in his body, soon, the thoughts started to creep back in chastising him. The soft rumbling of his descent did nothing to drown the inner voice of his mind.

   The perfect dance partner, shame you couldn’t just be normal. Then again, no one ever stays, do they? A hard lump formed in his throat, swallowing thickly he could feel his hand trembling on the elevator’s lever. Poppy was different, wasn’t she? He had been pushing her away for years, but every little event, he still got an invitation. A personalized invitation, every time. The little shelf in his room was full of them, he’d have to make another soon.

   Face it, you’re just a challenge for her. The only person to tell her ‘no’, all this effort is a prolonged temper tantrum. The moment you concede is the moment she forgets about you completely. The painful twang of his heart made his hand fly to his chest. He wasn’t sure when the elevator had made it to his living area, but the thought knocked the wind out of him. His other hand slumped off the lever, clenching and unclenching reflexively to rid himself of the pins and pine needle feeling they got when he was stressed.

   Branch felt the urge to busy his hands, they almost itched to be doing something productive. Or, it could be the pollen mixed with glitter that coated his flocking. Either way, it needed to come off. Now. It took some doing to clean his hands and face, and quite a bit of scrubbing. At least he could feel his fingers again. His mine drifted and landed back on the pink princess.

   Poppy could truly never know he was at that party, ever. She would be so excited to hear it, inviting him to other parties like it, then he would be just one of the crowd. Would he ever see her again, one on one? Unlikely.

   Stomping feet echoed in the elevator shaft. StompStomp Hop Hop-

   Poppy. It just had to be Poppy. Not only was she the only one that knew exactly where his bunker was, she was the only one who stomped like that. It was the same rhythm of the little hop hop twirls she used to skip around her merry way through life.

   Fudge, he hadn’t even gotten to get the dye out of his hair. How long has his thoughts trapped him? This wasn’t good. Don’t panic, she wouldn’t be expecting him to be up, he had time. She wouldn’t notice the green anyway, if he had missed any, it was too dark. The only thing that would give him away was the stupid highlighter yellow hair, why did he ever choose yellow?!

   Her voice echoed in his ears, he wasn’t sure what she said, but he was sure she called his name. If he could hear it, even faintly, she had to be yelling at quite the volume. Loud enough for something other than him to hear. He had to get up there, like, now.

   Yellow was a bright color, but not saturated, tints affected it greatly. He could hide it with something opaque, what was a saturated opaque color he could get quickly. It was cold out and he had dried his berries already so that was-

   Charcoal! From his fire before he left, of course! He rushed to his fireplace, crushing a few coals into his hands and smoothed it into the roots of his hair, he didn’t have to cover all of it, just where she could see from the small shutter of his unwelcome mat.

   He hopped back on the elevator, yanking the lever back to the surface. She had gone back to her rhythmic stomps again. He rubbed some stray charcoal on his locks again to be sure, his eyes caught the sleeve of his blue button down. Branch mentality kicked himself. Looks like he was answering the door shirtless. He nearly tore the thing off his body when the elevator stopped at the top, making sure he tossed it out of view. Thankfully, he only dyed what the shirt wouldn’t cover, no risk of her noticing anything out of the ordinary there.

   Deep breath, then he opened the slat. Revealingly a very distracted looking Poppy, who’s eyes weren’t even looking at him, but out scanning the woods. She hadn’t even removed her dress from the party yet.

   ”What are you doing making all the noise?” Branch barked at her, forcing himself to focus on the danger and not his rapidly quickening heartbeat. She physically jumped, her dazed expression was still there, the same she wore when the lights came back.

   ”S-sorry Branch,” Poppy’s voice was sheepish. “I guess you really were asleep.”

   ”Do you have any idea what time it is?” Branch didn’t even know, if he were honest. Hopefully it sounded like he did.

   ”I’ll be out of your hair, just one little question.” She seemed to get nervous, lacing her fingers together with a half smile before asking, “You… didn't happen to see a lime green troll with yellow hair running through the woods, did you?”

