A/N - This chapter has mature content. It's between XX-XX so you can skip it if you want.

Chapter Nine: To Conceal

Poppy watched in amazement as her foot came off the cast looking brand new after just a night of treatment. Trollzart looked proud of their accomplishment, standing by the doctor's side. He had just agreed to take Doctor Moonbloom for some update training in a couple of weeks. Poppy needed that kind of medicine specialist in Troll Village.

Barb was happy to see her friend back in one piece and even happier when the classical troll doctor gave her permission to get back to rehearsals. Poppy quickly changed out of hospital clothes and back into her regular blue dress, getting her bag ready to go back home and while she did so the door opened and Smidge jumped inside with a big smile and bone-crushing hug.

"Smidge!" Poppy cried out, hugging her friend back. "How did you get in here?"

"Branch asked me to escort you home!" She declared, showing his car keys. Poppy's smile failed. So she had messed things up. He was angry at her. He had abandoned her... again. "He just said he had some pressing errands he had to attend to." As much as she loved Smidge it wasn't a friendly shoulder she was hoping to get once she was released from the hospital.

"So, this is Smidge!" Barb said, catching the heaviness in the atmosphere. Both girls introduced themselves as Poppy got lost in her thoughts, going back and forward on all events and wondering if she could have done it differently. "Look, Popcorn," That Poppy's attention, getting an angry look from her friend. "Get back home, get your boy in shape and then we kick some sense into Zep's mind during our concert, what do you think?"

"Is he attending our concert?" Poppy asked her confusedly.

"Now he is, I've just sent Debbie to dad to make that moron of a brother of his to show up."

"Zep's... your uncle?" Poppy tasted the words carefully as they left her mouth.

"My dad's younger brother, yeah..." Barb shrugged. "I heard a long line of kings usually has a rebel brother. Anyway," Barb and Smidge helped Poppy with her bags. "Make sure you tame that rock-prince of yours."

Smidge had a lot of catching up while they drove back to Pop Village. Poppy wasn't feeling talkative, so she just told her the essential parts, like... Branch's rock blood that was sort of wild. They decided it wasn't a good idea to tell the other trolls about it, especially because they had a history of being suspicious of Branch. The last thing they needed was to be uncomfortable about The Queen' sweetheart.

Oh, she knew they should have waited to tell everybody they were together!

"Branch will have to learn how to raise his Pop blood to even out the Rock one." Smidge said, swerving to the left so she could avoid hitting a critter that jumped out of nowhere. "You stupid critter!" She shouted angrily. "Assuming he's half Pop..."

Smidge had a point, Poppy realized. If Branch was half pop as much as he was half rock... the strings had made the rocker stronger, taking over the pop side... she'd have to help him work his pop side until it was as strong. If rock blinded him, pop would have to be his guide through the dark.

Pop Village was surprisingly in one piece once they pulled over. It was still early hours in the morning, the sun was just rising and most of the village citizens were still asleep. Smidge explained they didn't have any big problems, still having to adjust to their rebuilt homes and a new ballroom so they could party indoors as well.

"Being in charge was really dull." Smidge complained as they covered the car with a big leaf so it could stay hidden until Branch wanted to show it to anyone. Being queen was dull, sometimes. Poppy never really complained, but her role was no piece of cake. Usually she was the one taking care of everything while the others had their fun. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Actually, Smidge... I was wondering..." Poppy picked up her bags and walked towards Branch's bunker instead of taking the path to her pod. "Can you cover for me for another day? I'm planning on getting Branch in shape before announcing I'm back."

That didn't make Smidge happy, she was about to wake Guy Diamond up and get Tiny out to a picnic day, but it looked like her fun would have to wait a little longer.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'll be fine." Poppy smiled her brightest smile at her friend, who got the hint and gave her one last hug before leaving. When Poppy smiled her fake-bright smile, it meant she had no idea what she was getting herself into, she just hoped everything would get well soon.

Branch had locked himself inside his bunker, Poppy realized as soon as she stepped on his trapdoor. The elevator didn't welcome her, which meant he probably had changed his password. She just scratched her hair and went to the rock next to the entrance, tipping something that could be an updated password. She got it right on the first try, happy to see he had chosen her name this time.

As she descended his bunker, a chill crept her spine. His ration pots were broken, his walls were scratched all over and when she stopped at the living room, her heart broke seeing the food, glass and paper scattered around. His plates were in pieces, his adored tools torn apart. She feared someone had broken in and hurt him, that she was seeing the results of a battle, but somehow, deep down, she knew he had done it himself. He wasn't the kind of troll who would lose control and trash everything, though. The only explanation would be that he had lost control over his rock blood. She still didn't know if he was aware of the things he could do in his rock zombie state...

She heard someone sweeping the floor on the other room, reaching the shards of his belongings under the couch and the coffee table. Carefully not to cut herself, she walked towards the noise and found Branch cleaning up. His hands were hurt, with bleeding knuckles he didn't mind treating. She had to look twice to realize his colors were very faint, but not fully gray.

