Gentle Waves

A Broppy fanfic

Chapter 1

Light from the full moon above casted into the pink pod hanging from the tree. A pair of pink eyes shot open and a small groan escaped her lips. Poppy struggled to fall asleep as she tossed and turned in her bed. Finally admitting defeat, she quietly got out of bed and headed toward her window. The sound of the harmonious crickets played outside as she rested her arm on the windowsill.

"If only I could go to sleep…" she whispered to herself. "I'm just so excited about the party tomorrow night." she sighed, looking out the window. Tomorrow the whole village is going to celebrate 19 years of being saved from the Bergens and finally being free in their new home.

Maybe counting puffalos will help her sleep? No… Maybe a nice warm drink will ease her mind? Definitely not… Maybe talking a walk through the village will calm her nerves. She walked to her door and climbed down from her pod. After dusting herself off, Poppy started her journey.

She never realized how calming the village was at night. A warm breeze swept through and the crickets continued their mystical melodies. Poppy looked up to see the countless stars above her head. With the trees covering most of the beautiful sky, she continued to walk further away from the village. "Maybe I can find a better view of the sky…" she muttered as she cautiously tiptoed through the forest.

She would never admit it, but she always was thankful that Branch was a cautious troll. Because of his constant alertness, she appreciated safety, especially wandering the forest by herself at night.

Eventually, Poppy found herself by the beach just outside of the village. It had a clear view of the night sky and it looked so peaceful. I guess I could stay out here for a while, she thought as she slowly walked over to one of the piers. I just wish I wasn't out here by myself…

Her eyes caught a glance of the pier. Squinting her eyes, she barely made out a dark figure sitting on the edge. Poppy took an uneasy breath and reluctantly walked over. Her increasing heartbeat mixed in with the shaking of the pier with each step. Once near the end of the pier, she saw a dark haired troll who was sitting with his legs crossed as he looked at gentle waves that were slightly rocking the pier.

Branch did not hear the tiptoes on the pier for they blended together with the chirping of crickets in the night air, both creating one sound together. Poppy quietly approached the troll, careful so she wouldn't get caught. Once fully behind him, she crouched down to his level and took a deep breath. "Hiya, Branch!" she screamed from behind him.

He jumped abruptly, so startled that he almost fell into the lake. Nature followed suit as the fish underneath them scurried off and the birds above frantically flapped away from her voice.

"Hey, Poppy! Would you keep it down? Do you want to wake up the entire village?" Branch said as he regained his position. He looked to the right of him to see if his journal survived the scare.

"Relax, silly; it's just me!" Poppy giggled. She craned herself over Branch's hunched body so her upside down face was inches from his. "No need to be a Mr. Grumpy Gills." She reached her arms around to try to pinch his cheeks.

"Mr. Grumpy Gi... you know what, never mind," he muttered, avoiding her gaze as he lightly swatted her hands away.

"What are you still doing up?" She curiously asked him, moving to his side and plopping herself down to the left of him.

He didn't even turn his head to respond. He brought his legs up to his chest and stiffly responded, "I can't sleep." Poppy's brow scrunched inward at his vague answer. She mimicked him as she brought her legs to her chest and rested the side of her head on her knees, looking at the troll. He looked too focused on the water to catch any sleep.

"Oh, because you're in deep thought writing in your journal?" Her question teasing him as she looked out onto the dimly lit lake. Lights from other pods shined onto the water, creating little white dots in the tree line.

"No," was the only word that fell from his mouth as he quickly scooted his journal behind him. Branch placed his head in his hands. Sighing heavily, he rubbed his aching head. He swiftly ran his fingers through his blak hair and went back to his thoughts, looking down at the water below.

She moved her gaze from the tiny lights down to the water, looking at her reflection. "Why can't you sleep?"

"It's complicated," irritation hung in his voice as her face grew with concern.

Biting her lips, different explanations of his lack of sleep ran through her head. Curiosity flooded her mind, pouring out of her when she responded, "You don't have to always keep it inside. You know you could always talk to me."

When her words touched his pointed ears, he twisted his head towards her. The light from the moon lit her face as a breeze swept through. She carelessly looked out at the forest trees in the distance, completely unaware of Branch's lingering gaze. The sight of her had him completely mesmerized, leaving him breathless. He was completely lost in words, but eventually, he shook his head and stuttered, "I just have a hard time falling asleep during this time of year. I have tried every possibility to fix this, but no matter how hard I try, I never succeed. So, I just stopped trying. Some nights are more difficult than others, but I have to manage it."

Poppy looked at the tired troll next to her. "Like insomnia, right?" She whispered through her tiny lips as Branch went back to sitting criss-cross.

"Not exactly," he said back to her with his gaze now focused on his hands in his lap. "It only happens during this time of the year. That's why I come out here. I like to listen to the steady waves. Helps keep me calm."

The gentle waves echoes through the air. "Does anyone know about this?" She asked, looking at him. His blue eyes were closed and his ears were perked up a bit trying to hear the slow rolling waves brush against the shore. She wondered if she is the only one that knows. She thought that everyone in Troll Village slept soundly every night.

"Of course not," he replied, opening his eyes and gazing back at her. "I don't really have anyone to talk to about it. I didn't want to be a burden, really. I feel like it's an inner struggle I have to conquer myself."

Humming in response, she desperately wanted to ask him what that inner struggle was, but she decided to save that for another night. Instead, Poppy looked up at the clear night sky and asked, "Do know any constellations? I came out here to get a better view of the stars..."

Thankful she was changing the subject, he smirked and said, "As a matter of fact, I know a couple." Observing the star filled sky, he raised his right finger up, pointing diagonally left towards her. "You see the five stars that kind of resemble an M?"

Poppy squinted as she scooted closer to Branch, their legs barely touching one another. "Yeah, I see it," she replied, eventually finding it.

"That's Cassiopeia. And that one over there? That's Draco. But you see the bright star in the sky?" He glanced down at her.

"Yeah?" She questioned, eyes focused on the star at the end of his finger.

"That's actually the planet Venus," he finished.

Poppy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah. There is actually an ancient myth between Venus and Mars," he replied as he continued to gaze at the planet.

"Please tell the story, Branch," she pleaded, propping her head in her hands ready to listen.

"Well... Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She attracted many with her pleasant smile and beautiful features. She fell in love with Mars, the god of war, however, she was already married to the graceless Vulcan, the god of fire," he looked back down at her saddened face.

"Oh no... what happened?" She looked at him with a gleam of a star in her eyes.

"Well, once a year, Venus will catch up with her mythological mate until they meet. After their reunion, Venus continues with her fast movement to move to the east each night, leaving her slow red lover behind."

"Incredible,"she whispered out to the mysterious night.

"Yeah, pretty crazy," Branch whispered as he looked down at her, his mind now realizing how close they were.

Silence filled the air between them, but was disrupted when unaware Poppy decided to speak.

"We should do this again..." Poppy yawned, stretching both her arms outward and almost knocking Branch in the face. She looked up at him with her drowsy pink eyes. "Whenever that would be, I guess."

"Yeah, we should," he stiffly responded, not really knowing how to respond to the princess.

"Promise?" She whispered as she gently placed her head on his shoulder. Part of her hair delicately fell over part of her cheek as she closed her eyes.

Branch's breath hitch as he looked down at the troll sitting next to him, eyes widened at her action. A light blush lingered on his cheeks, not knowing how to react. "Promise," he eventually managed to muster. He continued to look down at the sleeping troll beside him because he was too afraid that she would wake up if he moved.