Into the Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own Trolls or any of the characters. The title is based off the song with the same title by Crucifying Barbara.
"I am your fantasy, the essence of your dreams
I like to play it hard, I'm everything you need
You dream of sanity, of love and pleasant times
But I'm not here for you, no, that would be a lie"
"Dear Barb,
I hereby invite you to a sleepover tomorrow night at my pod! There will be games, snacks, movies and partying! The party starts at 7! Can't wait to see you!
XOXO, Poppy"
Barb smiled softly at the ridiculously glittery invitation she'd just received from the scrapbook-glitter obsessed peppy troll. This would be the first time they officially hung out since Barb's admittedly embarrassing World Tour event. Although Poppy had forgiven Barb without a second thought, everyone else was still suspicious and a bit distant from her, and she couldn't blame them. She had tried to destroy their entire way of living, their music, their lifestyles. She had demolished their homes. It still caused guilt to boil up inside her.
Barb immediately composed a letter of her own to send back to the pop queen.
"Dear Popsqueak-
I'll be there at 7 sharp. Let me know if I need to bring anything. Looking forward to seeing you.
-Queen Barb"
Barb handed the invitation to her furry little pet Debbie, and sent her out after reminding her to be careful. She glanced back at the invitation and ran her fingers over the XOXO Poppy had included. Barb wasn't exactly an expert in friendships or love, but she knew that meant "hugs and kisses" and was usually reserved for more romantic endeavors. She wondered why Poppy would include it in her letter to the Queen of Rock. Maybe it was simply a Pop Troll thing. She tried not to overthink it. She had other things she needed to do before she could take tomorrow off.
Poppy was busy overlooking the rebuilding of Pop Village when she saw a furry little fuzzball she recognized as Queen Barb's sweet little hyperactive pet. She caught Debbie in one arm and used the other to grab the letter and open it. She read Barb's message, smiling at her little "looking forward to seeing you" message. She noticed the distinct lack of "XOXO". She didn't reciprocate. Maybe Rock Trolls didn't do that kind of stuff?
Poppy carried Debbie back to her pod, where she took a minute or two to respond.
"Dear Barb,
Make sure to bring your comfiest PJ's, and a snack to share if you want! I'm so uber excited you're coming!
XOXO,"
Poppy froze. Barb didn't respond to the XOXO the first time. Should she do it again?
"Oh, sugar. I'm overthinking it. It'll be fine," Poppy sighed.
"XOXO, Poppy." Poppy finished it up and drew a little heart before letting Debbie take the note. She gave Debbie a few pets on the head before letting her be on her way. After all, Poppy had overlooking to do.
"Riff, I'm spending tonight over in Pop Village. Poppy invited me to spend the night," Barb said as she passed him in the halls.
"Rock on," he commented in acknowledgement. "Have fun, your Rockness."
"Keep an eye on Dad, will you?" She asked.
"Will do."
"Thanks."
Barb made sure her bag was packed for tonight before heading to the kitchen area. She desperately wanted to make something for tonight. However, baking wasn't really her strong suit.
Hmm. Maybe chili?
Barb began pulling out cans of beans, a package of beef, broth, and her spices. She hummed "Into the Fire" to herself as she started the chili in the giant crockpot. She was glad she'd started it early, because she knew it had to simmer all day for it to have the flavor she really wanted. She toned down the spices just a little because she knew Pop Village was more used to sweet things, and going full spice might actually have made Poppy spontaneously combust.
Barb decides to take a shower while the chili simmers on medium heat. After, she goes out for a walk and takes Debbie. While admiring the weather, something shiny caught her eye. She scrunched up her nose as she carefully crept closer. Flashes of gold. Barb recognized it as pegmatite. It was beautiful. Barb cautiously wrapped it up in an emergency bandage she carried in her bag and slipped it into her bag.
Poppy would love this.
Barb ignored the part of herself that asked why Poppy was the first person she thought of and continued with her walk.