She felt like crying.

"Hello, there..." She said, making herself known. His head shot up towards her, surprised to be caught in such a state. Poppy was just glad she saw the Branch she knew and loved and not some raging rocker.

"How did you get in here? - no... wait - I know how you got in here." He said, face-palming himself for choosing such an obvious password.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," She bent down, picked a trash can and started collecting the bigger pieces of furniture and glasses. Branch watched her happy attitude as she moved around. "Actually, helping you like this brings back memories."

"Oh?"

"I ended up cleaning all your glitter butt marks on the wall. Fun Branch was something." She laughed, picking his favorite mug from the floor and gladly realizing it was in one piece.

"I wish it was something easy to deal with like it was dealing with Fun Branch." He went back sweeping the floor to avoid looking her in the eyes.

"Well, it's a good thing we're in this together, then." She replied, putting the mug on his cupboard.

"No, we're not." He said seriously, walking up to her and taking the trash can from her hands, startling her. "This is something I'll deal with by myself. I'll just lock myself in here and I'll come out when I've learned how to control it." She opened her mouth to protest and he sealed her lips with his finger. "You're not getting hurt, I'm not hurting you like my dad hurt my mom."

Poppy was puzzled. Had she missed something?

"I met my dad before coming here." He explained, once he realized she'd listen to him quietly. They resumed their cleaning. "He said mom was a Pop Troll; she couldn't take his rock side and died, just to short it up for you." There was no way he was telling the womanizer character part.

Poppy was skeptical. Zep looked like he was the blasé kind of troll, not a feral one. She could be wrong, but he didn't look like he would intentionally hurt someone.

"Are you sure?"

"That's what I've been told."

"Oh, Branch..." walked over to him and engulfed him in a tender hug, which he automatically responded. "I'm sorry... I thought you had a nice dad... if I knew from the start..."

"I'm not mad about it." He tried to say, but she interrupted him.

"If someone in this world deserves a loving family, this person is you. I just wanted to give it to you."

"Let's see..." Branch offered her a soothing smile. "We can't do anything about where I came from. The past is the past. I'm sure I can get a loving family in the future." Poppy blushed, but didn't look away. She was more than inclined to give him that family he wished for. "But for now, you must go."

"I'm not walking away." She whispered, rising to the tips of her toes. Branch didn't know what else to do to keep her as far as possible. Her positivity wasn't a curse, but her stubbornness might as well be. Her lips brushed against his and he had to brace himself for the primal feeling that started pooling inside him again.

He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her away, only to have her pressing even closer, having her hands digging into his hair. He could never win a fight against her, not when all she had to do was explore him the way she was doing. Somehow they ended up on the couch, with her sitting on his lap and his hands underneath her dress.

Poppy felt when his attitude changed. The gentleness of his touch gave room to a wilder and rougher grip. She didn't have to open her eyes to know he just went into his rock state. She whimpered softly and writhed under his demanding touch.

"I'll hold it." He managed to say, shoving her from him, making her fall off the couch. "Just go, before I can't control it anymore."

"I'm here to help you control it, Branch." She stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "And that's exactly what we are doing."

"GO AWAY!" He yelled, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, she walked closer and put her two delicate hands on his chest. Both hands traveled up to caress his cheeks. He whimpered helplessly under touch. He wished he had the strength to push her away when she was being nice. He could feel his sane mind slipping away again. He was vaguely aware when his hands grabbed her arms so tight she gasped. But instead of letting go, she held him against her.

A kiss pressed on his jaw line, another on his neck. She took her time to see his eyes flashing red and blue, as if he was fighting an internal war to keep his wild side away. She kissed his cheek and reached up to kiss his mouth, where she could taste his salty tears wetting her own lips. His arms slid around her, holding her on the limit to start hurting. The last thing Branch heard was the hitch in her breathing when he yanked her dress off. It was like watching himself from far away. He could see his hands moving, his lips battling hers, but he had no control over them.

"I know you're in there, Branch." He heard her gentle voice in his ear. "I trust you."

Her scent was intoxicating, making him mindless with desire. She was ready for this, she wanted this. She trusted him with her own life and she was sure he wouldn't hurt her. She would just have to prove to him that her love and devotion would guide him back. She was his, his to love, his to protect. His brain was on fire.

XX-XX

With intertwined fingers, supporting each other in silence, she gave him full permission to go on. She tried to pay attention to how his tattoos were shining brightly on his chest, how his colors were coming back and how his crimson eyes focused exclusively on her. She was fascinated by the way his face flushed, by each gasp and each throaty roar that escaped his lips. She couldn't keep the analysis for long, though, getting lost in the feelings he was providing her.

Something inside her was also changing, like an explosion of happiness, like she could shoot through the sky and burst. So, that was what lovemaking was all about. She lost herself the same time she heard him crying out her name and just before she fell into a welcoming sleep, she saw his tattoos had faded, but his colors remained brightly teal.

