On his daily routine to collect more material, Branch could hear a loud musical number going on somewhere in the village in the distance. Unbelievable. They just didn't know how to be quiet, did they? Even when he's warned them a countless number of times, they still don't listen. They never listen. That's why he keeps as far away from them as possible. As far away from her as possible.

He tries to, anyway.

Branch, holding his supplies tightly, wandered over to the village where the trolls typically had their daily song. Their singing was getting too loud for his liking…

Before he could say anything to scold them, he paused. He could hear her voice better than he could hear the others.

"Never gonna get it,

Never gonna get it,

Never gonna get it,

Never gonna get it,

Never gonna get it,

Never gonna get it

Never gonna get it…," they sang in perfect harmony. Branch's eyes laid on the pink princess who was conducting them, beaming.

"Oh whoa whoa woaaahhh!" Poppy sang clearly and flawlessly. The other trolls beamed and continued singing as a beat started playing.

He watched her dance happily as she sang along, saw her bounce every step she could. Her expression showed no signs of negative emotions. Just optimism and positivity. Like always. She always seemed to smile, especially when he's not around. As she sang, her voice ringed clearly.

It was a while before Poppy noticed the grey troll watching. He had the smallest hint of amusement on his face, but when he saw her looking at him, his face hastily turned into a frown. Poppy smiled.

"Hey, Branch!" she greeted happily. The other trolls became quiet as they stopped singing. He didn't even notice how many there were. But as soon as they saw him, a lot of them left. The only ones who stayed were Poppy and her close friends.

"What do you think you're doing?" he angrily asked her.

"We were just doing our daily warm up song!" she happily answered, her freckles sparkling.

"Oh? You mean your daily Bergen call?

"Braaaaanch, c'mon, I know you like it!" Poppy replied, unfazed, "would you like to join us?"

Branch gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Ha, as if I would sing or dance—"

Cooper coughed.

"—and risk my life. So, no thank you, Poppy. I'm good, thanks," Branch stubbornly said, his expression matching his tone.

"But—"

And with that, he was gone. Branch had retreated back into the forest to go back to his bunker. Poppy frowned.

"It's okay, Poppy," Suki said after he had left, "He's probably going to open up…someday."

Poppy nodded. Yeah! Sooner or later he will. She'll be sure of it.

As soon as Branch reached his bunker, he was greeted by the blue glow bug that accompanied him whenever he sang. It made small, excited noises.

"A walk? You don't even walk!" Branch replied, perplexed. It replied.

"I'm busy, I can't take you for a walk," the grey troll said, frowning. It replied again.

"Why don't you just go to the beach yourself? You can fly on your own."

"Possible dangers?" Branch repeated, surprised by the bug's similar behavior to himself. Then he chuckled. "Heh, okay you got me. Let's go."

It wasn't hard. All Branch had to do was walk to the beach while his small companion flew excitedly around him, often pausing to examine a tree or sniff a flower or something. He had to admit, it was quite adorable. It would occasionally leave a sparkly trail here and there, but that wasn't his problem. This bug was a free and independent one. It wasn't Branch's pet. Just his friend. He can't say that about a lot of people.

As it squeaked some words to him, Branch finally reached the beach. He stepped on the sandy land.

"When?" he repeated, kicking a stone, "I don't know. It depends on if I get inspired again."

More squeaks.

"Shut up..!" Branch said, flushing stubbornly. The small bug gave a squeaky little laugh as it flew around, exploring the beach. Branch sighed and sat near the coastline. He could hear the excited sounds as his friend zoomed around cheerfully.

It seemed like his only friend in the world. Well…unless you count Poppy.

He doesn't, but he also does..? It's complicated. He doesn't act like a very good friend to her, but she does to him. She considers him her friend, but he doesn't. She's not his friend, but he's hers.

See? Complicated.

The ocean was nice to look at. Things were better when he just didn't think. Things were better when he could relax. Things were simpler when he just didn't think about her.

"Branch?"

Ugh, her voice was stuck in his head. It was both annoying and…not. Mostly the former.

"Branch, hello?"

Go away, voice. He's trying to relax here.

"BRANCH!"

He whipped his head around to see that the voice had not just been a voice in his head, but SHE was actually there. Poppy was right there. What the?

"Poppy?"

"Yeah," she chuckled, "what are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question," Branch said, eyeing the small bag she held. Poppy looked at it then smiled. She opened it and pulled out a small shell.

"I was just collecting seashells for Satin and Chenille to use as accessories."

"That's a bad idea. First of all, shells break easily. Second, you don't know what kinds of diseases those things could hold," Branch replied, rolling his eyes. Poppy shrugged and went to sit next to him, not feeling the need to ask if she was intruding. Branch didn't bother telling her to go away. It wouldn't do anything.

"So whatcha' doing here?"

"Just walking that little guy," he said nonchalantly, pointing to the small bug who was currently too busy examining a small crab the walked across the beach. "Hey, get away from that, it'll pinch you!"

Poppy recognized it. But she couldn't let Branch know.

"Aww!" She cooed, "Is it your pet?"

"Kind of. But not really," he merely replied. Branch didn't have to provide its food or anything, but he does take care of it in a way.

