Chapter 2
Waking up in the morning was never easy for Branch. His room was always the room level of light whether it was day or night so determining time was hard. There were times he woke up and checked outside to see how much light there was only for it to be the middle of the night and be unable to sleep due the coffee he already had. Now he carried his coffee up with him but did not start to drink it until he was satisfied that it was actually morning.
This morning was particularly hard because Branch woke up alone and he had dreamt that he had gone to bed with Creek beside him the night before. It wasn't the first time Branch dreamed something like this, that he had never pushed Creek away, that their childhood sweetheart days blossomed into adulthood and that they were still together. This was the first time he had dreamt that they reconciled in the present though and that almost hurt more because, deep down, Branch knew Creek would never forgive him for breaking his heart as children.
Still, if Branch shifted a bit, he could almost imagine that he still felt Creek's warmth in the bed with him and it made his heart ache.
The first sleepover at Creek's pod had been amazing and terrifying at the same time. Lilac was sweet but wouldn't stop trying to hug Branch, pouting each time Branch clung to Creek instead when their hug time bracelets would go off. Agave was quiet but Branch couldn't help but feel like he was being watched by the green Troll the entire time.
Dinner was much quieter at Creek's pod than Miss Frizz's without all the rambunctious foster siblings running amok. Instead it was a different kind of lively, full of love and warmth that made Branch amazed that he had been welcomed there and content to bask in their glow instead of joining in any of the songs or stories they told.
After dinner Lilac tried to brush Branch's hair for him but Branch wouldn't allow it, clinging to Creek yet again.
"Divide and conquer," Agave stated, which made Lilac giggle.
Branch didn't understand, watching as Lilac sat behind Creek to brush his hair, allowing Branch to stay where he was, attached to Creek's side. Still Branch almost ran for it when Agave sat on the floor behind Branch to brush his hair, a small whine escaping him.
"Don't fuss," Agave sighed, "I'm not going to hurt you."
Frowning, Branch tolerated it so he could keep a hold of Creek, whom seemed to have no issue with Branch attaching himself to his side. In fact, Creek seemed to rather enjoy it.
When it came time for bed, Lilac tucked them both into Creek's bed and read them a story, Agave watching from the doorway with a soft smile on his face.
At some point, while he was lost in memory, Branch had sat up to curl his knees to his chest and rest his forehead on top of his arms, which loosely held onto his knees. He felt ridiculous mourning over a relationship he was responsible for ending. Often times he wondered how he could have handled it better but he understood that he had been a child and done what he thought was right, the right way at the time.
It didn't stop it from hurting any less.
Creek walked into the room, carrying a makeshift tray with breakfast on it, and pouted when he saw Branch was sitting up, "You just couldn't stay asleep for five more minutes, could you? If I didn't know better I'd say you woke up early on purpose."
Ears wiggling at the sound of Creek's voice, Branch looked up, expression perplexed, "Creek?"
"Yes?" Creek walked over to the bed, frowning a little when he got a look at Branch's face, "What's wrong?"
Unable to help it, Branch stared at Creek, "You're here."
"Of course, I'm here," Creek set down the tray at the end of the bed before sitting on the bed near Branch, "Did you think I'd just leave when the rain let up?"
Gaze falling downward, Branch squeezed his knees tightly.
Frown deepening, Creek moved closer, "Branch?"
"I thought I dreamt it," Branch admitted, keeping his gaze down.
A nightmare awoke Branch like it did most nights, even though he rarely remembered what he dreamed. All he knew was that his heart was racing far faster than normal and that he wasn't in bed alone.
Still asleep, Creek had one arm loosely around Branch's torso. The warmth he emanated helped Branch calm down a little but he felt too restless to go back to sleep.
Getting out of the bed without waking Creek was harder than he thought, but Branch managed, slipping out of Creek's room to wander a bit. He wasn't sure where to go though. At Miss Frizz's he'd just wander the halls and peek into the other kid's, and Miss Frizz's, bedrooms to make sure they were all still there until he got tired enough to try sleeping again.
But this was Creek's family's pod. Branch didn't know where he could go that Creek's parents would be okay with. He supposed the kitchen would be the safest bet.
In the kitchen, a light had already been turned on, Lilac there getting a glass of water. She turned, nearly dropping it when she spotted Branch, "Oh sweetie, you scared me, what has you up this late?"
Half hiding around the corner of the hallway, Branch just watched her. He had never been caught out of bed before, were there protocols for this? Was leaving the room not allowed after bedtime? Does this mean he wouldn't be allowed back?