Poppy felt her stomach flop in excitement when she heard a knock on her front door. Barb! She rushed and threw open the door happily, seeing the nervous looking Rock troll standing there holding a crockpot and carrying a backpack.
"Barb!" Poppy squealed. "I would so totally hug you! But I don't want to spill the beans," she giggled to herself. "Maybe when you set that down. Come in!" She guided Barb to the kitchen, where the Queen of Rock set the pot down gently. She didn't want to break the crockpot, after all. When she turned, she was ambushed by the peppy, hyperactive Pop troll girl who flung her arms around her.
"Oof!" Barb almost had the air knocked out of her, but she knew Pop trolls tended to be very touchy. Perhaps she should have warned Poppy that Rock trolls weren't. But she looked at the shorter girl's face and saw a small smile on it, and Barb didn't have the heart to push her away, so she reluctantly gave the other girl a small hug. This in turn made Poppy give her a bit of a squeeze before letting go. Barb tried to catch her breath as the easily excitable pink haired creature bounced around her kitchen, offering Barb a drink.
"I have OJ, or soda, or milk, or chocolate milk, or-"
"Anything hard?" Barb interrupted. She wondered if it ever tired out the Pop queen to be so damn... bubbly.
"Hard? Like what?"
"Alcohol?" Barb raised an eyebrow. Did Pop trolls not drink?
"Oh. No, I don't have any."
"You know, I kind of figured, so I brought my own. Did you want to try?" Barb offered, pulling the brown bottle from her bag.
"What... what is it?" Poppy's big pink eyes lit up in curiosity.
"I know you like sweeter things, soooo, I brought... chocolate wine!" Barb held up the bottle happily.
"Ooh! I'll try it, sure." Poppy grabbed two glasses and placed them on the counter for the red-haired gal. Barb poured herself a decent glass, and a little for Poppy to try. She held out the lesser full glass for the ray of sunshine next to her.
Poppy took it and immediately took a large drink. Barb's eyes widened as her friend coughed and sputtered.
"Crap! Sorry, I forgot to tell you you might want to take it easy since you're new to this. You okay?"
"Y- yeah," Poppy spat out, her voice raspy. She cleared her throat a few times. "Alright, uh, I'm gonna try that again." She tentatively raised the glass to her lips, and took a small sip. Her nose wrinkled a little bit, but once she adjusted to the taste, she found she rather liked it.
"Mm," Poppy hummed in approval. Barb smiled and offered her a little more. The girls sipped as they spoke of trivial things happening in their villages.
"So, what did you bring?" Poppy questioned, gesturing to the crockpot.
"Oh! So this is my chili. Usually it's spicier than this, but I toned it down for you. I know you're not used to super spicy things, probably. I had it cooking all day. I hope you're not a vegetarian," Barb joked.
Poppy beamed. "Oh, I'm excited to try it! It smells so good!" She fetched bowls and spoons for them both and they helped themselves.
"Wanna watch a movie while we eat?" Poppy offered.
"Sure, sounds good."
The girls carefully carried their glasses and bowls to the living room. Poppy slipped in a funny animated movie and they watched it in the dark, with the occasional giggle or comment from one of them. The empty bottle of wine sat between them at the end, and their licked clean bowls sat on the coffee table in front of them. The girls got more giggly and clumsy, the tipsy feelings kicking in. By the time the movie ended, Poppy was slumped over with her head in Barb's lap, and Barb absent mindedly had a hand resting on Poppy's hip, her other hand drifting over her buzzed sides and through her bright red mohawk. It was slightly greasy and she wrinkled her nose.
Need to shower tomorrow.
