Lagoon Dance

"You're the best dance partner, Synth."

Branch's right eye twitched. Poppy's words seemed to repeat endlessly on his mind while a frozen smile persisted on his face. A smile that didn't look happy anymore and turned into some kind of grimace.

His girlfriend was complimenting someone else on their dance skills. Bitterly, Branch reminded himself he never got to show her how good he was because he had mistaken Swing Dance with… well… Swing Dance.

They had never danced together. They had attended parties and danced by each other's side, but they had never shared a dance. Lady and gentletroll kind of dance. Ballroom dancing. Waltz. Tango. Whatever kind there was that required a partner.

That's why the compliments were pouring out of her mouth. Poppy didn't know he was a better dancer.

"Hey, Dubstep!" Branch internally groaned, but approached the two trolls anyway. Synth had spotted him. "Queen Popp-ey is the best dance partner I ever had. I might ask to share a dance or two more often."

"Isn't that great." Branch forced the smile again, hiding the overprotective instinct to pull Poppy behind him and stomp out of the Classical Crest's area.

"I'll see you next time, Synth." Poppy waved at the Techno troll who winked back.

"You bet, twinkle toes."

At that Branch nearly lost the last drop of patience he had. Twinkle toes?! Nobody called her that! She had made it up to tease him!

"It's a shame you missed the party, Branch." Poppy said as soon as they started walking back towards the Pop neighborhood.

"Yes, shame." He mumbled in annoyance.

Of course he had missed it, after all someone had to take care of all the traps around Trollstopia and, with the lack of help, he was the only troll to get it done. Nobody seemed to like the idea of traps, but they were all grateful when a predator was caught, weren't they? Hunf.

"But since it was so nice, I hear Dante is considering having a weekly classical party. You could come next time."

And, yes. She was fishing information. Poppy had sensed something was off. He had to disguise his real feelings or she would catch the jealousy he was feeling. She could sniff his mood change in the air.

"What style did you dance?" High-pitched, Branch kicked a small pebble that was on their way.

The night was clear with the full moon and sky full of stars. It would be a romantic stroll they were taking if only he could suppress the bitter feeling that gagged him when he thought that Synth had danced with his Poppy all evening.

"We waltzed." Poppy was glowing with happiness. She loved to dance. Branch knew she loved to dance so, why - the Hair - hadn't he taken her out dancing, yet?

"Waltz is easy." Branch replied, shrugging a little. Waltz was so easy for him that his concern eased a little. If Poppy had been impressed by a mere waltz what would she say when he decided to teach her some tango. It was an easy win over Synth.

"Really?" her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I just learned that it's not step one - two, but step - one - two."

Branch didn't answer. They continued walking together with the underlying feeling that they had to come up with an excuse to dance.

The sound of water made them both realize they were close to the lagoon. The humid air with the sweet scent of fresh grass caused Branch to walk slower. It wasn't much like him, walking without a clear objective (like collecting firewood) in the dark, but the atmosphere was inviting and Poppy next to him made it all more enjoyable. Even his heartbeat seemed to change the pace.

The Moon was reflecting on the ripples of water. It wasn't completely full, but in a day or two it would shine its splendor down the village. The light was enough to make everything visible, though; from the small critter that was napping on a bush to the glitterfish who was enjoying a night swim near the surface.

The glitterfish jumped on the water and Branch noticed some blue light coming from the quick move. Poppy squealed next to him, noticing the same thing.

"They are early!"

"Who are they?" Branch asked, walking to the edge to check the light better.

"Bioluminescent Plankton." Poppy's eyes shimmered with the light. Enchanted, she walked to the edge, following him and as soon as the water covered her feet, the blue light surrounded her pink skin. "See? It's cute!"

"How come I didn't know about this?" Branch wondered out loud. He had studied every inch of the village, he knew every possible natural event there was with the precision of a weather expert. How could he let such an interesting phenomenon pass?

Poppy kicked the water lightly. The blue light danced with her. The sound of the water seemed to invite the humming critters.

A waltz.

He couldn't think of an excuse, but then, did he need one? Branch slowly stepped into the water and took his girlfriend's hand. Her smile widened and she turned to face him.

A hand on his shoulder, while his own went down her waist.

Step - one - two. Turn in a circle and rise and fall. With blue light on their feet and drops of water surrounding them, wetting the hem of their clothes, they dreamily stared at each other's eyes. Step - one - two.

The pace grew progressively and Branch couldn't help himself, but pick her up for a spin. It wasn't on the waltzing script, but it felt right and when Poppy closed her eyes to enjoy the motion and to focus on his arms that warmly wrapped around her, it made him notice her lips. They were glossy and tempting.

They didn't resume their position, instead, Poppy's palm rested on his chest, with an expectant grin. Her mouthwatering closeness cast a spell on him. His head slowly dipped, half lidded eyes guided him to the right spot where he met her strawberry taste with a sweet hunger.

A bigger wave wet their knees. The light glowed stronger. Poppy's lips turned into a smile that progressed to a giggle. He brought her close, holding her firmly against him.

With the waltz forgotten for the rest of the evening, Branch barely remembered he was jealous of a dance in the first place.

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Notes:

So, this is the last chapter of season six and since there's no evidence that season seven will be out soon, I'm going to unfold some arcs I left behind in the next chapters. I already have them halfway written, but if there's something speficially you want to know that may turn into a chapter, this is the time to tell me :)

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