Instead of getting impatient with Branch for not answering, like many adults outside of Miss Frizz did, Lilac simply smiled, "Would you like some water?"
Branch looked between the glass Lilac was holding and Lilac a few times before nodding, staying in his spot half in the hall.
Turning, Lilac got another, smaller, glass and filled it with water. She sat on the ground of the kitchen and held out the glass towards Branch.
Ears twitching, Branch eyed the cup. This felt like a trap but what reasons would Creek's mother have to trap him? He looked back at Creek's bedroom but, instead, walked cautiously into the kitchen. After looking Lilac over, he sat down across from her, mirroring her cross-legged position.
Chuckling softly, Lilac gave Branch the cup of water, "I can see why Creek likes you so much."
Blushing, Branch's ears twitched about as he sipped his water, wondering what Lilac meant by that. He didn't understand why Creek liked him at all, let alone so much. What was it that Creek and Lilac saw?
Drinking her own water, Lilac stayed silent for a bit, just watching the Trolling, "Did you have a bad dream?"
Clutching his cup, Branch brought his knees up to his chest and stared into the water.
Slowly, Lilac reached up and gently caressed Branch's cheek with her finger, smiling kindly when Branch looked up at her, "It's okay; even adults get nightmares too sometimes."
Now Branch looked at Lilac's water and wondered if a bad dream had been what woke her up as well. Careful not to spill any water, Branch stood and reached out, softly patting Lilac's cheek in an attempt to comfort her.
Lilac smiled warmly, cupping her hand over Branch's, "I'm so happy Creek met you."
Movement brought Branch back to the present.
Standing from the bed, Creek walked around it to go to Branch's nightstand. He lifted Branch's necklace, his wooing gift from Creek, that Branch had taken off to sleep, and carefully tapped Branch's chin. When Branch lifted his head a little, Creek put the necklace back on Branch, staying close afterward.
"I used to dream about this a lot too," Creek admitted, voice soft, "But this isn't a dream." He took Branch's hand and held it, "I am here and I am not going anywhere."
Squeezing Creek's hand, Branch couldn't help but let his forehead rest against Creek's, just to feel his presence all the closer for a little bit.
Whenever Branch spent the night at Creek's, he mostly slept without nightmares. The nights where Branch did wake up from nightmares, he'd get up and wander around the kitchen and living room. Lilac gave him permission to look at anything he'd like as long as he was careful and offered, several times, that Branch could wake her if he needed her but Branch never took her up on that.
Most nights Branch just looked at the pictures in frames around the living room. He really liked the ones of just Creek but his favorite was definitely the family photo that must have been taken shortly after Creek was born, the infant Creek in a blanket in his parent's arms, half asleep while his parents stared at him with such dazedly happy expressions.
Some nights Branch would wake up to find Lilac in the kitchen getting a drink. Those nights Lilac would get them both drinks, usually water, but on colder nights Lilac would insist on hot chocolate. Also, on those nights Branch would point to the pictures and Lilac would tell him the stories behind them, no matter how many times Branch silently asked her to.
But, without fail, when Branch returned to the bed, Creek would reach out to him and just hold on, seeming to have missed Branch's presence even though he had never awoken. Often times Branch would drift back to sleep to the feel of Creek nuzzling him.
Creek pulled back just enough to kiss Branch's forehead, "I made some breakfast if you're hungry."
Looking behind Creek at the tray, Branch half wondered about Creek's cooking skills, "I don't normally eat in bed."
Rolling his eyes, Creek turned and grabbed the tray, "Breakfast in bed is supposed to be romantic, you barbarian, besides you only have one chair at your table." He paused and smiled, "Though I wouldn't object to you sitting in my lap if you preferred the table."
Frowning, Branch wished he could will his ears to stop moving about as his face burned, "You already spent the night in my bed, try to have some self-control."
"Why would I ever want to do that, love?" Creek leaned in a little, grinning at Branch's face turning darker and his ears moving about all the more, "I have years to make up on."
Covering his ears, Branch half turned away from him, guilt striking him again.
"Hey now," Creek kissed over Branch's hand, "None of that; talk to me."
Staying still for a moment longer, Branch peered up at Creek as he lowered his hands, "How can you forgive me?"
"I don't blame you," said Creek, "I blame Agave for the whole ordeal."