   ”What did you do?” The question was mostly for himself, he could already feel his hands going numb with his nerves.

   ”I-I don’t know! I don’t even know his name! He just showed up at the party and I kept seeing him, like, everywhere!” Poppy began to pace in his vision, hand and arms flailing energetically as she recounted her tale. “Then at the end of the night he just swoops in and walks me to the dance floor a-and we danced. I didn’t- he never got to tell me his name and he looked so, so sad before he left.”

   ”You dance with a lot of people, what’s the big deal?” Branch tried to downplay her reactions. Surely she didn’t feel the same thing he had-

   “But it was like he knew me! I never danced so- so- ahh! I don’t even have the words. I-I have to find him again.” Poppy finally locked eyes with him, her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight filtering through the trees with unshed tears. It was so earnest, the way her desires shone in her beseeching gaze.

   She had felt it too, the magnet pull they had. Poppy seemed almost heartbroken. How disappointed would she be to know it was just him? A mirthless bark of laughter left him, making her flinch.

   ”Sorry, Princess, I’m not about to go making myself a late night snack to help you find Prince Charming.” He sneered, breaking eye contact.

   ”What do you mean? He could be in trouble! If a predator got him, wouldn’t that leave us all in danger?” Poppy’s eyes hardened, searching his. She was getting suspicious, kneeling at his ‘door’ to watch him more closely. Her brows scrunched up the way they did when she designed a scrapbook layout, focused.

   Sprinkles, she knew how to get to him though. How was he going to get out of his one?

   “Why would he be out in the woods? It’s the dead of night Poppy, a troll from the village would be blind out here.” He countered, another question irked him. “How did you even get here in the dark?”

   “I thought maybe he went to the river, he dyed his flocking! Look!” Her small hand took up most of his vision from the slat he was looking through. Her legs folded beneath her as she leaned as far as she could and on her palm was a green smear. The sight caused a lump to form in his throat, darn his sweaty hands. “And I memorized the way to your bunker, how else would I be able to give you invitations?”

   Oh. She… she memorized her way to him. His traitorous heart leapt in his chest. Poppy wasn’t supposed to be this involved with him. How had he let it get so bad? Did she have any idea how badly this reflects on her? The Princess and the Outcast, that might be a title for a some cheesy romance novel, but this was reality.

   “I-if he dyed himself,” Branch cleared his throat to sound more stern, working his signature sarcasm into the words.”Then there’s this little thing- might never heard of it- called privacy. Then again you never respect mine, why would you for anyone else.”

   “I’m the princess, Branch.” Poppy pulled her hand back indignantly. “It’s my job to know everyone.”

   “Missed the memo on this one didn’t you?” He could already see the hurt in her eyes, he hated himself for it. “Since you didn’t recognize him at all.”

   That gave her pause, she looked at her green smeared palm.

   “This isn’t a romance novel, Poppy.” Branch pushed. “Maybe he didn’t like you the same way. Sprinkles, I can’t be the only one that tells you ‘no’.”

   Poppy stayed quiet, Branch wasn’t even sure she was listening to him anymore. Her face scrunched into a variety of expressions, like she was trying to settle on one of them and couldn’t figure out what she was feeling. A soft hollow laugh escaped her, she wiped the green smear onto her dress with a bit more force than necessary.

   “Yeah. Silly me.” Her voice was too tight, the smile on her face too forced. “I just got caught up in the moment, like I always do.”

   “Yeah.” He mimicked. “You leap before you look, literally and figuratively. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten caught in my trap.”

   “Most trolls wouldn’t complain about catching a princess.” Poppy laughed, a small but real laugh. That was better, she was already bouncing back. Getting a reaction out of him seemed to be her favorite thing to do to cheer herself up.

   “I have a catch and release system. If I can’t eat it, I release it.” Branch snorted, feeling a little smug. He locked the lever of the elevator leaning on it with one hand behind him to support his weight, the other on his hip. “I may be a survivalist, but I’ll leave the troll eating to the Bergens.”

