Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day started out like any other. Branch woke up to an overly cheery morning song, got ready for a day of fun and chores, and started his trek to the village where he would meet with Poppy and the Snack Pack.

Walking through the village, he greeted his fellow trolls. While some were still wary of him, most trolls had taken his regained colors in stride and happily welcomed him into their community. In turn, he was much more willing to attend parties and sing with them. He was also their go to troll whenever something broken needed to be fixed. Working on the bunker for the majority of his life gave him skills that many of the other trolls didn’t have. This way, he felt that he could make a good contribution to the village without having to host obnoxious parties.

He made his way into the center of the village where his friends were. They had yet to notice him as he approached.

“-and then he started shouting, ‘The Bergens are coming!’ before toppling the cake and ruining our decorations! It was terrible! my friends wouldn’t stop talking about that botched party for a week.” A pink glitter troll that Branch didn't know well finished telling her story, garnishing loud laughter from his friends. Trying to avoid detection, he jumped behind a nearby shop booth to listen in.

“Branch was a real piece of work back then. Remember when he would yell about those ‘evil cuddle puppies’ that had gotten too close to the village?”

“Yeah! He refused to let anyone leave the village for a whole week. He threw a fit when I eventually had to order him to stop being so overbearing.” His heart dropped a little as he heard Poppy’s voice join in.

”Oh, and there was another time where he ruined my glitter fest with his traps. It was a disaster!” Branch rolled his eyes. It wasn’t his fault that Guy changed the venue last minute. He couldn't have known to deactivate his traps in time.

“All of his paranoia and grayness really killed the vibe that we worked hard to establish.” Branch curled into himself, hurt that his friends would talk about him like that. It’s not like he was like that anymore, at least not completely. He had grown a lot since his time being a sad, gray loner.

“Even now, he can be a bit difficult to have around. I’m happy that he dropped the whole Bergen act, but his obsession with safety and rules makes it really hard to have fun when he’s around.” Branch looked down with a grumpier than usual scowl. Just because he's safe doesn't mean he's not fun to be around! Guy just didn't understand.

Branch perked up as Poppy began to speak, fully expecting her to rise to his defense.

“Tell me about it! If it wasn’t for me, Branch wouldn't know what fun even means.”

Branch felt like he had been punched in the gut. His eyes felt warm as he heard his friends' boisterous laughter. He held back tears, hoping that just one of them would stand up for him.

“Sometimes, I wonder if he still doesn't know what fun means!”

Branch decided that he had enough. If they were going to talk about him behind his back, he wasn't going to just sit around and listen to it anymore. He covered his face and sprinted back to his bunker, getting a few weird looks along the way. He didn't care. He just wanted to be alone. He descended the elevator and made it to his bedroom where he threw himself down onto the bed.

He finally let the tears fall. He's… not fun? Is this really what his friends thought of him? Was all of his effort to change for nothing? He did everything that they asked. He changed himself for them. For Poppy. Still, it wasn't enough. It was never enough. He thought he had enough of this inadequate feeling when his brothers left him.

Maybe it was because he was inadequate. He had always thought that if he could better himself, do something useful for once, that he would be good enough for his brothers to come back. Once he realized they were never coming back, he switched his focus to the village. If he wasn't enough for his family, maybe he could be enough for the rest of the trolls. So he toiled and labored and did everything he could to protect them. And once he had his colors, he did everything he could to make them happy.

He hugged himself and closed his eyes, dejected. So what if he was still a little weird? 20 years of isolation and fear don't go away overnight. They always act like nothing happened and he should be happy and normal all the time. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't get over the pain of being alone for so long.

He glanced over at his night stand. Gary... he was the only one that truly loved him. He stayed by his side through it all, even while he was a “freak.” His son would never leave him, or talk badly about him. His son loved him enough to stay with him.

He grabbed his baby boy and held him tight with a sigh. His sighing soon turned into sobbing as he thought about the life he could never give Gary. If only his son could have a good life with a wife and perhaps some children. That was Branch's dream. To be a grandfather. To be a better father and brother than his own were to him. All he wanted was to make Gary happy, to make his friends happy. To make Poppy happy.