"That's so cute!" Poppy cooed again, overwhelmed by the adorableness of it all. Branch rolled his eyes at her behavior.

The glow bug, now noticing the new troll, excitedly flew zoomed over to her. It knew who she was. It's seen her talking with Branch before. Yay! New friend!

"Oh..!" Poppy squealed, seeing the bug approach her quickly. She beamed. "Hi!"

The bug squeaked a few words. Poppy squealed once again, unable to contain her giddiness.

"Oh my gosh, you are so CUTE!" she said happily, her freckles sparkling again. Immediately, Poppy wrapped her arms around the bug and it snuggled up against her. Branch watched in amusement.

"Yeah, it's a cuddler," Branch commented. He never really knew, to be honest. He never tried hugging it before. "Glitz is their name, by the way."

"Aww, you're a little sweetheart, aren't you, Glitz? Aren't youuu~?" she baby-talked, pinching its cheeks lightly. It giggled and she gave it another warm hug.

"Don't talk to them like that," Branch said, slightly weirded out.

"Pfft, whatever," she chuckled as she focused her attention on the adorable bug. Branch looked at her, a small smile replacing his frown. How was it that she was never fazed by his rudeness? Is that why she's one of his only friends? Because she can see past his attitude?

Or is it her naivety?

Maybe that's why she's the only troll he ever seems to notice. Because while the others are quick to write him off as a grump, she was the only one who kept trying to get him to show his true self. He almost wants to. But he knows better. That's dangerous.

All of the other trolls just seem like they're in the background to him. Save for Poppy's friends, of course. They seem a little more willing to give him a chance, although they're quicker than Poppy to give up. He doesn't blame them. Every time he's given a chance, he pushes it away.

"I wish I had my own glow bug," Poppy commented, Glitz sitting in her arms.

"Yep…" Branch absent-mindedly replied. What was it that keeps her so positive? Has nothing bad ever happened to her?

Squeaking.

How is it that the princess of the trolls just happens to be the most optimistic?

Squeaks.

How is it that she always has hope?

Squeaking.

Why do the bad things always happen to him?

"Uh, Branch..?" he heard her say. He suddenly realized he had been staring.

"Yeah?" he replied, acting normally.

"Glitz is trying to talk to you, I think," she said, looking down at the bug in her arms. It had an unamused face as it looked at Branch. It really didn't appreciate being ignored.

Ohhh, so THAT'S what that squeaking was. He totally zoned out.

"Oh," he instinctively said, "Sorry, Glitz, what was that?"

Glitz sighed and repeated what it was saying.

Branch looked at the sky. It was a slightly darker shade of blue than before.

"Yeah, you're right," Branch said, standing up. "We better head back now."

Poppy stood up and released Glitz, smiling.

"Well, this was fun!" she said happily. "But I should be heading back too. The twins will be wondering where I am."

"Uh huh," Branch replied, walking away, Glitz following him. It squeaked its goodbyes to the princess. Poppy giggled and waved, although Branch couldn't see her do it.

"Bye Glitz! Bye Branch!"

As Branch and Glitz headed to his bunker, the small bug spoke to him.

"What do you mean?" Branch replied.

"Staring?! No, I wasn't!"

"You're crazy, I wasn't staring."

"Eye contact is important when speaking to someone."

...

"…Whatever," Branch responded, grumpily, "So what? It's not the first time it happened today…"

"…and then he had to go. Which was a shame, but can you believe it?" Poppy asked her friends excitedly, "I think he's opening up!"

Poppy and her friends were currently sitting in a field, relaxing and gossiping. Poppy had been going on and on about her encounter with Branch at the beach. She was excited. The grump wasn't so grumpy that time!

"Wow, that's great!" Guy Diamond exclaimed.

"Sooner or later, he'll be one of us. I know it!" Poppy said, "Not that he ISN'T one of us already."

"How was he like?" Smidge asked.

"Well, he was still kinda sarcastic and stuff, but not really in a mean way. And he was speaking to me normally. He wasn't stressed like he usually is. Maybe that's the thing! Maybe he just needs to be in a calm state to be happy!" Poppy replied, thinking out loud. "Like whenever he sings, it's never crazy, upbeat or anything."

"Speaking of which," Suki said, "when do you think he'll sing again?"

Poppy looked at her hug time bracelet and then looked towards the sky.

"He usually does it around this time, save for the first time," she replied. Then she beamed widely, her cheeks glowing. "Do you guys want to go see?"

They all enthusiastically agreed—well, most enthusiastically agreed. Poppy hopped up and led the way into the forest, basically learning the route by heart now.

"Slow down, will you?" Creek requested as he and the others tried to keep up. He didn't even want to hear Branch sing tonight. Soon, they reached the clearing, now hiding in their own bush camouflage. They all looked at the large mushroom. Of course, he was there.

Glitz could be seen next to him as Branch wrote in his book.

"Be patient," he told Glitz. "I literally only started writing a couple of hours ago. I'm nearly done anyway."

He hummed a melody and he scribbled more words down. Poppy smiled softly.