Poppy's head spun a little, and she was aware of the warmth radiating between the two of them. Barb made a good pillow, and when she laughed, Poppy could feel her body shake, and hear her heartbeat. It was comforting, and strange, that someone so different from herself could have a matching heartbeat. Barb was... the Queen of Rock, for crying out loud! She was loud like Poppy, sure, but in a different way. Her music was kind of aggressive, and heavy, and rather than pop's "toe tapping, butt wiggling" vibes, her music kind of made one want to jump up and down and throw your hands up and headbang. Barb was blunt and did things that Pop trolls didn't, like drinking and biking and living on a volcano!
Poppy suddenly sat up, startling Barb.
"Whazzup? What's happening?" Barb yelped.
"Oh, n- nothing, I just- gotta pee, BRB!" Poppy hurried off. Barb yawned and picked up their glasses and bowls, carrying them to the sink. She tossed the empty bottle away. She was feeling very relaxed now, and her vision was a little blurry, but for the most part, she was pretty okay. She heard a loud thud and rushed to the sound. Poppy was on the floor, giggling madly.
"Poptart! You okay?" Barb held out a hand and helped up the clearly inebriated girl.
"Y- yeah! I just fell!" Poppy giggled again. "I feel so funny!"
"Yeah, it's called being drunk, Popsqueak," Barb rolled her eyes. Silly girl.
"It's fun!" Poppy cheered, a little too loudly. "Oh, gotta pee!" She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door in Barb's face. Barb raised an eyebrow.
Should I wait for her here in case she needs my help again? Yeaaaah, probably.
Barb picked at her nails as she waited for Miss Pep-In-Her-Step to finish up.
I should get her drunk more often, Barb snickered to herself as she heard another, smaller thud in the bathroom and Poppy saying "whoopsie!" This is hilarious!
Poppy finally opened the door, and Barb thought it was lucky she'd decided to remain there because she caught Poppy as she tripped and fell right into her. Unfortunately, Barb wasn't grounded properly and they both fell, Poppy landing on top of the Rock Queen.
"Oof!" Barb felt winded for the second time that night. Poppy just giggled again- good lord, that wine made her super giggly- and rested her head on Barb's chest.
"Oops!" Poppy exclaimed.
"Yo, Poptart, you, uh, gonna lay there all night or-?" Barb questioned.
"Oh, yeah!" Poppy stumbled up and Barb picked herself up, brushing off her ripped jeans. Poppy gave a hiccup and then excitedly exclaimed, "We should play truth or dare!"
Barb groaned and rolled her eyes. "Nooo, we should not."
"Aww, come on! It'll be fuuuuun!" Poppy singsonged. She grabbed Barb's hand and dragged her to her bedroom. Barb wondered if it was too late to throw herself out the window.
The girls changed into their pajamas, with Poppy wearing a pink short sleeve with a rainbow on it and pink bottoms, and Barb wearing black and red plaid bottoms with "PUNK" across the butt and a black short sleeve with a skull and crossbones on it.
They laid down on Poppy's bed and Barb snickered at the irony of Poppy having a queen sized bed.
"Alright, ready?" Poppy asked, cuddling a pillow. Barb rolled her eyes again and sighed.
"Yeah, whatever."
"Do you- hiccup- have a boyfriend?"
Barb froze. Really? THAT was her first question?
"Uhhh, no."
"Really?" Poppy's eyes widened. "I am surprised! You're a handsome troll! Handsome? Beautiful? Uhh..."
Barb blushed at the compliment. "Handsome is fine."
"Okay, Popstar, how about you?"
"Well, Branch and I are officially together..." Poppy answered, gnawing her lip.
"Buuuut? Trouble in Paradise?" Barb could hear the hesitation.
"Well, I just... I don't know, I worry."
"About?" Barb ran a hand through her mohawk.
"Whether he could be a good king, whether he's the one I want to spend my life with, whether I'll be happy. I just... don't know."
Barb let out a long exhale. "Do you... ever wonder whether you want to be queen?"
"Sometimes... Is that bad? Does that make me a bad queen?" Poppy sounded sad.