One night, after Creek had proposed to Branch, Branch awoke to find Agave in the kitchen. He stayed around the corner of the hall, just watching Creek's father move about. All of the times Branch spent at Creek's pod, he hardly interacted with Agave. Sure, Agave would brush his hair while Lilac brushed Creek's, Branch protesting with a wordless whine each time, but Agave seemed content to let Branch and Creek have their space before dinner and at dinner, Lilac and Creek dominated the conversation. Branch wasn't sure what to make at Agave at all and it made him nervous.
When Agave spotted Branch, he sighed, "Lilac said you'd wake up sometimes. Would you like something to drink?"
Staying in the hall, Branch just watched him.
"Water?" Agave tried.
Silence.
"Hot chocolate?" Agave tried again.
Silence and more staring.
Shifting a bit, Agave tried to remember what Lilac had told him about this run-ins with Branch in the middle of the night, "How about we look at some pictures then?"
Branch's ears perked at that and he followed Agave into the living room. He was surprised when Agave pulled out a book and sat on the couch instead of going to any of the framed pictures.
Seeing Branch stare at him from across the room, Agave frowned a little, "Has Lilac not shown you the photo album before?"
Shaking his head, Branch started to move closer, curious but far more cautious for a child his age had the right to be.
"Would you like to see them?" asked Agave. "There's not a lot of Creek in here, most of these are from before he was born, but you might like them anyway."
Nodding, Branch joined Agave on the couch but kept some space between them as he looked at the pictures.
Not sure what to say, Agave went through the pages slowly. He's point out a couple with stories he remembered fondly. After a bit, he'd tell the stories of ones Branch pointed out, though Branch never touched the book for too long. That's why Agave had been surprised when Branch suddenly stuck his hand in the book when he tried to turn the page.
Turning back the page, Agave tried to figure out what had caught Branch's attention. He followed Branch's gaze to a photo of Lilac's parents but then he realized, it was the background of the picture Branch had zeroed in on.
"Rosiepuff," Agave realized, he had never noticed her in the background before. Branch's Grandmother had been a friend of Lilac's parents but he had never had the pleasure of personally meeting her.
Carefully, Agave removed the picture and gave it to Branch, watching as Branch just stared at it as if it was made of gold. Quickly he looked through the rest of the album and found another picture of Rosiepuff, this time in the foreground, talking to Lilac's mother.
Removing this picture as well, Agave offered it to Branch, "It's not much but you can have these if you want them."
It was probably the first time Branch ever looked directly at Agave's face. The stare was intense, almost frightening.
When Branch tentatively took the picture, Agave could breathe again.
They sat in silence for a bit, Agave watching Branch stare at the pictures in complete awe. Still, not even a flicker of color returned to Branch's features.
"Branch?" Agave paused, waiting for Branch to look at him again, "Do you think you could be happy someday?"
Branch stared at Agave, not understanding. How could he be expected to be happy when his Grandmother was gone? When Bergens could return and eat the rest of them, eat Creek. Sure, he wasn't sad as much with Creek around but that was different than being happy, right?
Agave sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked a child that. I just worry about Creek," he chuckled at himself, surprised to find himself talking like that. It was odd how disarming Branch's silent intensity was, or maybe because it was late? "We should both go to bed, are you sure you don't want a drink?"
Shaking his head, Branch paused a moment. He looked at the pictures, and then at Agave. Very quickly, Branch gave Agave a brief, one armed, half hug before sliding off the couch and scampering out of the room.
"I don't blame Agave for this," commented Branch, looking down at his mattress.
"Why on Earth, not?" asked Creek, moving to try to be in Branch's line of vision.
Sighing, Branch looked up at Creek again to keep the purple Troll still, "Your parents, they aren't much older than my parents would have been."
That was surprising, in all the years Creek had known Branch he had never heard Branch speak to anyone about his family, not even acknowledging their existence for the most part. In a way, Creek knew he should feel honored that Branch was being open with him, even a little, about this but he hated that this was in defense of his former father.
"That does that have to go with Agave ruining our love lives?" asked Creek.
"Considering where we are right now, I say Agave paused our relationship, not ruined it," commented Branch.
"It didn't feel like a pause at the time," grumbled Creek.
Leaving Miss Frizz had not been easy, Branch liked her even though she could never replace Grandma. But if Branch was going to do what was right and stay away from Creek so he could make more friends and sing like Trolls should, then Branch had to remove himself entirely or he'd just fall back into the comfort of Creek's presence and ruin things for him all over again.
So, Branch made a camp away from the main Troll Tree and got better at hiding it each time adults came to take him back to Miss Frizz. He hated seeing her cry and worry over him so much but he knew he couldn't stay so he'd leave again and again until the adults stopped looking and he could start work on his new home; the bunker, where he would be safe and prepare for the Bergen's inevitable return.