He still couldn't believe that after all of this time, Poppy still saw him as the same paranoid troll that he was. He, dare he say it, loved her, and she thought of him as a party wrecking freak. Poppy thinks that he's not fun, that if it weren't for her he wouldn't even know the meaning of the word. Granted, he never would have regained his colors without her. But he still knew how to have fun. He did puzzles, baked, and he liked a good game of chess. Why does his idea of fun have to be the same as hers? Why does he have to be the same as his friends for them to tolerate him? They're allowed to be different from each other, so why isn't he?

He held Gary closer as he whimpered, making his son a bit uncomfortable. Maybe his friends were never his friends at all. If he can't trust Poppy to truly care about him, then who can he trust? If Poppy doesn't care about him, then no one does. With that, the all too familiar feeling of dread and hopelessness hit him like a flood. He had never felt as unwanted as he did now. He felt an emptiness start from his head and reach down to his toes.

Without needing to look, he already knew that his color had once again faded away. His tears started anew as he sobbed. He thought he'd never have to face this horrible reality again. He tried to regain some control of his breathing as he hugged Gary tight. He tried thinking happy thoughts to restore his color, but they all led back to Poppy. And Poppy was no longer a happy thought. He sobbed uncontrollably, blubbering apologies and pleas for his friends to stay before deciding that it might be beneficial to go to bed. Maybe if he went to sleep, he would wake up and this would all be a bad dream.

With that hope in mind, he sat Gary back down on his nightstand, patted his head, and tucked him into his charger. Branch looked down at his gray, chubby hands. He should've never expected to change. How could someone like him expect to have any real friends? With that thought, he rolled onto his side, snuggled under the covers, and shed a single tear.

Chapter Text

Waking up, Branch looks to his bedside table to find Gary missing.

“No worries, I must have forgotten that I put him on his stand in the living room.” He quickly goes to check, only to find the stand empty. Panic starts to settle in as he frantically searches the bunker. Gary is all that he has left! He frantically upturns tables and rummages through drawers, looking for any sign of Gary. Still nothing.

He turns around to find himself outside, with Gary on the ground in front of him. He gives a strong sigh of relief.

“Oh, there you are, Gary! I thought I lost you.” The sky started to darken as he spoke, but Branch could only see his precious son. His Gare-Bear.

Gary stands upright, his buttons looking Branch in the eyes.

“But you did, dad.” Branch jumps back, staring at Gary with wide eyes.

“Since when could you talk?!”

“You've just always been too dumb to notice. Kind of like with your ‘friends.’”

“No. They're not my friends. They never were.” Branch gives a bitter look to the ground.

“But you thought they were. Just like you thought I was your son.”

“But… you are my son! I raised you!”

“You didn't raise me well. What about all those paranoia filled nights? The constant running and screaming. You've always been a freak. I was always afraid you'd rub off on me.” Each word was like a knife to his heart. He started to cry as he tried to pull together a defense.

“No! I'm not a freak! I'm just not like other trolls, okay? You understand, don't you?”

“I understand that you are different. Too different. Your friends couldn't tolerate you, so how could you expect me to?”

“Gary, please. Don't do this.”

“I'm leaving, Branch. You're the worst thing to ever happen to me. I can't stand to stay any longer.”

“Gary, wait! Let me make things right! I can change. I can be better, I promise!”

“No. Goodbye forever, Branch.”

The ground fell from beneath Branch, plunging him into darkness. Alone.

“Gary!”

Branch shot out of bed, the echoes of his screams reverberating off his walls. He took a moment to gain control of his breathing before frantically checking his nightstand. His baby boy was still there with him. He grabbed Gary from his charger, clutching him to his chest. He let out a few sobs, relieved that it had only been a dream.

“I'm sorry, Gare-Bear, daddy just had a bad dream. I hope I didn't wake you.”

He kisses his son's antenna and takes him to the kitchen. Gary is set on the counter as Branch makes himself an omelet. Branch starts humming along to ‘Bye Bye Bye’ by his group Kismet as the somehow vegan eggs sizzle in the pan. However, his humming is cut short as he hears a knock on his floor-door.

“Branch! It's me, Poppy. Can we talk?”

Branch panics as he quickly sets his pan onto the cold side of the stove. He makes his way to the elevator, going up to the top floor.

“What do you want?”

“Uh, to talk? You never showed up to our meeting yesterday! Everyone was super bummed out.”

“Oh, were you?” He rolls his eyes, knowing that she couldn't see him.

“Yes! Why wouldn't we be?” She raises a brow. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes! I mean, no! Nothing is wrong. I just… needed some me time. I wasn't feeling well.”

