Tales of Trollstopia 18

Hickey

The smell of freshly baked cookies made Poppy really proud of herself. Nope, she didn't want to eat them. The dark brown delicacies with white chocolate drops were specially made for her adorable boyfriend who had been working non-stop since he started building the metroll rail.

Branch had surprised her with his thoughtful idea and perhaps he was expecting a 'jumping around in joy' type of cheering from her, but he had picked the wrong day to pitch it to her because she ended up in tears, trapping him in a hug that included legs, arms and hair, almost permanently tangling them together.

The red curtain hid their secret project, even if the rail was already all over the city, most of the trolls barely paid attention to it. She gasped at the sight of their progress. Branch had been more than eager to work on his own (he was used to working alone, after all), but when Poppy mentioned that Rhythm and Blues were really good at keeping secrets, he was convinced that the Funk Sisters could help him finish the train faster.

Poppy wasn't prepared to see the train almost entirely done, though.

"Branch?" She called, walking closer, completely in awe.

"In the front!" He replied, showing her that he was working on the engine.

"I'm impressed!" The queen said, stepping inside the cabin to see everything was already in place. "I think I never saw you work so fast!"

"Actually, only the external part is ready, but the most complicated one is just starting. The transmission, the breaks and the engine are going to take a couple of weeks to be done." Branch rolled from under the control table, showing her that he was covered in oil. "Uh! Are those your cookies?"

"Specially baked for you." Poppy grinned and pulled out a package of wipe towels, which he gladly accepted.

"You're so considerate you blow my mind." He didn't intend to say it out loud, but he did and Poppy blushed at the sudden compliment.

"So…" She looked around, trying to recompose herself. "...I really like how you used hair to build the cabins."

"That's Fuzzbert's idea." Branch took a first bite of the cookie and leaned against the front window to relax a little. "Everything was made of metal in my first design, but when I asked Fuzzbert to work on the tapestry inside, well… he convinced me that a pod-shaped cabin would agree with the vibe of our city better. Besides… he came up with those cabins in a couple of hours."

Branch felt so alive to have a project to work on. The break was meant to last only fifteen minutes, but when Poppy showed that much interest in how he was developing his work he couldn't help but talk for more than half an hour. He ended up eating all the cookies and drinking all the orange juice she had brought.

"I hope you're not getting too tired by the end of the day." Poppy commented, putting the empty plate, glass and box of wipes in a basket to be taken away.

"Fulfilled would be the right word." He grinned at her and Poppy just retributed his smile. They remained in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

The queen scanned him. She didn't hide how much she loved to see him in his work outfit. Branch was beyond the point of feeling embarrassed when Poppy did that. When he was feeling confident, like he was while working on that train, he felt so powerfully alpha male that when she checked him out it actually turned him on.

So, he checked her out as well. Standing a couple of feet away from her, he noticed she was wearing the light blue dress. He hadn't seen her wearing that one in a while. It could mean it was a special occasion.

He noticed she had a fresh soap perfume, indicating she had showered - probably while the cookies baked - just before leaving to meet him. The tip of her fingers, though, smelled like vanilla dipping. She had brought a small portion so he could taste it with the cookies. His eyes trailed up, but just before they reached her face, he saw a small white spot just above her shoulder blades.

"Hm… I think you have a little bit of vanilla on your lower neck…" Branch watched as her pink hand immediately flew to the wrong side.

"Here?" She asked, wiping her hand and looking at it. She didn't get the spot.

Branch didn't answer her. He stepped closer, with the intention of taking her hand and placing it on the right spot, but the delicious strawberry perfume that emanated from her made his body act on his own, sending his brain to a faraway land.

Poppy only realized what he was doing when his lips connected with her neck, softly nibbling the sensitive spot, causing her knees to buckle. His arms were right there to hold her in place and, somehow, she stopped breathing.

Was it how he felt when she touched him that night during the sleepover? Because… hair… something was stirring inside her and she felt like she was going to collapse.

His tongue was so hot, and his hair brushed her skin so lightly it made her shiver. He certainly was taking his time to lick the vanilla away… and sucking… and biting.

Her eyes darkened in surrender just as his body stiffened, like he had just realized what he was doing. Branch took a quick step back, ready to apologize but the way her eyes burned with desire made him hold his words.

He had no idea he could make her look like that.

"You're… hm… clean." Madly blushing, he watched as she slowly blinked a couple of times and the dark magenta was replaced by the soft pink ones he knew.

"Thanks." Poppy whispered. She felt the urge to put her hand where his mouth had just been, but stubbornly stopped herself. "I need to go."

Branch just nodded and, in a blink, she vanished from his sight.

The next couple of hours he dropped the base plate on his face about three times. He picked the wrong fuse bolts and he hammered his finger. He couldn't understand what had come over him to behave like he had with Poppy… and the way she looked at him… well… he couldn't avoid some dirty thoughts from the knowledge he had gotten from Lownote's multiverse travel.

"Branch, are you in there?" Biggie called him from the last cabin and Branch never before had been so glad to be interrupted in the middle of his work hours. Sticking his head out, he waved at the blue troll to motion him to come closer. "Sorry to disturb you, Branch."

"It's okay…" The survivalist rubbed his sore finger, "I'm thinking it's about time I call it a day."

"I'm glad I'm not getting in the middle of your work then," Biggie's usual gentle expression changed to an angry one and Branch realized he was about to get scorned. "Because I need to have a serious conversation with you."

"I swear I didn't make Fuzzbert overwork. He delivered all the hair on his own time." Branch quickly defended himself, but Biggie's face didn't change

"I want to talk about Poppy." At the sound of her name, it was Branch's turn to frown and wait for Biggie to continue. "She has a massive hickey on her neck!"

His legs suddenly felt wobbly. He had given Poppy a hickey!

"I mean, it's sweet of you to express your love, but you must remember she's our Queen!" Mr. Dinkles meeped in agreement. "She had a meeting with Sky Toronto; I mean, if Smidge hadn't seen that inappropriate love mark, she'd have made a fool of herself."

His stomach painfully churned. Branch could only imagine Poppy walking around the village with that on her neck. Hair… the gossip…

"Everybody is wondering who the Queen's mysterious lover is, so I assume you guys will want to come out publicly?" Biggie asked, "To spare her reputation, if it's the case."

Trolls would wrongly assume they had been having fun in his bunker every time she stayed over. Hair… her reputation would indeed be in jeopardy.

"Honestly, Biggie…" Branch had to take deep breaths to calm his racing mind from coming up with endless excuses to keep a low profile. He had to be true to himself. "I think it's Poppy's decision if she wants to make things clear. I have no problem with it if that's what she really wants." The bigger blue troll stared at Branch in confusion. "And I'm sorry about the mark," blushing, the survivalist continued, "I got carried away."

"Well… no harm done so far." Chuckling, Biggie stepped out of the train. "But Smidge would kill me if I didn't give you the talk. Glad it's behind us!"

"Hey, how many trolls actually saw the hickey?" Branch asked, just to get prepared for a crowd barging into his bunker to pry on his private life.

"Oh… just Smidge and I. We were fast at giving Poppy a scarf."