Chapter 12
There was nothing on the bunker door that Hefty could get his fingers under to try lifting it out of his way. He had no choice but to start knocking.
"Come on Branch, this isn't funny," Hefty shouted, only pausing in his knocks when he spoke. "Hey, remember when you locked yourself into the bathroom and realized that was a mistake? Can we please have a repeat of that moment? Please?"
Silence was all that answered Hefty and he cursed himself for being so stupid and letting the Troll out of his sight.
Maybe Hefty shouldn't have kissed him? Maybe Hefty should have followed through with his original plan and kiss Branch breathless so he couldn't run away? In any case he was stuck outside a bunker designed to keep out creatures that ate Trolls with no indication that Branch could even hear him.
Rolling onto his back, Hefty stuck close to the bunker door in case it miraculously opened. What was he going to do now?
"I wasn't expecting to see this," commented Poppy, walking over to the Smurf and kneeling beside him. "What happened?"
"I kissed Branch," Hefty stated.
Pausing, Poppy experimentally tried to open the bunker door, "I'm assuming he somehow beat you here and locked you out after you laid one on him."
"No," Hefty sighed. "I was in the bunker with him and he tricked me into leaving and then locked me out."
"Oh Hefty," Poppy shook her head.
"I know, I'm so stupid," Hefty angrily rubbed at his face and felt something tickling his arm. He looked, surprised to find the hair that Branch cut off still wrapped around his wrist. With Branch so panicked, Hefty hadn't noticed it before.
The hair was a mix of colors, like Branch has been when he so desperately cut it off. There was black, purple and a bright royal purple that could also be blue that mixed together as they hung onto Hefty's wrist.
"That Branch," Poppy sighed. She took the hair from Hefty's wrist and started to braid it. "His hair is more honest then he is."
"What do you mean?" asked Hefty.
Poppy continued braiding as she spoke, "Troll hair can be instinctual. Like if mind and heart are not connecting or fighting each other, the hair will follow the heart's desire to make itself known." She paused, tying the braided hair around Hefty's wrist. "Like holding onto someone they're too scared to admit that they care for."
Staying silent, Hefty looked at the braided hair for a while, just thinking. When answers from the hair weren't forthcoming, he turned to Poppy. "How can I make him admit it?"
Standing, Poppy offered a hand to Hefty, "Come with me, we have some work to do."
After nearly reopening the bunker, twice, Branch went down further into the bunker to the lowest and farthest point where he could no longer hear the knocking or Hefty's pleading voice. This room was an eternal work in progress that Branch fiddled with in winter when he couldn't do as much savaging or needed something to keep his mind off things for a while. Now he just went to the center of the room and laid in the dark.
Well, almost dark anyway. A few years ago, he had found stones that glow in the dark without ever needing light and littered the ceiling of the room with them. The stones were all kinds of different shapes and sizes and glowed in different shades of blue. Back when Branch was always gray and had been gray for years, Branch would sometimes lay there and look at his skin and pretend that he had his colors back.
As he calmed down, Branch could see the splotches of color fading back into one shade. He couldn't tell with the lights of the stones above him but he knew that he would be back to gray once he could see himself properly again.
That left the question of what was Branch supposed to do now? Hefty, for some inexplicable reason, had kissed Branch and, all the more bewildering, referred to Branch as his "someone special". That indicated some level of romantic feelings, right?
Weird fluttering feelings knotted up in Branch's stomach, making him fell ill. He rolled to his side and closed his eyes, trying to squish the fluttering by curling up but it didn't help.
What on Earth would attract Hefty to Branch? Branch knew he wasn't the easiest to get along with and had even attacked Hefty at their first meeting. What-
Wait, Branch's singing. It was the singing that lured Hefty to seek Branch out to begin with. Branch even slipped up and sang a couple of times at the village. Despite what Hefty had said, surely once Hefty meet more Trolls and heard them sing, he would lose interest in Branch. There was definitely more open Trolls who would sing for Hefty as much as he wanted. Trolls that were happy, colorful, easy to get along with, more beautiful and talented than Branch could ever hope to be. Hefty would move on and it would be safer for everyone involved.
Still Branch's throat tightened and his eyes burned but he didn't cry. He hadn't cried since he lost his Grandmother and he wasn't about to start now over losing the second friend Branch had somehow managed to get.
Knowing full well no one could hear him, Branch broke into soft, half choked out, singing, trying to bring himself some measure of comfort, "I'll get over you I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking."
Things were better this way.
Branch wouldn't cry.
"I am the king of wishful thinking…"
He wouldn't.
The knocking came back the next morning and sporadically throughout the day but Branch did his best to ignore it. He distracted himself by reorganizing and labeling some of his supplies between fiddling with his project room.
At one point, Branch wandered up and just sat in the first defense room, staring at the door and listened to the knocking. His hands clenched and unclenched his knees several times but he never stood to open the door, only moving after the knocking had ended for that spurt and going back down to work some more.
The next time Branch went up, the little peek hole slot had been jimmied open a crack and a few letters were on the ground. When he was sure no one was trying to peek in, he looked at the envelopes. A couple were from Poppy but most were from Hefty and he slipped them all back through the slot without opening them.
Branch had to go back down for tools to fix the slot and hesitated to take it off in order to make repairs? Obviously, no one could fit through the little peek hole but they'd be able to see Branch and Branch wouldn't be able to pretend that he didn't hear them.
So, Branch sat and waited, listening. When some time had passed and he heard no movement he stood to remove the slot in order to fix the track.
As soon as the slot was removed, Poppy reached in and grabbed for Branch's hair but just missed it as he jumped back.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Branch yelled at her.
"I'm trying to force you to do the right thing," Poppy yelled back at him. "Why did you lock Hefty out?"
"That is none of your business," Branch snapped.