“Oh no! Is there anything that I could do for you? I could make you some soup, read you a story, nurse you back to health and give you the love and attention you never got as a child?”

“No. I think you've done enough.”

“What's that supposed to mean? I haven't done anything.”

“It means that I don't wanna talk right now. Please go away.”

“Um… okay? But if you ever need anything, you know where to find me!”

“Mhm. Bye.”

Branch rolls his eyes again. He couldn't help but think that her care for him was fake. How could it not be, after yesterday? Had she really been toying with him this whole time? Hearing his stomach gurgle, he went back down the elevator to continue making his omelet. If he's going to be thinking about how no one really cares about him and everybody leaves, he'd rather do it on a full stomach.

Branch puts his omelet back on the hot stove before absently looking at his hands. Still gray. Maybe not as gray as last night, but still gray nonetheless. He was afraid of his friends seeing him like this. If they did, they would try to fix him, make him like them. Branch wasn't like other trolls. He didn't want to be like them. He just wanted to be Branch. No matter how hard he tried, he can't be what they want him to be. Not that he wants to. He likes himself, why should he have to change?

Branch flipped his omelet before setting it on a plate to think. Still lost in thought, he finished his breakfast and started on his chores. Throughout the day, his mind would drift back to his friends and Gary. Why would they say all those mean things about him? Does Gary really hate being stuck with him 24/7? How long can he avoid his friends before they finally force themselves in only to see how disgusting he is? How gray he is?

He pulled himself back after staring into space again. He really needed to start focusing if he wanted to finish everything today. Yet, he just wanted to lay down and never get up again. Let the floor eat him and never let him go. He bet he tasted delicious.

It was around this time that Branch realized it was already night. He had forgotten to eat again, something that happened a lot before he had friends to remind him.

He walked back to the kitchen to look through his pantry. Anything he owned he had to make, and he wasn't willing to put in that much effort just to eat. He'd literally rather starve. So that's what he did.

He walked back into his bedroom with Gary and closed the door. Giving into what he's wanted to do all day, he jumped onto his bed and sank into the mattress.

He set Gary beside him as he stared at the ceiling. He used to play connect the dots with the specks of dirt. Sometimes they resembled the other trolls in the village, sometimes his family, other times they'd resemble things that he liked. It was a good way to pass the time, especially with him being so cooped up all his life.

He felt his eyes grow heavier the longer he looked at the ceiling. Before he knew it, he was out like a light. Like a very dull, very useless light. ‘Honk mimimimi…’

Chapter Text

It's been about a week and Branch still hasn't left his bunker. He's been getting a lot of visitors. Most of the time it's his (past) friends. Sometimes one of the village trolls checks on him. Everytime he turns them away or outright refuses to speak to them, they always try to barge in. He can tell that they are all concerned about him, but he can't face them right now. They hurt him and now he's gray again. They hurt him and he knew it would hurt them to know that he was gray. Despite them talking about him behind his back, he didn't want his friends to feel guilty. At least, he didn't want them to feel guilty because he was gray. He wanted them to feel guilty because they talked about him in the first place, not because he heard them.

He will admit, his week spent back in isolation has not done him any favors. The nightmares have been getting more vivid each day. Sometimes it's Gary leaving him, sometimes it's the Snack Pack. The worst nightmares are the ones with his family because those actually happened. At least with the other dreams he can remind himself that they're not real.

He buries his head into his pillow and weeps. Maybe if he buried his head far enough, he could ignore everything that's happened. Still, it doesn't stop the thoughts from creeping through. Why is it that everyone leaves him? He wasn't that much of a freak, was he? Maybe the nightmares were trying to tell him something. To warn him of what is to come.

He wails louder, remembering the dream he had about his son. Will that happen as well? He couldn't bear to think about it for too long. If Gary left him, who would he have?

“You good?”

“AH! Who's there?” Branch's eyes dart around the room, trying to figure out where the rough voice came from.

“Yellow troll, blue hair, pink bow. Ring a bell?”

“I don't think I know a ‘Ringabell.’ That's an interesting name though.”

“No, it's me! Smidge!”

“Why are you here? How are you here? I thought we talked about this, Smidge. Boundaries!”

“And I thought we talked about your dust bunny situation. Yet here we are.” Smidge let her presence be made known by kicking the underside of Branch's mattress.