   “I never have to worry about you sinking your teeth into me? Good to know.” There was something sly in her smile as she propped her elbows on her knees, hands folded beneath her chin to support her head. Branch tilted his head, the tone she used was new. He hadn't heard that one before.

   “No..” he ventured, trying to decipher her new tone. “Unlike what Creek may tell you, I don’t bite. I’m not a wild animal.”

   “Are you sure?” Poppy teased, a coy smile on her face. “You already seem to be biting at the bait I left you.”

   The bait? What the hair was she-

   “You hide a lot under that vest, my man.” Her eyes glittered with mischief. Branch immediately felt his cheeks get hotter.

   “Aaaand good night, Poppy.” He unlocked the lever and immediately wanted nothing more than to go back to his bunker. Hopefully to hide forever. Branch could practically hear her laughing at-

   But she wasn’t laughing, only a soft halfhearted chuckle at his darkening cheeks.

   “Goodnight, Branch.” With that, she stood, turned and left. No bounce to her step, just the air of silent sadness. No fight.

   Branch shut the shutter to the outside world and descended back into the dark of his bunker. It was one thing for him to be forlorn and heart sick, but to see Poppy like that- it didn’t sit well with him. There's something about seeing the usually optimistic princess looking so disheartened, that had his chest aching for her. She had certainly tried to let herself be cheered up, but being abandoned on the dance floor really affected her.

   The survivalist made his way to the bathroom to get a shower. He needed to get the highlighter yellow hair dye out. It made him uncomfortable to look at himself in the mirror, not that he normally looked at himself often. The image in the mirror made his jaw clench, and his chest tighten.

   Thankfully it wouldn’t be too horrible to get out, just a basic polymer and binder mix, all he needed was the solvent. The only downside is that it was going to be harsh on his hair, sure to make it brittle and dry for the next few days. He could deal with that, it was the sickeningly chemical smell while he applied it that was going to be the real problem. 

   Fetching it from the cabinet behind the mirror, he opened the bottle. The smell stung his nose and eyes. This was not going to be pleasant, it was best to get this done as fast as he could. Branch held his nose and closed the cabinet door, his mirror image scowled at him.

   Yellow hair and scrunched brows. At least he got to be the fun one for a night.

   The Fun One?

   I’m gonna find trolls that take me seriously! I’m in a sad book club, did you know that?! Clay. The voice of his brother echoed in his ears. 

   Suddenly the image in front of him shifted in his mind, there was his third eldest brother staring daggers at the oldest that had pushed them too far. Angry, not directed at him, but enough to make him feel small and helpless. Branch backed away, he could feel tears sting his eyes.

   The world pitched backwards, he backed into something and lost his balance. He fell hard into his tub, smacking the back of his head into the wall with a heavy thud that made fireworks at the edge of his already rippling vision. Tears burned his cheeks like hot molten lava.

   Rubbing furiously at his cheeks, Branch shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to think of this. His brothers left decades ago, they never said goodbye and they never came back for him. It was clear he didn’t matter to them, so why should he care?

   But he did care. Tears thick with emotion continued to roll down his face as he pulled himself into a tighter ball on the tub floor. He wasn’t a baby anymore, this was ridiculous. Why? WHY? He didn’t deserve to be abandoned, he was only a child. The concert had gone horribly, but he didn’t know any better. Floyd had said it wasn’t his fault, at least Floyd had said goodbye. What kind of trolls just abandon someone like that?

   Hypocrite. Branch could hear his inner voice sneer. Didn’t you just abandon Poppy?

   A choked sob racked his body. He had. He was no better. If there was one person that didn’t deserve to be left without a word, it was Poppy. It was so clear to him how hurt she had been. Desperately trying to cheer herself up with some small banter with him, unknowing he was the source of her pain. He should have never gone to that stupid party. 