"No way, man. Look, people don't understand how draining it can be. It's lonely and feels like a prison. You can't go anywhere, you can't do anything. Everyone judges you. Everything depends on you. There's no break. It never stops going. If you stop, the ride breaks down and everything falls apart, y'know?" Barb ranted.
"Wow..." Poppy whispered. She chewed her lip. Barb was really smart, and seemed to understand completely what she was feeling.
"If you could do anything, what would you do?" Poppy suddenly asked.
Barb scratched her head. "If I could do anything? I don't know... what about you?"
Poppy thought for a second. "I want to travel. See everything. Meet new people. Do new things. Maybe meet someone who... feels like the one. Maybe have a family one day. I just... I love my people, Barb. I do. I love them and want to care for them. But I want to do other things besides just... being queen."
"I don't blame you, Popstar. Being queen kind of sucks sometimes."
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"I make guitars," Barb said softly.
"Really?" Poppy sat up, looking at the plaid adorned girl next to her.
"Yeah. I make them, paint them, design them. It's fun and relaxing." Barb shrugged. "I made the one I currently use."
"Wow! That is so cool! You know, you could have your own shop and sell them all over! Barb's Strings!" Poppy beamed.
Barb gave a small smile. "Y'know something? That'd be pretty rad." She moved to lay face to face with Poppy, her head resting on a pillow. The night sky sparkled with stars outside, and the full moon lit up the room just enough for them to see each other. The crickets chirped and Barb could smell a storm on the way.
"Maybe we could run away," Poppy whispered. Barb could smell the chocolate and wine on her breath.
"Run away?" Barb spoke in a low voice.
"Yeah. We could travel, see the world. Maybe settle down somewhere, and you could have your guitar store. I could help, too, if you wanted. I'm good with people. It would be nice. We could have a cute little cottage. With flowers and a garden and... whatever it is Rockers want."
Barb laughed softly, her breath brushing across Poppy's nose.
"I'd like that, Popsqueak."
"Really?"
"Really. Though if you start painting my store like a unicorn threw up all over it, we're gonna have problems," Barb teased, a smile on her face.
Poppy chuckled and curled closer. Their faces were centimeters from each other's now, and Barb's stomach felt funny, but she thought perhaps once this time, it wasn't due to the alcohol.
"I promise not to. But you should make it personable. Not all black and brooding."
"We'll see," Barb considered it.
"Hey, Barb?" Poppy said, much softer this time.
"Yeah?" Barb closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. It was so peaceful and calming.
"Can we have a pet?"
Barb couldn't help but laugh. Of course Poppy would be worried about that.
"I already have Debbie, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah." Then, "I like Debbie."
Barb just smiled, so big her cheeks hurt.
"Hey, Barb?" Poppy's voice came a few minutes later.
"Hmm?" Barb hummed.
"Have you ever kissed anyone?"
Barb's heart stopped. "No. You?"
"No." Then, "Can I kiss you?"
"Me?" Barb's eyes shot open. "Why me?"
"Because I trust you and like you. And I want to. But it's okay if you say no."
Barb swallowed. Oh god. "Uh, sure, rad."
Poppy's lips were soft, and tasted a little like butterscotch, sweet and subtle. Barb almost couldn't get enough. She felt a little sorry for the pink haired beauty. She knew her own lips were chapped and probably a bit rough.
Oh son of Rock, did I brush my teeth?
Poppy let out a very soft moan, so quiet that Barb almost missed it. When they finally pulled apart, Barb was breathless for the third time that night. Only the Queen of Pop could do this to her.
"That was nice," Poppy softly said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Barb responded after clearing her throat. "Goodnight, Poppy."
"Goodnight, Barb."
Barb licked her lips. They tasted like butterscotch now, and she smiled and fell into the darkness.
Notes: Yep, there it is! I think Barb and Poppy would be an adorable couple. Although I don't like the ship name of "Parb" and much prefer "Boppy" :P This is just a oneshot for now, but I suppose it could be continued into a bigger story.