“Ow! Was that really necessary?”

“How else was I gonna let you know where I am?”

“I can hear you. You could have just told me.”

“Oh, I didn't think of that.”

Branch sniffles as Smidge starts to crawl out from under the bed.

“Now, to reiterate, you good?”

“What do you mean? Of course I'm good. I'm as good as can be. Never been better. Never had a bad moment in my life. I'm probably the happiest troll you could meet right now. Probably. Definitely.”

“You were crying, Branch. It was super girly and everything. I knew you had a high pitched voice, but oh my guh you have range.”

“What, no I wasn't. That was just, uh… Gary! Yeah, Gary. He does that sometimes when he gets too cold.”

“Oh. Then why are you sniffling still?”

“Because when Gary's sad, I'm sad, okay?”

“Sad enough to turn gray?”

“I get very emotional. Men have feelings too.”

“What happened to your emotionless forest man image?”

“It died. Like all of my friendships.” Branch buried his face back into his pillow as the tears started anew. Quieter this time, now that he knew he wasn't alone.

“Wait, what are you saying? You have friends.”

“Yeah. Great friends that make fun of you behind your back and call you a paranoid, obsessive troll that you can't have fun around. What lovely friends I have, Smidge.”

“Oh my guh. You mean they talked about you behind your back? Poppy too?”

Branch nodded, too choked up to speak clearly. Smidge climbed onto the bed, visibly distressed at seeing her friend so upset.

“Don't worry, Branch. I'll talk some sense into them for ya. You'll see that it was all just a big misunderstanding.”

“You really think so?”

“Think what?”

“That it was all just a misunderstanding?”

“Well, yeah. Poppy and the Snack Pack really care about you, Branch. I can't imagine them really talking about you like that.”

“Thanks, Smidge.” Branch smiled at her. Relieved that he had a friend willing to help him.

Smidge smiled back, getting off of the bed and leaving Branch in the loving care of Gary. The little gremlin ran off to find Poppy. She knew what she had to do.

Chapter Text

“Poppy. Poppy!” Smidge ran into Poppy's pod, trying to get her attention.

“Not now, Smidge. I have a lot of reports to get through.”

“But it's about Branch!”

“Branch?”

“Yeah, Branch! He's really upset.”

“What? Why?”

“He says he heard you guys talking about him behind his back. He was crying and everything. Please tell me it's not true!”

Poppy lets out a sigh, feeling a pang of guilt. She didn't mean for Branch to overhear! And even if he didn't, she shouldn't have been talking about him like that always. To be honest with herself, she had been feeling guilty about those things she said. It was mean to talk like that, and she didn't even believe most of it! In the moment, she had convinced herself that they were just funny jokes at Branch's expense. It was only after she had left that she thought more on it and realized that it was very wrong of her to say those things.

“Smidge, I messed up. We just got so carried away in our conversation! It started out with Chenille talking about how much Branch has changed, but then it turned into something completely different. I should have never said any of that, and now I don't know how to make it right.”

“Well, you could start with talking to him. He could really use a friend right now. While I'm also his friend, I'm not the one that he needs to talk to. You have to apologize to him, Poppy. I've been chilling in his bunker this past week and let me tell ya, things got weird.”

“Yeah, you're right, Smidge. I have to talk to him, but he won't let me past the door! How am I supposed to get into his Bunker?”

“Tell him that you know he's hurt and that you're there to apologize. I'm sure he'd be open to listen.”

“Okay, thanks, Smidge!” Without wasting another minute, Poppy rushed out of her pod to run to Branch’s bunker. She had to make things right with him. He was her best friend! At least, she hoped he was still her best friend after this. She was afraid that she'd lose him, and that she would deserve it for being such a bad friend to him. She made it to his bunker in record time, frantically knocking on his door. She refused to stop until he talked to her.

“Branch! It's me again!” She listened for a reply, but she heard nothing. He had to be in there still. “Look, I know that you're hurt. Smidge told me everything and I came to apologize. Would you please come out?”

There still was no answer. Giving a heavy sigh, she sat on the ground. She wasn't moving until things were right.

“I was wrong, Branch. I should've never said those things, especially about my best friend. It started with us talking about how much you've grown, and Guy thought it would be funny to tell stories about how you used to be. Before I knew it, the conversation turned very negative towards you. I’m sorry, I never should have let it get that far. This is my fault for not standing up for you. I promise I don't really believe any of that stuff. None of it was true. Please, Branch, talk to me.”