"I am your best friend," though Poppy's voice was more accusing than friendly.
"That doesn't entitle you to know everything," said Branch. "Or to harass me or to break things."
"I wouldn't have to if you would unlock this door," Poppy blindly reached in, trying to find the handle.
"Nice try Poppy but it's going to be out of your reach," Branch watched her continue to try anyway, "And don't bother trying your hair. I have added a padlock since your last visit."
"You were prepared to lock me out?" Poppy gasped.
"That's me, crazy prepared," said Branch.
"Ooh, I'm going to give you such a slap," Poppy growled, jiggling the door.
"You got to reach me first," Branch leaned back, satisfied that his door was at least Poppy proof.
"Hefty, help me," Poppy called.
The obnoxious fluttering returned and Branch all but ran for the shaft.
"Get back here you coward," Poppy yelled.
"Branch?" Hefty's voice reached Branch's ears but he was already on his way down to the safer depths of his bunker.
Hours later, when Branch moved back up, it was dark out. He hoped that would mean Poppy and Hefty would have returned to the Troll Tree for the night but he never expected Poppy to be able to stay still for so long and wait for Branch to remove the slot of his peek hole. He had to practice caution.
Branch sat at the shaft and waited, listening. He threw a pebble to hit the pile of letters that had grown since he came up last to see if anyone outside would respond to the noise. Then listened and threw another pebble to be sure.
Satisfied, Branch moved forward and looked at the pile. There were now little flash cards of Poppy's disapproving face added to the pile and Branch's lips twitched a little. He was going to have to apologize to her when this was all over.
There were more letters in envelopes but also just notes of paper that were mixed in, their message clearly visible for Branch to see:
I love you.
Shaking, Branch picked up each note and they each said the same thing in blue ink and bold handwriting; I love you.
Inside, Branch's chest tightened and his throat constricted. He couldn't hold in the shuddering breath from escaping him.
"Branch?" Hefty's voice called.
Holding in his breath, Branch launched himself backwards and out of visual sight from the angle of the peek hole and pressed himself against the wall before he breathed again. He was safe as long as he stayed there but he couldn't go back down the shaft as long as Hefty was looking in, blocking some of the moonlight coming through the peek hole.
"Branch, are you there?" Hefty tried again.
Biting his tongue, Branch refused to answer.
Above him, Hefty sighed, "Branch… I don't know if you can hear me or not but we're heading back to the village tomorrow. I don't want to but you were right, I can't let them make the trip on their own. But I'll be back; I'm not going to stop trying to make you understand what you mean to me."
Branch stayed quiet and still long after the moonlight came back into the room. Slowly he left the letters and made his way back down to pace. Only after he went to try and sleep did he realize that he was still holding Hefty's notes, crumpled against his chest.
Branch awoke to the sound of rapid fire knocking, a sure sign that it was Poppy at his door. He ignored it for as long as he could, going up to the first defense room.
"What?" Branch snapped, he was too tired and it was too early for this.
"The Smurfs are leaving," Poppy cried.
"Good," growled Branch.
"Hefty is leaving," Poppy tried again.
"Good," Branch repeated but with less bite.
Laying on the ground, Poppy peered into the bunker to look at Branch, "Branch please, you can't let him go, not like this."
"It's better this way," said Branch.
Poppy frowned and paused, gathering herself before she began to sing, "You've been hiding, never letting it show
Always trying to keep it under control
You got it down and you're well
On the way to the top
But there's something that you forgot
What about love
Don't you want someone to care about you
What about love
Don't let it slip away
What about love
Hefty only wants to share it with you
You might need it someday."
Branch sighed and leaned back. Maybe is he used song she would understand? Hesitantly he reached out to her with his voice, "Wish I could be the one
The one who could give Hefty love
The kind of love he really needs
Wish I could say to him
That I'll always stay with him
But, Poppy, that's not me."
Poppy, not to be deterred, sang in reply, "I can't tell you what you're feeling inside
I can't sell you what you don't want to buy
Something's missing and you got to
Look back on your life
You know something here just ain't right."
"Hefty needs someone willing to give their heart and soul to him
Promise him forever, Poppy, that's something I can't do," Branch sang.
"What about love
Don't you want someone to care about you?" Poppy tried again.
"Oh, I could say that I'll be all he needs
But that would be a lie," Branch returned.
"What about love
Don't let it slip away," Poppy pleaded.
"I know I'd only hurt him
I know I'd only make him cry
I'm not the one he's needing," sang Branch, hesitated and continued, "Just tell him, Goodbye."
"What about love
Hefty only wants to share it with you
You might need it someday," Poppy sang.
"I hope someday you can
Find some way to understand
I'm only doing this for all of us
I don't really want him to go,
But deep in my heart I know
This is the kindest thing to do," Branch returned.
"What about love
Don't you want someone to care about you?" Poppy tried again.
"He'll find someone who'll be the one that I could never be
Who'll give him something better than the love he'd find with me," sang Branch.
"What about love
Don't let it slip away," Poppy pleaded.
"Oh, I could say that I'll be all he needs
But that would be a crime," Branch returned.
"What about love
Hefty only wants to share it with you
You might need it someday," Poppy sang.
"I know I'd only hurt him
I know I'd only make him cry
I'm not the one he's needing
Just tell him, Goodbye," sang Branch.
"Branch," Poppy sniffled, close to tears, "Please…"
"Poppy, it's never gonna work out
Just tell him, Goodbye," Branch finished singing.
Poppy stood and sniffled more, "You're going to regret this Branch."
"I've lived most of my life with regrets," said Branch. "One more won't kill me."
"But what about Hefty?" Poppy didn't wait for an answer before she ran off.
Branch really hated making Poppy cry but his decision was for the best.
It was.
He knew it was.