Chapter Text
Branch sat at the edge of a chair, the doctor meticulously examining every inch of him. She diligently searched for any anomalies or indicators of his delayed return to his former self. He winced at the bright colors in the room, almost as if their intensity hurt him. He hates coming to the doctor nowadays. It was always so bright. Would it kill them to turn some of the lights off? Did they really need to see everything so well?
It almost felt like his eyes weren’t meant for this kind of environment and he constantly seeked out darkness.
The doctor scrutinized the markings on his skin, as if they held some cryptic map that would guide her to an answer. She lifted his arms, under his chin, and even in his mouth.
Nothing.
It appeared that there was no physical ailment affecting him. If anything, he was in better physical health than ever before. His body was more toned and his hair was healthier. He showed no signs of sickness.
The doctor turned her attention to Poppy, who anxiously awaited a positive response. She was sitting at the edge of a chair, her hands tucked nicely in between her thighs. This was something she did when she was expecting something, and also, the room was freezing and her hands were the first to feel the effect. The doctor shook her head, dispelling any hopes of a quick recovery. Yet another visit with no good news.
"There's nothing wrong." She began to say. "I'm not sure why he hasn't gone back to his old self." She finished, eyeing the boy's now sporadic unruly hair. His skin was now more gray than it was before, something she couldn't help but take note of. Gray skin was normal for a rock troll at least.
"So is he really stuck like this?" Poppy asked, her voice showing her distress. It had seemed that she had been asking this same question for weeks now. Branch remained a Rock troll still and showed no sign of returning to his former state.
And Rock Branch was not Branch.
"Awe, you don't like me like this?" Branch laughed, leaning back and letting the back of his head rest against the wall behind him. His bottom remained at the edge of his chair, making him look slumped. His teasing showed that he was not as bothered as her about his predicament. In fact, he seemed to be having fun with his new persona. He closed his eyes, needing shielding from the harsh fluorescents in the room. Poppy looked at the unfamiliar person, trying not to show her distaste, and she did not respond to him.
Peace was brought to the trolls. All of them except for Branch and her.
Yes, he was bigger now. Yes, he was stronger now. yes, he was… content? But he wasn’t himself. And Poppy didn’t like that.
"There has to be a reason." Poppy said. She turned to look at the doctor, forcing her eyes away from the specimen, pleading for any hint of what she could do. There was no ounce of hope and Poppy desperately needed it. Even a reassuring ‘maybe’.
"I'll look more into it, but as of right now, he's showing no sign of turning back like the rest of them did." And just like that, Poppy's hope was defeated. She looked back at the boy in the room and he simply shrugged and stuck his tongue out at her.
She sighed.
She wished he cared as much as she did. She couldn't help but think that his nonchalance was a factor to his state. Others must’ve deep down wanted to go back to their original form of music, and Branch should’ve too. Maybe the direct hit of the guitar was too much for him. She wished he hadn’t jumped in to save her like he always did.
"I'll keep trying." Poppy stated and soon after checking out they were back on their way to the center of Troll Village.
He trailed behind her, patiently waiting to be dismissed. She couldn't turn to look at him, but she could hear his wide steps and she could see the gazes of the other trolls they passed.
The others eyed them down, noting that Branch was still not his old self. They knew that every time he and Poppy came walking back from that direction that meant they went to yet another doctor’s appointment to try and turn him back. They wondered if he ever would, but at this point, it had been weeks.
Poppy and her friends attempted to bring him back. They sang to him. Danced with him. They gave him a shirt. They even tried combing his hair. He showed no resistance to any of it.
But nothing.
He remained a rock troll with his semblance.
The thing that resembled his old self the most were his eyes. No longer were they in their red zombie state, but they had settled back into their light blue originality. And they were currently drooping with tiredness.
"Can I go back to sleep now?" Branch asked behind Poppy, he got tired of waiting for her approval to go back home and the one thing he hated more than doctor office lighting was the sun. He had soon turned into a late riser. Hardly ever did they see him wake before noon. Poppy had to drag him out of his bunker to go to his regular doctor's appointment. She had to do so this morning and it took forever to finally drag him out. He resisted and he was much too heavy now for her to lift or shove anymore.
She knew he had stayed up late again last night, playing his new electric guitar and "redecorating" his bunker to his new likings even more. She had even made sure to tell him about the appointment ahead of time. The old Branch would have slept earlier. The old Branch would have been waking her up to make it in time.
"Sure." She said, her head down. It was hard to look at him. She had nothing against Rock Trolls, she liked all of them. She could easily be the best of friends with one and she was hoping to with Barb. What she didn't like was the fact that she essentially lost a friend. Maybe even more than a friend. "I'll check on you later."
She heard his steps come closer to her, his feet were now larger and his height seemed to have increased. He grabbed at her chin, brought her face up to him. She listened to the jingle of the chain links that replaced his hug time bracelet. She wondered when he had taken it off. She reminded him constantly to put it back on until she eventually gave up. Maybe it stood out too much for his liking. Maybe she should have one custom built for him. A dark one.
His hand felt different, rougher. She couldn’t determine if it was due to his rock troll-like skin or if he had hardened his fingers through weeks of rough guitar playing. Regardless, she missed the way it used to feel, almost as if it had been perfectly suited to fit her hand.
"I'll be at DJ's party later." He smiled and almost looked like himself. She nodded somberly at him and he released her face. She watched as he strolled away, his hands latched on the back of his neck and his elbows high in the air.
When did he turn so casual?
She turned around again, continuing her walk to her friend's home, where she would help with party preparations. She needed a pick me up.
And she couldn't go to branch anymore for that.