Many times, Branch had to hide from Creek when his former betrothed came looking for him. Most of these instances, Branch could hide in plain sight in his hair, pretending to be moss on a rock or tree. When he did that though, Branch could easily see Creek's distraught expression as he called out for Branch, begging him to come out, so Branch tried to hide where he could not see Creek to keep himself from giving in.
Though it was for the best, it hurt, deep down and heavily in Branch's chest when he realized Creek had given up as well. He didn't work on the bunker the rest of that day, just trying to hide in his hair from his own feelings and the tears running down his face.
Trying not to think of that time, Branch shook his head to clear those memories away, "The point is, your parents were born at the Troll Tree. Your parents grew up, having to suffer decades of Trollstice, seeing friends and family members taken from them. Everyone likes to pretend we're all happy, all the time, that we have no worries but scars like that just don't go away with an hourly hug time. Both your dad and uncle are a lot calmer than most Trolls. Your uncle turned to spirituality and your dad, well, he takes things more seriously, he openly worries about things and doesn't try to sugarcoat them."
Creek as silent for a while, taking Branch's words in. When he spoke again, it was soft, "What does that have to do with driving you away?"
"Look at me," stated Branch.
"I am," Creek insisted.
"Look at me," Branch shouted, holding up his hands as if Creek had suddenly gone near-sighted. "I am a physical, daily reminder of what Trolls went through. I am not the first Troll to go gray but I'm the first Troll to not push the pain away and just ignore it with song. I can't blame your father for not wanting a freaking raincloud in Troll form hanging over his son. He just wanted you to be happy."
Reaching up, Creek took Branch's hands and just held them, "You are what makes me happy."
Years went by without a single word spoken between them, barely even any interaction at all. Each time they spotted the other, they would each rush in the opposite direction to avoid the other. The pain still too deep to bare.
Still, Branch was an excellent hider. Sometimes, when he couldn't concentrate, he could find out where Creek was playing that day and hide so he could watch for a while. He was relieved when Creek became good friends with Poppy, the princess too radiantly happy to let Creek mope around for too long. The rest of the close knit of friends seemed nice, though he did have to shake his head at their ridiculous group name. Who in their right minds would call themselves the "snack pack" after generations of their kind being eaten in yearly genocide?
The group sang and danced regularly, though none of them could compare to the pure energy Poppy expelled with each note. Creek was definitely a much calmer singer and dancer, mostly content to stay in the background when Poppy went all out. But when he got the chance to sing on his own, Branch doubted there was a Troll in the entire village that had half the beauty of Creek's voice, even if Branch acknowledged that he might be a little biased towards him.
It was after a heavy rainfall that Poppy tried to dance across a stream, over something that barely constituted a twig. Branch held his breath as he watched, hating that he was right the moment the twig snapped when he came to the middle and she fell into the water.
None of the Snack Pack saw Branch come out of his hiding spot and rush to the water. They were too busy panicking and watching Creek dive in after Poppy.
A split second passed where Branch was proud of Creek for not just standing there in shock. But after that second passed, he was angry at Creek for foolishly jumping in after Poppy when there was no way he could swim them both to safety.
By the time Branch got to the water, Creek had grabbed hold of Poppy but was struggling to keep them both afloat. He stretched out his hair, grabbing onto them and dug his heels in, trying not to get pulled in along with them.
It was Biggie that came to his senses first and grabbed hold of Branch, steadying him so he could reel in his hair to pull Poppy and Creek to safety. As soon as they were on shore, they were swarmed by the rest of the relieved Snack Pack.
Knocked over when Biggie let go, Branch looked up just in time for Creek to push back his sopping wet hair and see him. It was the first time their gazes met in years and, for that moment, it felt like not a day had gone by.
"Branch," Creek breathed, a tiny smile started to form on his lips.
Branch panicked. Branch stood and ran, never hearing what Creek might have said next.
Squeezing his hands, Branch met Creek's gaze, "I still think you should forgive your father."
"I have no father," declared Creek, wincing when Branch squeezed his hands a little harder, "I don't understand why this is so important to you."
Branch tried to slip his hands free, grunting when Creek squeezed his hands back in revenge, "Calm your karma, I just want to grab something."
"One does not simply 'calm karma'," Creek scoffed but let go of Branch's hands, watching as he went to reach into his nightstand. "This seems like a bad time for that."
"Bad time for what?" asked Branch, reaching into his nightstand to take out a couple of pictures.