Branch peeks out the floor door, finding only a very sincere looking Poppy. He debates with himself for a moment about whether he should let her in, before deciding that he has nothing left to lose. He disappears under the door before it opens wide to let Poppy inside.

Stepping into the bunker, Poppy gasps as she sees Branch for the first time in over a week.

“You're gray!” Branch shrinks into himself at her exclamation, immediately regretting allowing her to see him. Not only is he gray, but his eyebags have eyebags and it looks like he hasn't washed his clothes in over a week. Poppy rushes to reassure him.

“Not that that's a bad thing! Well it is, but it's not your fault, It's mine. I'm so sorry, Branch.” Poppy looks at Branch with tear filled eyes. She hurts, knowing that she hurt him enough for him to turn gray.

“It's fine, really. I didn't want any of you to see me like this again. It took me so long to get my colors back. I knew you guys would be disappointed in me if I went back to my old ways.”

“I'm not disappointed in you! I'm disappointed in myself and in our friends. We failed you Branch, you didn't fail us. I'm sorry about the way we talked about you.” Poppy moves forward to take his hands, maintaining eye contact with him. “I promise, Branch, none of what we said was true. While you can be paranoid from time to time, that's not a bad thing. You inspire us to be better, and to have fun safely! You're always fun to have around, and we love to hang out with you. At least, I know that I love to be around you.”

“You really mean that?”

“More than I've meant anything else. I'm so sorry we hurt you, Branch.”

“It's okay. You don't have to keep saying that.”

“I feel like I do, we hurt you so much and there's no forgiving what we've done. We’re supposed to be your friends.”

“Well, I forgive you.” Poppy gives him a wide smile before pulling him into a hug. She holds him close as she feels him awkwardly wrap his arms around her.

“Okay, that's enough.” Branch softly pushes her away. He knew if he waited for her to pull away, then he'd be there for hours.

“Sorry, I'm just so happy that you're giving our friendship another chance! I really care about you and so do our friends. I don't want to lose you.”

Branch smiles, touched that Poppy cares about him. Her sincerity bleeds through her words, and he can't help but believe her. He feels lighter than he's been in a week. He feels…blue. He feels blue! Looking down, he sees a faint blue glow emanating from his hands. He quickly looks back at Poppy, smiling. She looks relieved to see his color return. Seeing Branch happy again after being so miserable, Poppy silently vows to herself to be a better friend to him. If she's going to maintain her ‘bestie’ status, she has to actually be a best friend.

Everything wasn't fixed with just one conversation. She still had to gather the rest of the Snack Pack to talk with Branch. Although she apologized, they still had to apologize too. But all of that could wait for tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to spend time with her best friend.

Chapter Text

The next day, Branch and Poppy waited inside of Poppy's pod for the rest of their friends. She had told them to meet her there, but they were running a little late. Not unusual. For once, though, she was finding it rather annoying. Especially since it put Branch on edge. She could tell by his fidgeting on her bed that he was nervous.

“Hey, Poppy!” Loud chatter filled the room as the Snack Pack came in, calling a greeting to Poppy before pausing as they saw Branch on her bed. He gave an awkward wave as they quickly crowded him.

“Branch! Where have you been, we've missed you!” Biggie went in for a hug before retreating once he saw Branch shy away from him.

“Yeah, Branch. You've missed so many fun parties.” Guy Diamond's autotuned voice chimed in as everyone waited for Branch to tell them where he's been. Poppy, who was paying close attention to how Branch was feeling, stepped between him and the Snack Pack.

“Give him some room to breathe, guys! We’ll tell you everything in a bit. How about we all sit down and get comfortable first?” Poppy gestured to the floor pillows and chairs arranged around the room. As they situated themselves, Poppy threw a discreet thumbs up to Branch who returned the gesture.

“So, Branch, what is this all about?” Biggie gave Branch a smile from where he was seated with Mr. Dinkles. They had all been so worried when he disappeared, and it only got worse when he turned them all away this last week. Seeing that Branch wasn't ready to speak, Poppy cleared her throat to get their attention.

“I brought you all here to talk about how we treat Branch. It’s come to my attention that none of us, including me, have treated him the way we should.” Poppy could see Smidge nodding along at her side.

“What do you mean? We love Branch!”