   Leaving her on her own when the moment had meant just as much to her as it did to him. Why didn’t he see that? Her eyes had glittered like stars in his arms, a soft tender smile on her face, she had even touched his face to comfort him. Heaven's light given form, gracious kindness she gave as freely as any candy but thrice as sweet. And he left her without a single word, without a goodbye. Anger burned his soul and spurred him to stand. Though tears still fell heavily from his stinging eyes. One single spiteful thought made him shove through the inner turmoil.

   Branch was not going to be like his brothers. No, he was going to be better than them. A fond farewell would be the least they could have given his toddler self. He was going to give Poppy that closure somehow. First, he needed to take care of himself and get this forsaken color out of his hair.

   It took a while for Branch to settle himself and the tears to stop. He set to work washing his hair, letting his mind be consumed by the monotony of grooming. Fingers running through his thick heavy hair to ensure all of that wretched color was gone, then again with shampoo and heavy conditioner to try and keep it from getting too brittled.

   The warm water on his body did nothing to help him come up with some way to give Poppy a proper farewell from the troll she had infatuated herself with. What an imposter he was. Deplorable, gutless creature with not one brave bone in his body. Utter coward. Only able to show his romantic side when there was no way of him getting rejected, he had held all the power in that moment. She had just been star struck by the boldness of a troll that never existed.

   The water had run cold when he finally left the shower. Shivering, he dried off and looked at himself in the mirror again. Dull gray and raven black, his color as it should be. Now to make everything else as it should be. Exhaustion sagged his shoulders as he shrugged on his brown robe and went to his desk. 

   The elegant looking invitation still sat there as he left it hours ago. Usually, all Poppy’s invitations to him were personalized with his name. It was a shame this one didn't; it would have been a jewel in the collection of invitations he had jealously guarded over the years. He turned it over, finding it blank. An idea crept into his overworked mind. He could write Poppy a letter.

   No.

   Branch could write her a poem. No one would expect that from him, but it would fit the romantic troll that had the gall to lead the Princess away from her friends and demand a dance. He wasn’t about to let Creek take his chance, not when he had been working the courage all night to take her hand.

   Grabbing a journal, he started writing rough drafts of his romantic farewell. It was clear now, it would never work. So it was a goodbye for both of them really. The first few drafts were horrible. Too wordy, too vague, far too romantic or gave the implication of his return. After a few drafts, he took a deep breath and dug deep. When the words finally flowed from him like water in a babbling brook, he smiled down at his creation and copied it in his most meticulous calligraphy to the back of the invitation.

   Branch had a hard time letting the ink dry completely, these were dangerous words and they needed to go to their new owner before he changed his mind about the whole thing. The run, not walk, to Poppy’s pod was neither long nor hard, but every step with the letter in hand made every fiber of his being scream.

   A sickness that dragged down every foot fall, a twisting writhing thing in his skin that threatened to drag down his spite fueled courage and drown it in the ever rising anxiety. The poem in his hair felt heavy, ever pressing weight in his hair that threatened to squeeze his skull with the pressure until it cracked. Even the burn of his lungs felt insidious, a wretched creature with dagger sharp nails dragging its claws inside him. It shredded him to ribbons, crushed his soul with weight, and threatened to bring him to his knees.

   But through Burgans or high water, he was going to return the sunshine to her face. He took the smile away, and now he was determined to give it back. With a forceful shove, he put his poetry into the mail slot and continued running until he finally reached his bunker again.

   Once he was back home, he fell face first into his bed. Having exhausted mind, body and soul, sleep claimed him quickly but restlessly. Branch rose from his bed not long after with dread thick in his veins, stomach heavy with shame. There was no way she would know he wrote that, right?

   A distraction, he needed a distraction. There were a few braces in the lower levels of his bunker that needed replacing. Sure, they could have waited another season or two, but why not do it now? It would take forever and keep his hands busy and mind focused on anything other than the fact he gave Poppy the most exposing letter of his life.