Despite his best efforts, Creek chuckled, "Oh, sweet, innocent Branch; you're the only Troll I know who has such innocent things in his nightstand."
Blushing, Branch's ears wiggled as he glared at Creek, "Pervert."
"That I am," Creek grinned, "But more on that later; what's so important about these pictures of yours?"
Still blushing, Branch held out the pictures, almost pulling them back when Creek reached for them, but allowed Creek to take them after a moment.
The pictures didn't seem like they would be important to Branch at first glance. One was of Creek's grandparents and the other was of his Grandmother talking to another older Troll. He frowned and looked at the first picture again, realizing that the other older Troll was in the background.
"Those are the only pictures I have of my Grandma," Branch said slowly, ears drooping a little. "Your Dad gave those to me."
"He bribed you into leaving me alone?" Creek frowned further.
"No," Branch shook his head, "He gave me those shortly after you, um, proposed with that daisy. I obviously didn't ask for them; he just realized that they were of my Grandma and took them out for me. He asked me if I thought I could ever be happy and I never answered."
Sighing, Creek gazed down at Branch's Grandmother, wishing that he could have met her, known the woman that Branch obviously loved so much. "You want me to forgive him because he was kind to you once?"
"I want you to forgive him because he's still here for you to forgive," said Branch, taking the pictures back and barely looked at them before putting them back in the nightstand.
Of course, Branch who had lost his entire family wouldn't want Creek to purposefully cut ties with his own father. But it wasn't that easy.
"I don't know if I can," Creek admitted.
"Is it because if you didn't have Agave to blame, all there would be left was me?" asked Branch, looking up at Creek with his stormy eyes.
After the stream incident, Branch cut himself off from spying on Creek. Instead he'd randomly check in on the group to make sure they're weren't recklessly endangering themselves more than normal and go about his day. The short bursts of seeing Creek were agonizing but Branch knew it was better than none at all.
One day, in his early teenage years, while Branch was out foraging, he heard humming. There didn't seem to be a Troll in sight, which confused him more until he noticed movement in the tree above him.
Humming to himself, Creek walked between the trees via the branches, using his hair to swing across if the branches weren't close enough to form a proper bridge. He was up there alone and didn't seem to notice Branch down below.
If he had, Branch doubted that Creek would have started singing, so mournfully Branch couldn't help but be drawn in, "You can go
You can start all over again
You can try to find a way to make another day go by
You can hide
Hold all your feelings inside
You can try to carry on when all you want to do is cry."
As Branch gazed up and listened, he couldn't help but think of his own relationship with Creek. So much time had passed but his feelings had never faded. He wondered if there was even a tiny chance Creek still cared for him at all.
Creek began a simple dance up in the branches, limited by his narrow platform but no less elegant than he would on a proper stage, "And maybe someday
We'll figure all this out
Try to put an end to all our doubt
Try to find a way to make things better now, and
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow
Someday."
There were lots of friends in Creek's life now. Creek sang and danced and participated in hug time with the village. Maybe, just maybe, they could at least be friends again now? Maybe Branch wouldn't take everything Creek had gained away?
"Now wait," Creek paused his dancing and, for a moment, Branch thought he had been spotted, but instead Creek was looking longingly into the distance,
"And try to find another mistake
If you throw it all away then maybe you can change your mind
You can run, oh
And when everything is over and done
You can shine a little light on everything around you
Man it's good to be someone."
But how would Branch even approach Creek? He hadn't so much as spoken a word to him since he broke off their childhood engagement. Did he even have the right to try to be in Creek's life again?
"And maybe someday
We'll figure all this out
Try to put an end to all our doubt
Try to find a way to make things better now, and
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow
Someday," Creek continued to sing, returning to his simple dance, unaware of Branch and the thoughts that plagued the gray Troll.
Maybe Branch could start with a compliment? Creek's singing truly was beautiful and it would be easy enough to say that it lured him there.
Suddenly Creek ran forward and jumped off the branch he was on. Branch nearly screamed and ran forward but saw Creek stretch out his hair to the next branch.
Instead of swinging up into the next tree, Creek stretched out his hair further, swinging around in a circle in the air like an aerobatics performer was he slowly descended to the ground, his song picking up in energy as he did, "And I don't want to wait
I just want to know
I just want to hear you tell me, so
Give it to me straight
Tell it to me slow."
As Branch watched Creek's descent, done so beautifully and masterfully when he thought no one was watching, he couldn't help but be envious of those who saw Creek perform on a regular basis. Creek was truly a sight to behold.