"When's he gonna start..?" Cooper whispered. Poppy shushed him quietly, listening.

"This should be enough for now…" Branch mumbled, reading over the page. Glitz beamed and flew around. It seemed to be getting the ensemble of creatures ready. Those creatures always spontaneously knew the lyrics.

They started singing acapella as one with a higher pitched voice singing in the background.

"I know you like it, I know you like it,

I know you like it, I know you like it," the unknown background voice sang. Branch looked up from his book and rolled his eyes. He seriously has no idea how these creatures get the melody before he's even started singing, really. He doesn't even question it anymore…

"Don't know why, but girl,

I'm feeling close to you,

Maybe it's this ocean view,

I'm so emotional,

And all these stars been dancing on my head,

Too long, too long, too long…" he began singing with his clear voice. The song, again, wasn't loud or crazy. Poppy watched intently, all of her focus on the performance.

"I wrote a song for you,

I wanna sing to you,

But every time I'm close to you,

The words wanna come out, but I forget,

It's so strong, so strong, so strong…"

Yeah, no kidding. So Branch wants to sing to a certain someone, huh? Why doesn't he just do it? Poppy doesn't understand what he's waiting for. Then again, it's Branch. He isn't as open about emotions as the rest of them are. She's just saying, he has nothing to worry about…

"It might seem like I'm catching something,

That's because it's true,

I can't deny it

And I won't try it,

But I think that you know…" he beautifully sang. Poppy stifled a laugh then rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. Branch was the king of denial.

"I look around and everything I see is beautiful,

Because all I see is you,

And I can't deny it,

And I stand by it,

And I won't hide it anymore…"

Aww, how sweet. Geez, who knew Branch was such a sappy romantic? It's kinda cute. No doubt, if he weren't so introverted, a lot of people will fall for him. Not that Poppy would, but you know.

"A crowded room anywhere,

A million people all around,

All I see is you there,

Everything just disappears, disappears, disappears, disappears

Yeah a million people in a crowded room

But my camera lenses only set to zoom

And it all becomes so clear, becomes so clear, becomes so clear…"

Too bad Branch refuses to perform with them. The other trolls would've LOVED to hear him sing…

"I got that tunnel vision

For you…

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

And all I see is you

Yeah…"

"I got that tunnel vision for you…" Poppy echoed quietly. She said it more than sang it.

"I got that tunnel vision

For you…

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

And all I see is you

Yeah…

Now that I know the truth,

What am I supposed to do?

Changing up and

Breaking all my rules

Ever since we met

I'm so gone, I'm so gone, I'm so gone…

Just like a movie shoot

I'm zoomin' in on you

Everything is extra

And the background just fades into the set

As we ride off into the sun…"

Okay, but seriously. Why does Branch not just sing what he feels? No Bergen is going to hear this, unfortunately for them, and he has a great voice! Poppy is almost frustrated at this point, but his music seems to calm her down at the same time.

"It might seem like I'm catching something,

That's because it's true,

I can't deny it

And I won't try it,

But I think that you know…

I look around and everything I see is beautiful,

Because all I see is you,

And I can't deny it,

And I stand by it,

And I won't hide it anymore…

"A crowded room anywhere,

A million people all around,

All I see is you there,

Everything just disappears, disappears, disappears, disappears

Yeah a million people in a crowded room

But my camera lenses only set to zoom

And it all becomes so clear, becomes so clear, becomes so clear…"

"I got that tunnel vision

For you…

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

For you

I got that tunnel vision

And all I see is you

Yeah…"

The music died down once again as Branch gestured for the creatures to turn it down. He ceased singing gracefully as the music came to a stop. Glitz looked at him questionably. Branch picked up his book and climbed down the mushroom, Glitz following him, squeaking.

"Because I'm not done yet. Anyway, I think it sounds pretty good on its own. But yeah, I'll add more later…" Branch told the bug, heading towards his bunker, like usual. But before he left, Branch glanced around, sure he heard something earlier. He eventually shrugged it off and left. Once they were sure he was gone, the trolls uncovered themselves. Guy Diamond clapped.

"Bravo!" he said, looking impressed.

"Dude, maybe he should play at one of our parties. Just imagine he's singing with my beats," Suki pondered, excitedly.

"He doesn't seem like the type to like that music, though," Creek added, shrugging. He was impressed, sure, but he couldn't imagine Branch performing at one of their fun parties. Just saying.

"Who knows? He could grow to like it!" Chenille suggested, smiling. As they talked animatedly, Poppy stared in the direction Branch left in. Many thoughts were swirling through her head there. Things like if Branch would even consider ever singing at a party or what kind of party Branch would like or who Branch is always singing about? But there's was one main thought she pondered over.

'It was okay to feel a little attracted, right?'

WOO. THAT TOOK A WHILE. Sorry, guys. I kind of got so caught up in school that I couldn't even write more chapters or draw for my blog. But hey! Yesterday I finished both chapters for Lone Concert and Aftermath. I know you guys have been waiting a really long time, so here it is! And the lucky song for this chapter is TUNNEL VISION! I've gotten some requests for other songs by different artists, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm kinda sticking to the JT theme here ;3;