   The sun hadn’t even risen yet, the sky was pale blue with the golden dawn on the horizon. It was enough light to work, so he began gathering the wood needed to plane them down and bring them into the bunker. It felt like he had just settled into the work, working on the sixth or so beam when Poppy came crashing through the forest.

   Literally, there was no casual hop-hop-twirl to her gate. She was sprinting toward his bunker. He only just got his vest that he discarded to work back on before she appeared in a frazzled daze.

   Poppy looked like some wild thing that pursued him, eyes ablaze, breath coming in ragged puffs as her body fought itself to get more air in her lungs. She looked around his grassy meadow before her gaze set on him with the most exuberant smile he had ever seen on her face.

   “Branch!” Her voice was thick, hardly getting his name out before she had to take several deep breaths. A very familiar piece of paper was slightly crinkled in her hand from how tightly she clutched it. “He- look!”

   The page was shoved into his hands and Poppy braced herself on her knees taking deep breaths. Wordlessly, Branch guided her to one of the beams he had finished to let her sit. By the look of her she had raced from her pod all the way to his bunker non-stop. He shoved his water flask in her hands and let her drink greedily from it.

   Once he was sure she was settled, he looked down at his own writing. With fresh eyes he cringed at his own words. Maybe this was a bit much, even for him. Still he read it out loud:

   Dearest Princess Poppy,

   I want to begin this with an apology, I’m sorry that I only had the craven bravery to approach you when I knew you wouldn’t see me again. As I have already found myself being called away from the village you watch over as an angel. I have admired you from afar for years. Like the sun follows the moon, when I finally got close to you, I couldn’t help myself but to stay in your pull. I gathered courage enough to dance with you, just a dance was all I wanted, and yet it became so much more.

   Dear Poppy, I can’t say I know you felt the same, though I am compelled to give you one last bold action to remember me by. To write my heart’s blood on the pages, so to speak.

Tonight, I caught a sunset rays

before I resign to darker days.

The brilliance of fading light

Forever brightest before the night

Memory of your hand in mine,

Breath bated, fingers laced and twined.

Movements reflected like a mirror

A memory to keep you nearer.

Aglow, my bright pink sky.

Bright magenta, sparkling eyes.

Sun dips, darkness falls.

I hear again, journeys call.

My heart heavy with how it fawns

I find my way to my true dawn.

Though my path takes me far,

Your light is my guiding star

To find my own, so clear and bright

To match the one I saw tonight.

For you, my Poppy, know only this

 Your name will be forever, on my lips.

   Branch glanced up at Poppy as he finished reading. The sight of starry eyes again made him blush, the burn traveling all the way up to his ears.

   “You should totally read poetry more often. Your voice is perfect for it.” Her hands propped her head up.

   The compliment sent him reeling. It wasn’t obvious it was him right?

   “I mean, I read it in my head but hearing it was way more amazing!” She continued, oblivious to his rising panic.

   “You’re kidding, right?” Branch forced himself to sneer. “All this romantic gunk is just a waste of time.”

   Poppy immediately stood, snatching the paper from him with a frustrated huff.

   “It is not ‘gunk’ it’s sweet.” The princess carefully folded the paper and put it back in her hair. “This is going in my scrapbook. It’s sad he had to leave, but ohmygah! This is the most romantic thing anyone has done for me, it must have taken him all night to write that! Can you imagine?! Well, I guess you can’t, since it’s ‘gunk’ and all but- Branch! I have to tell you what happened!”

   There she goes, off on one of her ramblings, far too excited to give him a second thought. She bounced and orbited him. Like the moon, he basked in her light and had to gawk at her reaction to his feeble attempt to reflect it back. Poppy mimicked the dance they shared, telling her half of a story only he carried the match to.

   Branch watched as his personal sun radiated happiness to an extent he never thought possible, and let himself smile. While she endlessly chatted away, he again took up his planing tool and continued his work. He may never be able to stand by her side, but he could always immerse himself in her rays while she was around him. That was enough.