When Creek's feet touched the ground and his hair returned to its normal length, Creek's voice returned to the same solemn beauty as before, "'Cause maybe someday
We'll figure all this out
We'll put an end to all our doubt
Try to find a way to just feel better now, and
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow
Someday."
Though Creek still hadn't seen Branch, Branch now had a better view of Creeks face. He watched as a small, hopeful smile grace Creek's lips.
When Creek sang again his voice was more hopeful, uplifting, drawing Branch even more strongly than before, "'Cause sometimes we don't really notice
Just how good it can get
So maybe we should start all over
Start all over again
'Cause sometimes we don't really notice
Just how good it can get
So maybe we should start all over
Start all over again…"
The song now over, Branch just stood, frozen and staring at Creek. He had no idea how to approach Creek, how to start. He was beginning to wonder if he knew how to breath.
Satisfied from his song, Creek turned to head back to the village, stopping when he saw the gray Troll watching him. For a moment, all he did was stare in return, this was the closest they had been to each other in years and he could hardly believe Branch hadn't run away the moment he saw Creek spot him, "Branch?"
"Creek," Branch returned and just felt stupid. Couldn't he have said a proper greeting instead of saying Creek's name like some sort of cold acknowledgement.
Lips thinning, Creek slowly walked towards Branch, cautious, "What are you doing out here?"
"Foraging," Branch answered and mentally kicked himself again. One-word answers were not the best way to mend bridges. Say something on your own. Compliment him, "I was lured here by your singing."
That sounded like Branch thought Creek wanted to lure him into a trap but Creek seemed to take it better than Branch felt like it sounded, smiling softly, "You were?"
"Yes, I," Branch faltered, "It was." He swallowed trying to think of the right compliment. Nice? Beautiful? Gorgeous? Breath taking? Heavenly?
"It was?" Creek stepped a little closer, almost within arm's reach.
"It was," Branch panicked, "Dangerous for you to sing out here all by yourself." He was mentally screaming at himself to stop but his mouth ran with it, "What would have happened if you had lured in something more dangerous than me? Some predator or, worse, a Bergen?"
The smile was gone from Creek's face, watching Branch with what Branch could only describe as disappointment, "At the moment, a predator would have been preferable."
Branch winced but he definitely deserved that. He tried offering, "Come on, I'll walk you back to the village."
A scoff escaped Creek, "Don't go pretending like you give a damn now."
That hurt too but, again, Branch deserved it, "Creek-"
"Don't," Creek snapped, "You can't avoid me for years and then act like you didn't rip my heart out and stomp on it."
"We were children," Branch started but knew it was the wrong thing to say when Creek's eyes darkened. He swallowed, not used to seeing Creek so angry. And especially not at him.
"My father says that too," commented Creek, tone cold. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less." He moved around Branch to head back to the village, "Keep your gray paranoia away from me; avoiding me is what your good at after all. From now on, our childhood sweetheart days are as important to me as they obviously are to you." He shot a cold look over his shoulder, "Not at all."
As Creek walked away, Branch wanted to call out to him. To apologize. To beg even a fraction of forgiveness, but he was rooted to the spot and his voice had dried up.
The next time Branch and Creek saw each other the animosity stage of their relationship begun. Creek would poke at and torment Branch about his gray and paranoid attitude towards Bergens, especially when they were along. In front of others Creek would make "helpful suggestions" which were usually backward insults. Branch fought back and retaliated with his own remarks to make it stop but it just went on and on. And as much as it hurt and angered Branch, as much as he acted like he hated Creek, he never could blame Creek as Branch knew he deserved every bit of Creek's spite.
Now Creek sat across from Branch, on Branch's bed, in Branch's bunker and Branch was trying to take all the process they made the previous day and throw it out before breakfast, which was probably cold now.
"Branch," Creek started, then stopped and sighed, "I can't promise to forgive Agave but I can promise that I won't turn around and blame it all on you. I'm tired of blaming you and being angry and taking it out on you at every given opportunity. I want to give being with you every opportunity I can give it because it's all I've wanted since we separated. Can you promise to do the same?"
The sincerity in Creek's voice and the hope at the end had Branch's heart racing. He just knew his ears were twitching as he blushed but ignored them in favor of reaching out and holding onto one of Creek's hands again. His gaze stayed on their braided fingers for a while, watching Creek's thumb, almost nervously, caress the top of Branch's hand.
Branch looked up to meet Creek's eyes when he spoke, "I promise."