XX-XX

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Poppy woke up with a small discomfort. She turned in the fuzzy sheets and stretched, only to be held by her naked waist and brought closer to the troll lying next to her. She opened her eyes and met blue ones. Blushing, she pulled the covers up, hiding herself to her nose.

"A little late for modesty, isn't it?" Branch joked, pulling the covers down so he could watch her in her full splendor. There wasn't a way to combine sounds to describe how fulfilled she was feeling. "If that's how you intend on keeping my blood tamed, I might want to go rock on you more often."

"Please do." She giggled, climbing on top of him and giving him a lovingly kiss, getting a relaxed moan out of him.

"Show me Heaven." He said, giving her a toothy grin once they parted. He made sure she wouldn't run away by securing her by the waist. She gave him a puzzled look. "Your favorite song." That caught her off guard and she quickly tried to get away from him to hide her embarrassment somewhere else. "I told you I'd figure it out."

"Let me go!" She laughed, trying to reach for the edge of the bed. He grabbed her hands, making her efforts to get away useless. It was a pathetic attempt to run, really, he had to contain himself when he realized he could just hold both her hands with one of his and she would never get out. He flipped them over, pinning her under him, making her have a fit of giggles.

"So..." He leaned forward, trailing kisses down her neck. "... show you heaven, hn..."

Sometime later, Poppy was enjoying a shower while Branch fixed them a late breakfast. They finished cleaning his bunker and he wrote down the daily chores so he could restock his rations. She watched him as he sipped on his coffee, while writing down the list of items that were missing.

"I want to ask you a question." She said quietly. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. "I've been thinking... about everything we went through." she reached out for his hand. "You complete me, Branch." It was his turn to blush. "Since before the coronation, since I've got out to save our friends from Chef. You've always been there to ground me."

"It's my job to protect..."

"It's not your job." She interrupted him like she used to. "You do it because you want to. During the world tour, you made me listen when I was lost in my own truth. I'm a better queen because of you."

"I'll always be here if you need a lecture." He grinned, proudly.

"It's like I'm... the heart and you're the brain. I can't do this without you. I value you too much..." She didn't know exactly how to put what she was trying to say to him and she just decided that it was best just to say it at once. "Would you be my King, Branch?" He sat there, frozen in place, his coffee halfway to his lips.

She regretted her words the second she said them. He wasn't used to royalty, he wasn't used to being exposed. He just wanted his peaceful life back, having fun, singing, dancing and doing small chores to protect the village. At the same time, she didn't know how she could continue with bigger affairs if she couldn't count on his opinion.

"I'm sorry," She said quickly, standing up. "Forget I ever said anything. I'll see you later." She said, going up the elevator as fast as she could, never giving him a chance to properly answer her.

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Hair, she had missed the scrapbook club. All her friends together, placing their stories, cutting, knitting and story-telling. She put together how things had been in the four days she had left, leaving out the piece about Branch's dad, since she didn't know if he wanted to share the news with the gang.

"So, Mr. Dinkles helped me with the vegetable party with the kids, isn't it right, Mr. D?" Biggie said, finishing his scrapbook and placing it aside.

"I've been busy with my brother," Cooper laughed, showing a scrapbook of him and Prince D playing video games back at Funk Trolls's place. "Mom asked for us to go play outside, but he just took the video game there and she couldn't complain anymore. Ha! She's funny, my momma." Poppy saw his scrapbook with a smile. Well, at least someone was happy with a brand new family.

"Well... my scrapbook is about how we got to Symphony Ville..." Poppy started, but got interrupted by Guy Diamond, who just had his hands over Tiny's ears so he couldn't listen to them.

"Just cut to the chase, Poppy. Did you seduce the grumpiness out of Branch?"

"Oh... let's not go there, guys..." She said, closing her scrapbook, but her bright red face couldn't deny it.

"They did it!" Guy laughed, pointing at her face and dancing around.

"Okay, first, that's private!" Poppy got really annoyed, so Guy decided to hold his laughter. "Second, I need to understand something about you guys." She sat back down, looking at them.

"What about us?" Smidge asked, closing her own scrapbook.

"Is there anything you guys are really good at? Besides partying."

"We're good with clothes!" Satin and Chenille said at the same time, knitting quickly a baby hat for Tiny.

"I'm good with hugs." Biggie pointed out.

"No, guys, I mean, something that could really make a difference, you know what I mean? Like... developing rockets or something."

"Are you feeling well, Poppy?" Smidge asked, checking her temperature. "I think you may be a little flushed."

"I'm fine..." Poppy brushed her hand away, standing up. "I better go get the kids for the second period." And she stood up, leaving a very puzzled Snack Pack at her pod.

Suddenly her routine at Pop Village felt very crushing. It was like she was on an endless vacation. Every other tribe seemed to be working and evolving somehow, while they were stuck at having fun. It was like they weren't good enough to contribute to the world... like they were only living. She would find something Pop Trolls were good at, even if it took a lifetime.