“Yeah, he's much easier to get along with than Satin.” Chenille gasped in offense as her sister pushed her.

“Well, for starters, the way we talked about him last week was completely uncalled for.” Most of the Snack Pack gave nervous glances to Branch, who was currently picking at Poppy's sheets.

“You don't have to worry about me finding out anything. I already know.” Branch doesn't take his eyes off the bed as most of the Snack Pack guilty loom away.

“Oh. Yeah, we said a lot of mean stuff last week. It wasn't true, and it definitely wasn't funny. I'm sorry, Branch.” Cooper made the first move to apologize to Branch. He didn't really say anything, but he didn't stand up for Branch either.

“Is that why you've been avoiding us this past week?” Chenille looks at the ground while her sister holds back tears. What a baby.

“Kinda. Yeah. To be honest, I was afraid to see you guys again. Or, well, have you see me. After I overheard you guys, it really hurt me. It touched on a lot of insecurities and I got to thinking that you guys didn't really care about me. And if you don't care about me, then no one would. That thought made it all feel so hopeless again. I… turned gray.” He risked a glance at the Snack Pack. They were all in tears. Biggie was using Mr. Dinkles to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“We're so sorry, Branch. We had no idea.” Guy Diamond covered his face as he cried rhinestones. Razzle dazzle, glitz and glam.

“It's okay, you guys. I need to learn how to not be so overdramatic.” The Pack gave him incredulous looks.

“Branch, dude, you’re not being overdramatic.” DJ Suki reassured. “What we did was completely out of line. Anyone would be upset!”

“Thanks, Suki.”

“With that taken care of, we also need to talk about how we've treated Branch outside of that talk. This is something that I've noticed, and I should have spoken up about it sooner. I'm sorry I let this go on for so long. I thought it would be better for you to work it out among yourselves, but I see now that I should have stepped in.” Poppy took a breath before looking at the rest of the Pack. This was the most serious they've seen her in a long time. “We tend to exclude Branch from activities because he doesn't have fun in the same way that we do. For example, glitterball. And I get it, to a point. He prefers more quiet than we do, and we don't really want to accommodate for that. He also likes to be safe. And there's nothing wrong with that either, but we treat him like there is something wrong with him.”

“Poppy is right. We do exclude him a lot. We tend to think he won't be fun just because of how he was in the past.” Smidge looked up at Branch.

“Yeah, and we do tease him pretty often about it.” Biggie squeezed Mr. Dinkles tighter.

“Meep.”

“Great point, Dinkles.” Poppy looked back at Branch, who was now fidgeting with his hands. He looked awkward, like he didn't really know what to do with himself. “Branch, we were wrong to exclude you and treat you like you're wrong. I'm sorry I never spoke up, and I'm sorry for joining in. You're a lot of fun to have around, and aside from that, you are our friend and we really care about you. I know we haven't been good friends recently. I promise, Branch, I will be a better friend to you. I promise to be the type of friend that you deserve, from now on.”

“Yeah, Branch. Poppy’s right, we haven't been good friends to you. I'm sorry for excluding you. And I'm sorry for breaking into your bunker. You were clear that you wanted your space and privacy, and I ignored it. I promise to listen when you set a boundary with me. But also, things got really weird last week. Are you sure you're good?” Branch gave a thumbs up, he didn't think he could talk right now with how choked up he was. It was taking a lot of effort not to start crying in front of everyone.

“I'm sorry Branch.” Similar sentiments echoed around the room as everyone apologized. Branch sniffled as he finally gave in and let the tears fall. It was touching that they all wanted to do better by him. He was overwhelmed by the care directed his way, and the relief he felt was palpable. The way they treated him was bothersome at first, but after a while he had convinced himself that was how his friends were supposed to treat him. It's not like he had any other reference to go by. Now, hearing them all apologize, he vowed to be more open with his feelings. He knew that they were fully in the wrong, but maybe this could have been resolved sooner if he was more upfront. Though, thinking back, he's not sure if they would've cared enough to listen.

“Of course I forgive you guys! You’re my friends. Group hug?” He opened his arms in invitation as all of his friends hugged him. He relaxed, knowing that all was right with the world. He had friends that cared about him and wanted to be better to him. He was so grateful that they all were promising to change for him. He never was very welcomed by the other trolls, and was excluded often. This, he thought, was a good start to changing that. He had hope that things would be better